Jason Aldean’s latest song Try That in a Small Town is causing a bit of a ruckus these days (see here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1_RKu-ESCY). Now I have very mixed feelings about country music- as you may know if you’ve been following this blog for a while. On the one hand I think it’s one of the best art forms in the world, but on the other hand I think it is often full of terrible cliches & too often makes excuses for backward, closed-minded thinking. But there are far too many great country songs for me to close the door on the genre altogether. That would actually be quite closed-minded of me!

Anyway, Jason Aldean isn’t someone I follow regularly anymore. A lot of his music feels too predictable for my taste- though I’ll admit he definitely has some good guitar solos/riffs in a lot of his songs. As a rock & roll fan, that I must admire. However, I’ve seen so much discussion about his latest song/video that I thought I’d be remiss if I didn’t check it out. As I watched the video & listened to the song this morning, I couldn’t help but think “Controversy creates cash, so if nothing else, props to Jason for understanding marketing.”

But I also couldn’t help but think that the lyrics don’t actually hold up all that well under scrutiny. You see, the line “around here we take care of our own” is exactly the kind of thing that small town people love to say & to hear sung about in their music. But the reality isn’t always so pretty. As someone who grew up in a small town, my biggest gripe with country music- including songs like this one- is that it so often paints a far prettier picture than is actually accurate of rural America. It celebrates the good things while overlooking the bad things- worse yet, refusing to even acknowledge that the bad things exist! (By bad things I mean poverty, lack of economic/educational opportunities, racism, homophobia, drug use, etc. These are largely problems of HUMANITY, by the way, but they can be amplified in rural areas.)

The truth is small towns DO take care of their own. The problem is their definition of “their own” is too often quite narrow. Sure, you’ll find lots of love, support, & friendships if you’re white, Christian, & generally conservative. But what about if you’re gay or lesbian? Or bisexual? Or black? Particularly if you’re black & actually call white people out on their racism? What about if you’re atheist or agnostic? Or Catholic or Jewish? Go talk to these people who live in small towns & you’ll hear a whole other narrative. I’m not saying they all hate it- after all I cannot claim to speak for anyone other than myself & I don’t fit most of those categories anyway. But the point stands. Whether people like to admit it or not, the truth is that it’s easy to think everything is great when you’re part of the “In Group.” But when you’re not? Well, it’s a whole different ballgame.

Ask the people who were popular in school if growing up in a small town was great (or at least comfortable), & I guarantee a lot of them would give a resounding yes. Ask the nerds & general rejects & you’ll probably get a very different story! Let me just tell you that growing up as a nerd in small town America is not always fun. And I had it far easier than some others did! For one thing I’m female &- at least when I was a kid/teen- girls can be smart & a little nerdy & still be considered more or less ok. Maybe not “cool” or “interesting,” but not necessarily outright ostracized either. But smart/nerdy boys? Whew, that’s a whole other story! My husband could write a dissertation about that. (We’re from the same town.) And I’m sure our experiences pale in comparison to what some others have faced, in our own town & others.

But back to the song that inspired this post. Do I personally think it’s racist as some are claiming? Not really. But I can see why some people think it is. The video definitely feels inflammatory & intentionally divisive, which is clearly not productive. It’s a complex situation in any case, but at the end of the day this song is not something I can really love because it just feels too trite to me. It’s the kind of song that makes you feel good without making you think too hard or question yourself too much. I can see why people like it- & so many other songs that are of the same ilk. I mean there’s a reason that kind of country music is far more successful than the kind I like, the kind that takes a deeper look in the mirror, that doesn’t turn a blind eye to the darkness of small town America. I just find most of the popular country music- like this song- insipid & uninspiring. I will listen to it on occasion because there’s a right time for just about everything, but it will never be my everyday jam.

If you’re reading this & you think I’m just writing this to rip on rural America, please know that’s not at all true. Trust me, I hate to hear “city folks” talk down to/about rural areas as much as anyone else. But the sad truth is that a lot of times their criticisms are pretty accurate- not all of them, but more than I’d like to admit! However, it’s simply human nature that no one likes hearing criticism about themselves or their people, least of all from someone who is from a different ‘”group.” We all take criticism better when it comes from our own “kind,”– be that our own race, gender, religion, socioeconomic group, etc. (See the picture above.) While I think I will always find myself defending (certain parts of) rural America, I also feel a responsibility to provide criticism when I feel that it’s needed, probably because I still view myself as part of rural America despite not living there for over a decade. And I think we DO need to do a better job of taking care of our own, even when our own are “different” or somehow “less desirable.”

Now, as Bill Maher has done an excellent job of pointing out, there is a tendency these days to refuse to acknowledge any progress, to become part of the “grievance brigade.” The perpetually offended. (Please watch this- it’s both hilarious & true, though admittedly less true in rural areas https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fB9KVYAdYwg). Let it be clear that I do not think either of those is a healthy mindset. We cannot live with constant negativity & expect to effect positive change in this world. So I’ll be the first to admit that I DO see progress in rural America, including in my own hometown. I absolutely do. But I also see a lot of room for improvement. And I’m not going to sit idly by & sing “around here we take care of our own” when I know that too often that isn’t true.

If this post made you uncomfortable, take a good long look in the mirror & ask yourself why. Trust me, I’ve had to do it too. It’s hard but it’s necessary & 100% worth it because this is how we make the world a better place for everyone- not just those who look/think like you.