Try That in a Small Town features lyrics threatening violence against protesters and has been removed from Country Music Television, but Aldean says it is a celebration of community

  • labguy20@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    His song literally celebrates violence and the kind of mob mentality that leads to tremendous injustice. Oh, and his music video was filmed on the site of a lynching while it threatens black protesters today. Community? Really?

  • Dankry@lemmy.world
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    Try That in a Small Town

    This loser isn’t even from a small town. He grew up in Macon, GA (pop 153k) and currently lives in Nashville (pop 692k).

    • Pons_Aelius@kbin.social
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      That’s Modern Country: Artists with manicures and private jets singing about trucks and farm work. Listened to by office workers with trucks that never leave paved roads.

          • Vamanos@lemmy.world
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            I grew up outside of Jackson MS. Like, wayyy outside. And yeah. It hits pretty close to home.

          • vd1n@sh.itjust.works
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            1 year ago

            Same. Even in my area half the men that think they’re that cool country man image have soft hands and clean trucks.

            • CoffeeJunkie@lemmy.world
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              I am country enough, and I know exactly what you guys are talking about. But I also want to point out rough, dry hands are weaker & the smarter blue collars try to soften their hands a little. I was working on a combine, and a bolt broke & I ripped the fuck out of my palm. 😂 My dad said, it wouldn’t have hurt nearly as bad if you lotioned your hands. Supple is strong! Advice that goes back millenia, Aesop’s Fable The Oak Tree and the Reed. Similarly…the smartest guys that really care about their trucks keep them clean. Clean trucks last so much longer, and better; dirt & salt & even bird shit can lead to corrosion.

              I know plenty of country folk with a rust bucket truck & they’re happy. If it runs, whatever. Or they run vehicles around in the woods after dark & I see them posting like HAHA I broke down or got stuck!! What a CRAZY, fun adventure I’m on! No thanks, I don’t like expensive repairs or wasted time. Or horrific accidents, or premature death.

      • ChrisLicht@lemm.ee
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        1 year ago

        It’s the most cynical art form ever. The average pop country song is just a product; it has zero artistic value. And, it typically reflects a fake culture that has been confected from tropes.

      • FuglyDuck@lemmy.world
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        office workers with trucks that never leave paved roads

        Not true. They sometimes end up in the ditch after drunken driving.

      • Dankry@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        Lol that’s a great way of putting it. Everything about it is phony. And most artists that could cross-over have been quick to do so and sever their ties to modern country.

  • captainlezbian@lemmy.world
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    Idk I’ve lived here for nearly 30 years and it’s absolutely news to me that promoting violence is unamerican. Especially in a small town. Motherfuckers in small towns will brag about couch guns while daring the president to come to town. Small town motherfuckers will use gallows as a decoration. These people’s issues with blm protests in a small town isn’t violence it’s black people.

    Also they never minded when the ones being rounded up were the gays or the Japanese or native Americans or Latines. But sure you fucking hicks need to be afraid. Fuck off and arm a synagogue instead.

        • CeruleanRuin@lemmy.world
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          Right, but the point is this has been a hallmark of conquering nations for thousands of years, and the denialism goes hand in hand with it.

          • girlfreddy@mastodon.social
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            1 year ago

            Whataboutism at its finest. Par for the course for Muricans who believe they are king of the hill in everything but just can’t admit that also includes gun deaths, Black maternal mortality rates, homelessness and healthcare expenditures.

          • stopthatgirl7@kbin.socialOP
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            1 year ago

            When we’re discussing an American singer talking about American issues, and reactions by other Americans pointing out American history? Yes. Because it’s not relevant to the discussion at hand. It’s whataboutism and counterproductive. Again, we’re specifically talking about America here. Stay on topic.

          • NormalC@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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            Your whataboutism doesn’t even work here. The USA was born in native American genocide, an international slave trade, and rampant settler colonial capitalism. At least the next time when you’re doing racist dogwhistles on lemmy pick a country that the US 24-hour news cycle wants you to derail about like Russia and China you absolute tool. Blaming the global south was so Cold War ago.

  • Bucket_of_Truth@lemmy.world
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    The song’s lyrics include the lines: “Cuss out a cop, spit in his face / Stomp on the flag and light it up / Yeah, you think you’re tough / Well, try that in a small town / See how far you make it down the road / Around here, we take care of our own.”

    Later, Aldean alludes to a conspiracy theory that the US government intends to round up its citizens: “Got a gun that my granddad gave me / They say one day they’re gonna round up / Well, that shit might fly in the city, good luck.”

    Who does he think does the rounding up?

  • Jackie's Fridge@lemmy.world
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    A “celebration of community” would have lyrics about helping each other, attending local events and supporting local businesses. It would reference knowing people’s names, watching families grow up together, pitching in to help neighbours and being able to relax & feel content.

    It shouldn’t contain combative themes, othering, divisive language and threats of violence.

    • Sharkwellington@lemmy.one
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      Something about this comment flipped a switch for me. This is how these people bond. They find common ground in fearing the same out-groups. To them, that is exactly what “community” is, sharing a common enemy.

    • shalafi@lemmy.world
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      Country music used to have themes like that, or simply be fun. “Down on the Farm” is catchy, fun, most can relate.

      Reba sang… Fuck it, I’m done. There were some greats that sang about our common experiences, with a rural twist. Hell, even Garth is getting his ass beat for being inclusive.

      • LegionEris@lemmy.world
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        If you leave mainstream, radio country even just a little, it becomes apparent that progressive gays are taking over country and Americana. If there are people and places in your life that need country music, bring S.G. Goodman, Melissa Carper, Orville Peck, Iris Marlowe, and none of these people have what I would call a niche sound. (I don’t expect to convert anyone to the cult of Little Mazarn, but that’s maybe my favorite country act.) And some of them are blowing up! They’re making country music for me these days, and I fucking love it. It’s all I listen to lately. Folk, country, and Americana are for everyone.

    • Cethin@lemmy.zip
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      Anyone talking honestly about southern community is going to come off real anarchist/communist/leftist/whatever. A large part of rural life is mutual aid, a staple of leftist movements. Rural people vote conservative because they’re told to hate someone else though, and that’s it. Ideologically they are more leftist, though often with conservative social values regarding family and faith.

      • TheDoozer@lemmy.world
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        So I’m pretty far left (for an American), but I think there is a nuance that I’ve had explained at me by some non-mouth-frothing Republican types I’ve worked with.

        For them, there is a difference between choosing to be part of community, helping other people, and sharing what they have, and being forced to do those things (via taxes). It always struck me as… exclusionary. It means that they can help their literal neighbor and ignore the people on the other side of town (or the other side of the country).

        So it may feel like it’s leftist/communist/etc, but it’s just an extension of “fuck you, I got mine” to “fuck everyone else, me and mine got ours, and only on my terms.”

        • SameOldJorts@lemmy.world
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          That is a really interesting take that I hadn’t fully considered until reading your comment, so thank you! I think this is very accurate for a lot of rural community members, especially those with hard R leanings. I think when we start from the other end of the spectrum it’s easy to say oh they must be compelled by emotional responses to issues like abortion/gun rights, when really it could be they want more autonomy.

          Buuuutttttt… they also don’t want others to have the same autonomy regarding birth control and healthcare so we’re still at an impasse, and you’re right it’s totally a case of fuck you I got mine (extended cut).

        • CoffeeJunkie@lemmy.world
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          Non-frothing conservative checking in, there is indeed a nuance not unlike what you said. However. I think some of that comes from past experiences, precedence. We know charity & people-driven initiatives are powerful! Can be effective. Government-driven (/taxpayer funded) initiatives? Incompetent. Often wasteful.

          Like all the billions to Ukraine, Google says it’s “over 75 billion” and I thought I’ve heard $90B in the past. How much has actually hit the front lines, been ACCOUNTED FOR and USEFUL? I’ve heard $30B. 😔 That is (/was) our money, and we’ve got plenty of problems at home.

          We do care about helping people, in a sensible & straightforward manner. A hand up, not a hand out, to bring about actual positive change. There is accountability. People help people. Governments help themselves, to your bank account & fruits of your labor.

          You want to know how much the government cares about you? You want to talk about exclusionary? Look no further than East Palestine, OH. Biden is being flown all over the world. Back & forth to Ukraine, writing blank checks. But the Resident of the United States can’t be bothered to even visit East Palestine or give OUR OWN people OUR money. And he still hasn’t gone. It’s a running joke in conservative circles that a town with the name East Palestine should raise some ISIS flags & scream about how much they hate America, maybe then the government will shower them with money.

          Some might say this is…exclusionary. Biden said he’d go, idk, maybe he just forgot. Hard as that may be to believe. Even worse are the people who openly say, “East Palestine is conservative, they probably voted for Trump, they don’t deserve aid/let them die/etc”. Truly despicable talk, un-American & partisan.

          Idk man, I don’t claim to know everything. But look, I brought some receipts. Just some things for you all to think about. Please know, the government is not your friend.

          • Cethin@lemmy.zip
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            I don’t think anyone thinks the government is our friend. I don’t know why that matters though. A company isn’t my friend either. When the options for things getting done are between a company (who’s motivation is supposed to be profit) and the government (who’s motivation is supposed to be good), I’ll take the government.

            Joe Biden is a neo-liberal conservative old school politician. I don’t like him, and I don’t know anyone who does. He has been fairly effective for getting some good done though. I wish he’d speak out more and push for doing more good, but he’s done better than I expected from him (which is basically nothing, except not causing more damage like the last guy), because he’s got some progressive support behind him pushing for more leftist things.

            We don’t need the government to be our friend. We need it to do what’s needed for the most good per dollar. I don’t think that should just be internal either, because humans are humans no matter where they live. I don’t really value “American”. I don’t think being born on this piece of dirt makes you any more important than someone born on some other piece of dirt.

            Also, the military spending in Ukraine is mostly not money, it’s value. It’s the value of weapons that were already built and built for the purpose of fighting Russia and China at the same time potentially. Them being used to fight Russia is literally the most effective thing they could do, and what they were designed for. Russia being weaker means we need to have less stockpiled. If they weren’t sent over, they’d just be sitting in storage somewhere not being used. We aren’t sending cash for the most part.

  • Adderbox76@lemmy.ca
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    1 year ago

    That’s a pretty shit take from the guy who was LITERALLY on stage when the Las Vegas shooter started firing into the crowd.

    • stopthatgirl7@kbin.socialOP
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      I read he was from Georgia and had another moment of, “man, why does my home state have to keep embarrassing me like this?”

      • Krinkles@lemmy.world
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        Seriously. I’ve seen to many people that avoid nice areas because of stupid shit like this. Country music is dog shit but people hear you live in Georgia and assume you’re a good ol boy

      • shandrakor@lemmy.world
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        Ooooh I have not heard this one before, I like it. I’ve used cowbro in the past but generally just go for bro-country. Gonna throw supermarket cowboy into the mix.

    • Krinkles@lemmy.world
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      Don’t assume everyone from the south is racist though, there are low life shit humans everywhere unfortunately

      • Krinkles@lemmy.world
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        Aw downvoted for reminding people that there are decent people on the planet. Reddit2.0 here we go

        • inclementimmigrant@lemmy.world
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          Down voted because you don’t have solid reading comprehension skills here and not because you you’re pointing out that non-racists exist in the south.

          And getting upset and then whining about being the victim because you didn’t read the comment correctly, yeah, you’re definitely bringing some Reddit 2.0 vibes here with that.

          • Krinkles@lemmy.world
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            The post I responded to mentioned a city in Georgia and a long line of racist in the family but some people in bad families do use their brains occasionally and make better decisions, but y’all keep down voting lol

        • CeruleanRuin@lemmy.world
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          He’s getting downvoted for misconstruing the intent of the original remark and jumping straight to the assumption of persecution, as are you. Assuming everyone is against you and whining about downvotes is possibly the most reddit thing ever.

    • Sharkwellington@lemmy.one
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      Bud Light with the logo facing out.

      Dated lyrics in only 3 years. We truly cannot predict where “Cancel Culture” will hit next.

      • teuast@lemmy.world
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        Pandering came out in 2016, apparently, so that’s more like seven years. But also, we all know they’re going to forget about being mad at Bud Light, move on to the next stupid culture war BS and start buying their Bud Light again within the year.

  • vd1n@sh.itjust.works
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    It’s just comical watching American men get salty. I bet his hands are super soft and he has a big truck with a pristine bed.

    • CeruleanRuin@lemmy.world
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      Look at that pampered baby face of his. He probably has a fussy skin care regimen and spends more time in a spa every week than most people do in a year. But he needs to pander to the testosterone-obsessed truckbro pissbaby demographic to make his money.

  • HiddenLayer5@lemmy.ml
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    Why do I suspect his ass is the first to flee when shit gets real? Doubt he can live up to his own lyrics, evidence has shown most of these people can’t.

    • Chalky_Pockets@lemmy.world
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      At the end of the day, the root cause of bigotry is cowardice. Maybe stupidity and indoctrination got them where they are, but for 100% of them, it’s cowardice that’s keeping them there.

  • Grant_M@lemmy.ca
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    This will be the trump campaign tune. At least until he’s incarcerated.

      • jscummy@sh.itjust.works
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        Trump is quite literally the exact type of person that song is making a point against. Silver spoon, draft dodger, “millionaires son”

        • Crashumbc@lemmy.world
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          No, because the people that make these songs and the ones who support them, seem to ignore people like Trump.

          It’s only the “other ones” they count…

          • orcrist@lemm.ee
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            Are you suggesting that when John Fogerty wrote that song in 1969 he wasn’t opposed to spoiled rich folk? That’s one perspective, but he said the exact opposite…

            You’d hear about the son of this senator or that congressman who was given a deferment from the military or a choice position in the military. They seemed privileged and whether they liked it or not, these people were symbolic in the sense that they weren’t being touched by what their parents were doing. They weren’t being affected like the rest of us.

            In point of fact, when Fogerty found out that Trump was using his song, he issued a cease and desist order.

  • 21kondav@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    We poured hot tar and feather on the British when they raised taxes to pay for the war in which we were being defended. What part of our history is “non-violent”

    • TheDoozer@lemmy.world
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      To pay for the war which we started and we were defended. And continued to need defense even after the war.

      I’m happy the Revolutionary War happened, but the more I read of it the more I realize we (Americans) were on the wrong side of it.