This is NOT a pro-lynching song

[durangodawood]

You wouldn't be stereotyping hillbillies now would you? "Othering" hillbillies, us vs. them, etc. etc. et. al....

Im talking about how we'd look at it if he turned the same lens in another direction.

Sounds like youre getting the point.

 

[probinson]

I appreciate these types of discussions, because it gives me a glimpse into the way people manufacture "offense".

Until yesterday, I had never heard of this song. The media (and this thread) told me I should be offended. So I went and listened to it. And while it was a very mediocre song with the typical 'Murica! type message prevalent in many country songs, I found that it was much ado about nothing.

Christians are notorious for this also. I can't tell you the number of times a movie, or a song, or a book comes out and the Christian response is to take offense and to tell OTHERS to take offense.

I just don't get it. What a waste of time and resources, looking for some reason to be offended. I'll never understand.

 

[probinson]

Im talking about how we'd look at it if he turned the same lens in another direction.

I'd feel the exact same way. Meh.

 

[durangodawood]

....
I just don't get it. What a waste of time and resources, looking for some reason to be offended. I'll never understand.

I enjoy the discussions about art, popular culture, its meanings in contemporary life. Also as I noted I used to get paid to play country music. So its an interest on various fronts.

But outside of this discussion Im not sitting around fretting about this song.

 

[probinson]

But outside of this discussion Im not sitting around fretting about this song.

Neither am I. But I find your "interpretation" of the song fascinating. You obviously see something that I do not.

 

[durangodawood]

Neither am I. But I find your "interpretation" of the song fascinating. You obviously see something that I do not.

I think I do. Anyway, good discussing it with you. You put up some challenging thoughts.

 

[Fantine]

When I read the lyrics, I think about the many times that these 'small towners who take care of their own' have told me I should get out of Dodge and move back to New York just for expressing my opinions.

I'm not coming at them with a gun. I abhor guns, and it's one of the things I hate most about living in the South. I believe reasonable people discuss their differences through dialogue--but these 'small towners' want to eliminate dialogue by eliminating people with different opinions.

I understand that people who tell me to move because they disagree with me have problems. They represent the very worst of small town living--the clannishness, the narrow-mindedness. They have driven away the best and brightest of their youth who feel suffocated by their rigidity.

Aldean is their cheerleader and anthem-carrier. He "escaped" from his small town and is making a fortune off small towners who need to have their minds opened, not validated.

Since I can't recall ever having heard a Jason Aldean song, I just listened to "Try That in a Small Town" and "Small Town Small." Not sure if he writes his own music, but it's like doing scales in choral warmups--up and down the scale step by step in a five or six note range, boring and repetitive--or maybe eerily hypnotic and propagandistic. Yeah, small town fans, I like to criticize BLM groups where a few bad apples take advantage of the crowd and break the law---but if they dare come to my small town, well hey, all us small towners will get our guns and we'll take the law into our own hands. Ugh!

 

[probinson]

but if they dare come to my small town, well hey, all us small towners will get our guns and we'll take the law into our own hands. Ugh!

You seem more offended by the potential response to violent protests than the violent protests themselves.

 

[Brihaha]

When I read the lyrics, I think about the many times that these 'small towners who take care of their own' have told me I should get out of Dodge and move back to New York just for expressing my opinions.

I'm not coming at them with a gun. I abhor guns, and it's one of the things I hate most about living in the South. I believe reasonable people discuss their differences through dialogue--but these 'small towners' want to eliminate dialogue by eliminating people with different opinions.

I understand that people who tell me to move because they disagree with me have problems. They represent the very worst of small town living--the clannishness, the narrow-mindedness. They have driven away the best and brightest of their youth who feel suffocated by their rigidity.

Aldean is their cheerleader and anthem-carrier. He "escaped" from his small town and is making a fortune off small towners who need to have their minds opened, not validated.

Since I can't recall ever having heard a Jason Aldean song, I just listened to "Try That in a Small Town" and "Small Town Small." Not sure if he writes his own music, but it's like doing scales in choral warmups--up and down the scale step by step in a five or six note range, boring and repetitive--or maybe eerily hypnotic and propagandistic. Yeah, small town fans, I like to criticize BLM groups where a few bad apples take advantage of the crowd and break the law---but if they dare come to my small town, well hey, all us small towners will get our guns and we'll take the law into our own hands. Ugh!

Jason sang much of the same stuff in his song Flyover States. And it is a respectable song. I can relate because I was raised in a small town in the midwest. His tribal bitterness and growing vitriol has become glaringly clear in this recent endeavor though. It is garbage in regards to Aldean's potential and talent as a musician. And it only serves to divide Americans more into tribal camps.

Jason did not write this small town piece of auditory bigotry. He merely used his platform of fame to stir up more controversy for attention. He was dropped by his PR firm late last year and isn't winning awards like he feels entitled to win now. Here's an interesting read from a seemingly knowledgeable writer.

Jason Aldean Already Had the Most Contemptible Country Song of the Decade. The Video Is Worse

Jason Aldean was already trolling with the vigilante-themed song 'Try That in a Small Town.' His video will do much worse damage... to country music.

variety.com

 

[FenderTL5]

When I read the lyrics, I think about the many times that these 'small towners who take care of their own' have told me I should get out of Dodge and move back to New York just for expressing my opinions.

I'm not coming at them with a gun. I abhor guns, and it's one of the things I hate most about living in the South. I believe reasonable people discuss their differences through dialogue--but these 'small towners' want to eliminate dialogue by eliminating people with different opinions.

I understand that people who tell me to move because they disagree with me have problems. They represent the very worst of small town living--the clannishness, the narrow-mindedness. They have driven away the best and brightest of their youth who feel suffocated by their rigidity.

Aldean is their cheerleader and anthem-carrier. He "escaped" from his small town and is making a fortune off small towners who need to have their minds opened, not validated.

Since I can't recall ever having heard a Jason Aldean song, I just listened to "Try That in a Small Town" and "Small Town Small." Not sure if he writes his own music, but it's like doing scales in choral warmups--up and down the scale step by step in a five or six note range, boring and repetitive--or maybe eerily hypnotic and propagandistic. Yeah, small town fans, I like to criticize BLM groups where a few bad apples take advantage of the crowd and break the law---but if they dare come to my small town, well hey, all us small towners will get our guns and we'll take the law into our own hands. Ugh!

Jason sang much of the same stuff in his song Flyover States. And it is a respectable song. I can relate because I was raised in a small town in the midwest. His tribal bitterness and growing vitriol has become glaringly clear in this recent endeavor though. It is garbage in regards to Aldean's potential and talent as a musician. And it only serves to divide Americans more into tribal camps.

Jason did not write this small town piece of auditory bigotry. He merely used his platform of fame to stir up more controversy for attention. He was dropped by his PR firm late last year and isn't winning awards like he feels entitled to win now. Here's an interesting read from a seemingly knowledgeable writer.

Jason Aldean Already Had the Most Contemptible Country Song of the Decade. The Video Is Worse

Jason Aldean was already trolling with the vigilante-themed song 'Try That in a Small Town.' His video will do much worse damage... to country music.

variety.com

This song reminds me of the three cowards, Travis McMichael, his father, Gregory McMichael and their neighbor William Bryan who murdered Ahmaud Arbery after he made the mistake of running through their neighborhood.

I grew up in a small town in Tennessee (population 5,357 at the 2020 census, just over 1000 when I lived there in the 70s-82). I was working as a police dispatcher the Sunday afternoon a young, minority, athelete was picked up for jogging (with a town resident, former classmate) because, "..the only reason a n!&&#^ runs through this town is because he's done something.."
There's no redeeming qualities in that song nor those precepts.

I live in Nashville but I don't listen to modern country music. I haven't listened to it, except in passing, since Gerry House left WSIX.

 

[probinson]

How in the world did we get from talking about people sucker-punching someone on the street and carjacking old ladies to a young minority being murdered for jogging?

This is what I'm talking about. You have to read an AWFUL LOT into this song to make this incredibly illogical leap.

 

[Brihaha]

This song reminds me of the three cowards, Travis McMichael, his father, Gregory McMichael and their neighbor William Bryan who murdered Ahmaud Arbery after he made the mistake of running through their neighborhood.

I grew up in a small town in Tennessee (population 5,357 at the 2020 census, just over 1000 when I lived there in the 70s-82). I was working as a police dispatcher the Sunday afternoon a young, minority, athelete was picked up for jogging (with a town resident, former classmate) because, "..the only reason a n!&&#^ runs through this town is because he's done something.."
There's no redeeming qualities in that song nor those precepts.

I live in Nashville but I don't listen to modern country music. I haven't listened to it, except in passing, since Gerry House left WSIX.

No doubt. We used to camp down at Talladega next to a couple crews from Georgia. Most were respectable, fairly well adjusted adults. But there were always a couple of those boys who were closed minded rednecks whom you just can't reach. They carried knives everywhere looking for trouble. Coming back in the morning bloodied and drunk, bragging about fighting some dudes up in the North Park up by interstate 20. Aldean neglected to mention these small town cats who cuss out the cops and spit on them like those "other folks in the city" do. It doesn't reconcile with his misguided narrative.

 

[probinson]

Aldean neglected to mention these small town cats who cuss out the cops and spit on them like those "other folks in the city" do. It doesn't reconcile with his misguided narrative.

Why is "other folks in the city" in quotes? Where are you quoting that from?

 

[Brihaha]

How in the world did we get from talking about people sucker-punching someone on the street and carjacking old ladies to a young minority being murdered for jogging?

This is what I'm talking about. You have to read an AWFUL LOT into this song to make this incredibly illogical leap.

Because Aldean equated protesters forced to "take care of their own" with carjacking old ladies in the city. One has to delude oneself strongly to not see the correlation. And to refuse to separate rioters from the vastly majority of peaceful protesters. The Georgia men convicted of Arberys murder are exactly the people who have made the leap...from reality. And Aldean's divise dog whistles only exacerbate the number of deluded bigots who feel justified in violence against minorities.

 

[Vambram]

Lee Greenwood praises Jason Aldean amid 'Small Town' backlash: 'He is the biggest patriot'

Country music star Lee Greenwood defends Jason Aldean amid attempts from left-wing activists to cancel the country music star for his "Try That In A Small Town" music video.

www.foxnews.com

 

[probinson]

Because Aldean equated protesters forced to "take care of their own" with carjacking old ladies in the city. One has to delude oneself strongly to not see the correlation.

Um, I think the people "deluding" themselves are the ones that equate someone "taking care of their own" as it pertains to an old lady being carjacked to the heinous murder of a minority for simply jogging. I don't even understand the cognitive process that someone must go through to think those things are in any way remotely similar.

And Aldean's divise dog whistles only exacerbate the number of deluded bigots who feel justified in violence against minorities.

Minorities aren't even mentioned in the song, nor are any shown in the video. I have no idea how you've arrived at this conclusion, other than by inserting your own preconceived ideas and biases.

 

[Brihaha]

We cannot live our lives concerned that you don't get it. Some folks never get it. I have followed Jason's decent into counterproductive tribalism because I was a big fan of his previously.

Not saying you, but people often cannot wrap their heads around truth because their heads are obstinate and in the way of cognition. I am not concerned about your lack of comprehension throughout this thread. That is your issue friend. Peace

 

[Belk]

<Finally watches video>

Wait! That is supposed to be a country song? Sounds a whole lot like a rock song to me. Country has changed since the days of me listening to the dukes of Hazzard.

 

[BPPLEE]

<Finally watches video>

Wait! That is supposed to be a country song? Sounds a whole lot like a rock song to me. Country has changed since the days of me listening to the dukes of Hazzard.

Yes I was traveling last weekend and was surprised what was playing on Country stations. I don’t listen to much Country but I liked a lot of what I heard

 

[Desk trauma]

Watching this I was struck by how long it has been since since heavy metal has been the target of a culture war outrage.