Also as a current cowboy, I agree.

It seems to me that most responses here see SN trust and cowboy status as almost the same thing - or at least somehow related. But as far as I know, that is not the case. And the ranking FAQ doesn't even mention cowboy hats.

What I have seen, are stackers saying they don't trust non-cowboys (as much). That could indirectly influence rankings, I guess, but it's not (currently) part of the ranking algorithm, is it?