Jason Aldean: Bad Ol' Boy - by Mona Charen
By: Mona Charen
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
He thinks he's been misunderstood. He hasn't.
JASON ALDEAN IS FULL of righteous indignation that people are outraged by his music video "Try That in a Small Town."
Against a montage of rioters pitching rocks and Molotov cocktails, masked criminals robbing convenience stores, and protesters flipping off cops, Aldean presents himself as a wholesome contrast. There he is, clad in jeans and a cowboy hat, together with his band in front of a courthouse festooned with an oversized American flag. The viewer is subjected to images of rioters rushing police cordons, leaping up and down on burned out cars, and burning American flags on the sidewalk. Aldean croons:
Sucker punch somebody on a sidewalk / Carjack an old lady at a red light / Pull a gun on the owner of a liquor store / You think it's cool, well act a fool if you like / Cuss out a cop, spit in his face / Stomp on the flag and light it up / Yeah, you think you're tough. Try that in a small town / See how far you make it down the road / 'Round here we take care of our own / You cross that line it won't take long / For you to find out / I recommend you don't / Try that in a small town.
Not subtle. He continues to a little light vigilantism:
Got a gun that my granddad gave me / They say one day they're gonna round up / That shit may fly in the city / Good luck trying that in a small town. Try that in a small town / Full of good ol' boys / Raised up right / If you're looking for a fight / Try that in a small town.
Unsurprisingly, the video sparked an outcry and Aldean is now protesting his innocence:
In the past 24 hours I have been accused of releasing a pro-lynching song (a song that has been out since May) and was subject to the comparison that I (direct quote) was not too pleased with the nationwide BLM protests. These references are not only meritless, but dangerous. There is not a single lyric in the song that references race or points to it, and there isn't a single video clip that isn't real news footage—and while I can try and respect others to have their own interpretation of a song with music—this one goes too far.
Well, some of his critics did go too far (when do they not?), suggesting, for example, that Aldean chose the Maury County courthouse for the video because it was the scene of a horrible lynching in 1927. Considering that 50 percent of Americans believe the Emancipation Proclamation, the War of 1812, or the Civil War happened before the American Revolution, I'd be surprised if Aldean is conversant with that history. But that's about as far as his innocence extends.
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His claim that there is not a "single lyric" in the song that references race is disingenuous. For one thing, the term "good ol' boy" refers exclusively to white people. And then there are the images (a number of which are from protests in other countries)! While few of the rioters' faces are clearly visible, the footage is entirely of urban unrest. Guess who tends to live in cities? The video doesn't distinguish between liquor store hold-ups and mass protests, but suffice it to say that the kind of violence he splashes before viewers is very much of the urban variety—entirely in keeping with the theme of the song, which seeks to claim that city people are violent, flag-burning thugs while we rural "good ol' boys, raised up right" are the peaceful patriots.
He hits that theme hard at the end, with new images of white children romping in their backyard, a little white girl playing hopscotch, and a white farmer in a wheelchair proclaiming that helping neighbors is what his community is all about: "Somebody needs help, he'll get it."
I'm sorry, does Aldean think that people who need help in Boston and Nashville and St. Louis don't get it from their neighbors? Does he think that people who live in New York and Chicago and Philadelphia approve of criminals? Does he think they all cheer flag burners?
And for that matter, does he know what kind of thing happens in small towns? Uvalde, Texas is a small town. Newtown, Connecticut is a small town. Greenwood, Indiana is a small town. Chesapeake, Virginia is a small town.
And it's notable that some awfully famous images of rioters attacking an iconic American landmark, desecrating the American flag, and spitting on cops—those from January 6—didn't make the cut.
Asked if he would play the song even after the controversy, Aldean took refuge in the familiar pose of victimhood. Because he's being criticized, he thinks he's being "canceled." Gushing about his "badass" fans, he whined that "Cancel culture is a thing . . . which means try and ruin your life, ruin everything." Of course he would perform the song, he declared, because "The people have spoken and you guys spoke very very loudly . . ." So matters of decency get decided by plebiscite?
Look, Aldean imagines that he is merely standing up for the "feeling of community that I had growing up." But if he really was raised with good values, where is the fellow feeling? Where is the sense of community with other Americans who may not be from the same town but are just as worthy of respect and consideration as his high school buddies? If this were really a call to community, he would have included at least one or two images of Americans who weren't white or rural. Don't we expect all Americans to honor their neighbors and compatriots? Isn't that part of what being "raised up right" includes? Don't rural people reach into their wallets when hurricanes or tornadoes hit cities and vice versa?
Aldean's defense is fatuous. The music video is belligerent and divisive. In this age of ugly partisanship, the cheapest clicks can be purchased with us-vs.-them incitement. It's unworthy. Don't try that in a good country.
Try sharing this free article in a small town.
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Mona Charen is right. Aldean's appeal is to a small slice of America. For short we will call them rural MAGA.
Exactly, you can see that same attitude expressed here every day.
It's not a small slice of America and not all rural people are MAGA.
The Dems are completely out ot touch with the majority of Americans
JR might have a compulsive need to characterize, bin and label people. Progressives don’t see individuals but only groups. It’s the foundation of their Identity Politics.
Thanks for the applause!
Nah, she’s way off the mark.
YouTube is full of videos of fellow citizens in cities like New York and Chicago, watching their neighbors get their asses beat, stabbed, mugged, raped, etc, etc.
There is a huge difference ….. not that big citified people will ever make the connection.
Not every body who lives in a rural area is MAGA. Quite a few of us liberals are hiding out in the country because we like the fresh air and privacy
Of course and you and your kin aren't going to listen to that racist, poser Jason.
It's like all those white rock n' rollers in the 50 - 70s posing and making money of of black experiences.
Jason Aldean is a poser. He grew up in Macon, GA (pop = 150,000) not a small town. I grew up about a mile and half outside of a PA village that maybe had 200 people living in it. You could call Strongstown, PA a wide spot on Hwy 422. There were lots of such villages in Western PA where coal and steel were the kings. You gave your neighbors help when they needed it. But if your neighbor wasn't so neighborly (like stealing your tools) a well verbalized threat backed up with a baseball bat or axe handle took care of the problem
Jason Aldean can kiss my ass
Exactly, singers and songwriters should restrict their craft to only personal experiences.
I've been looking into this, and do you know the lies are everywhere....
There are dozens more!!
Turns out, the entire music industry is full of wanton and reckless prevarication.
You've crushed me.
If you really think like this.......
Pretty sure Blue Oyster Cult never actually told Godzilla to “go go.”
It just keeps getting worse.
This is clearly an ongoing conspiracy. Someone should be prosecuted.
Yep, we need a special counsel assigned to investigate for few years ….
OK, yeah.
But is it really any dumber than everybody losing their shit over Target selling weird swimsuits?
Well.... OK.... it's a little dumber....
Bud Light: those TERRIFYING rainbows...
Bud Light: Because who doesn’t like beer nuts with their beer.
The tipper gore brigade has done a great job taking this song, a flop when released in may, and making it the number one song in the country months later.
The uproar occurred when the video became public. The song lyrics in themselves are not nearly as objectionable as the video.
There shouldn't be an uproar.
Showing violent leftist domestic terrorists and stating basically "Don't try that shit here" is not objectionable.
I am sure Aldean would like to thank the hyper sensitive leftists for making him even richer.
It's sort of a public health warning.
You know... like "smoking cigarettes may cause lung cancer".
Only in this case "burning down the corner store because you're having a tantrum may cause broken bones, concussion, or other serious bodily injury."
MAGA is big business. Huckster sell books, gold, pillows, NFT images of The Great Leader in various ridiculous poses, Bibles (of course), and now... music.
Jason Aldean has made a ton of money with this song, and stands to make lots more. It's a blatant scam - he was born in a mid-sized city, now lives in a fairly big city... and has never lived in a small town. He once wrote a song about leaving a small town because of the narrow-mindedness of its people.
So we have a MAGAman bilking the Faithful. What else is new?
And the Beatles were not allowed to play in the USSR but wrote the song Back in the USSR. I didn't realize musicians had to only write songs about personal experiences. Is that a new rule?
Well screw those posers.
It is a song. If you like it, buy it and if you don't like it don't buy it. The rest is just a small group of people that look for something to complain about in hopes of getting recognized when someone writes something like "the internet is outraged".
Of course rather than canceling him they are making him laugh all the way to the bank. It must piss them off to come to the realization that their perceived power is dwindling as more and more people see them for the whiners they are.
It's true that he's raking in the cash... but not from his critics. From his TrumpTrueBeliever fans.
Not sure it matters where the money is coming from to him. Fact is he is making more money after the "outrage" than before it. Not sure that was the intent of the people that are "outraged".
Green money is fungible regardless of the sources.
The power of the internet whiners is waning. Companies that have changed policies and hired diversity managers based on internet whiners and the ability of the whiners to cancel people is dwindling. I guess people are tired of being led around by the nose by a very few loud crybabies always looking for something to be outraged about. Companies are finally realizing they have been making changes and virtue signaling is actually not good for business.
It is about time sanity is returning.
Probably his intent in provoking outrage. The TrumpTrueBelievers spend without counting, to support the Tribe. That's how all the snake oil salesmen bilk them.
What do you think this means, in English?
Not for nothing. For fascist garbage.
Is crying a frequent emotional reaction for you?
Exactly, nothin ' from nothin' leaves nothin':
Oh!
Touched a nerve, hmmm?
Why would you want proof of something you already know?
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MAGAs are fortunate to have discovered echoing.
Yeah, some people just like listening to good music
I thought we were talking about Jason Aldean …
I don't listen to modern country music unless I'm forced to.
Exactly, progressives have failed to do to Jason, what they did to Bud Light.
Are you going to explain how Spotify works, or shall I?
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