The issue with searching for racism in every nook and cranny in 2023 is that, invariably, you will eventually find it — regardless of whether or not it’s actually racist.
Case in point, just look at the latest hit from country superstar Jason Aldean, “Try That in a Small Town.”
Polarizing? Sure. Aggressive? Absolutely. Unapologetic? Unequivocally.
But racist? Really? This song isn’t exactly “One in a Million” by Guns N’ Roses.
WARNING: The following video below contains vulgar language that some viewers may find offensive.
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The music video, which dropped Friday, appeared to spark a fresh, new wave of controversy despite the song having been out since May.
The video itself was accused of being “pro-lynching,” but it’s worth noting that most of the crime being perpetuated in the video (the crime that the lyrics are so vehemently fed up with) is being committed by white people.
In fact, comb through the entire song and you’d struggle to find anything really pertaining to race in the song. There are pro-police and pro-Second Amendment sentiments expressed throughout the song, but neither of those has anything to do with skin color.
Do you think Jason Aldean’s song is being misinterpreted?
Yes: 94% (30 Votes)
No: 6% (2 Votes)
Making this entire “controversy” infinitely more aggravating is the fact that the utterly hyper-reactionary response to the months-old song was enough to scare Country Music Television (CMT) from dropping Aldean’s song.
Deadline is reporting that CMT is pulling “Try That in a Small Town” from its airwaves because of the perceived offensiveness of the song.
Yes, the very same music channel that ostensibly wants to capture the spirit and soul of the Western frontiersmen is apparently quivering in its fake cowboy boots because leftists are apparently mad about Aldean’s song.
(It’s worth noting that Aldean’s ongoing “Highway Desperado Tour” has the full-throated endorsement of former President Donald Trump, perhaps explaining some of this newfound leftist ire.)
So many people accused the video of being racist and “pro-lynching” that Aldean himself responded to that backlash on social media.
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.…
— Jason Aldean (@Jason_Aldean) July 18, 2023
“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,” Aldean tweeted. “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.
Aldean also added what the song truly meant to him: “Try That In A Small Town, for me, refers to the feeling of a community that I had growing up, where we took care of our neighbors, regardless of differences of background or belief. Because they were our neighbors, and that was above any differences.
“My political views have never been something I’ve hidden from, and I know that a lot of us in this Country don’t agree on how we get back to a sense of normalcy where we go at least a day without a headline that keeps us up at night. But the desire for it to- that’s what this song is about.”
For Aldean, these baseless, meritless attacks on his hit music video are just the continuation of a rough few days.
On Saturday, Aldean had to cut a Connecticut show short after he suffered a heat stroke during the performance.
