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Explaining the Jason Aldean Controversy: Small Town America Vs. the Establishment |
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By Joshua Philipp |
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Country music star Jason Aldean has found himself painted by controversy by the media. Yet despite this, his song “Try That In a Small Town” has soared to the top of the charts. The attempts to cancel Aldean are an interesting case study on whether the establishment still has sway over public opinion. On May 19, Aldean published the now controversial song. He wrote on Twitter, “To me, this song summarizes the way a lot people feel about the world right now. It seems like there are bad things happening on a daily basis, and that feels unfamiliar to a lot of us. This song sheds some light on that.” The music video shows scenes reminiscent of the Antifa and BLM riots that swept across the country. It addresses the violence carried out in big cities, and the acts of lawlessness that are being normalized, and says “try that in a small town.” Critics are doing all they can to paint the song as racist, and as advocating for violence. There’s nothing in it technically about race. And the parts about “violence” are more saying people in small towns don’t tolerate violence and lawlessness, and will defend themselves and others if they see it. As for race, the song does appear to criticize the violence, riots, and attacks against the country and law enforcement that were carried out by groups such as BLM and Antifa. And it gives reference to acts of violence that are often painted as being in support of so-called “racial justice.” In other words, it’s being called violent for advocating for rule of law, and it’s being painted as racist for opposing violence from groups like BLM. It also talks about other crimes such as when it says “sucker punch somebody on a sidewalk,” this is likely a reference to the “knockout game.” This was making headlines back in 2013, when teenagers around the country were sucker punching random strangers. The challenge of their game was to try and knock the people out in a single punch. That year alone, the so-called game killed four people. When it says “car jack an old lady at a red light,” this is likely in reference to the car jackings that are becoming more common in the United States. Many of these have likewise led to the killings of the victims though. In a case last year, four teenagers held a 73-year-old woman at gunpoint to steal her SUV. She was allegedly caught in her seatbelt and was dragged by the vehicle. Her arm was ripped from her body before she died. Many of these crimes are generally viewed by being symptoms of lawlessness, and of loose on crime policies in American cities. The perpetrators are often seen getting light sentences, even in cases where the victims are killed. The message in the song references these acts of violence, and then says “well try that in a small town; see how far you make it down the road; ‘round here we take care of our own.” For conservatives in the United States, this is a fairly common sentiment. When people were watching Antifa attacking conservatives, when they saw the left burning down communities, it was common to hear people say “I’d like to see them try that around here.” I’ve personally heard many people say this. The perception is that Democrat cities no longer have rule of law. Things deemed “acceptable” in Democrat cities are not deemed “acceptable” by most of America. Criticism of the song just looks like another case of the “ivory tower” liberals, criticizing what they call “flyover country.” It’s the elitist disdain and disconnect from the values and culture that’s still held by most of the country. But the powers that be still feel otherwise. Controversy really took hold after Country Music Television (CMT), pulled the song from its rotation. As Billboard reported on July 17, the music video was being featured regularly, but then the network removed it. It noted that CMT declined to comment on why. The report went on to frame the general narrative that other media would repeat. It says the video “Aldean performing in front of courthouse with an American flag hanging from the entrance.” Yet it also says “The performance is interspersed with footage of a flag burning, protesters screaming and attacking police in various scenarios, and robbing a convenience store.” Of course, for anyone who watched the video, context is important here. The song and video were obviously criticizing the burning of the American flag, criticizing attacks on police, and criticizing robberies. But if you were to only read the Billboard story, you could easily think it was the opposite. But despite being canceled, and despite the attacks that would follow, the song has soared in popularity. And it has now become the focal point of a national debate. |
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How Labels of ‘Controversy’ Get Manufactured But there’s also a media machine behind all this. In the main narrative being spread by the establishment media, the song is being framed as representing race narratives, gun violence, and even lynchings. The media manufactures controversy and labels like this, though. One outlet declares that it’s controversial, another claims reports on that claim and interviews “experts,” and then other media then label the topic as “controversial.” Oftentimes, the labels are just cooked up. They’re manufactured within the media machine as they snowball from their shared reporting. The news outlets latch onto each other's narratives, then make it sound like it’s a public controversy. For example, imagine you’re at your workplace. Two coworkers hate you. One of them goes around spreading rumors about you, and then the other then uses this to say you’re “controversial” every time your name comes up in a meeting. The Existing Disdain for Jason Aldean’s Political Views What it looks like is happening is that the media establishment is trying to assassinate Jason Aldean’s character and destroy his career, not because they seem to ever have an issue with violence in song lyrics, but instead because they disagree with his political views. It looks like they want to make him an example. To paint him in controversy, shame him, degrade him, and by doing so send a message to the rest of the country music scene – which they hold an equal hatred against — that this could happen to them as well, if they don’t tow the political line. The Washington Post, in particular, has been at this for some time. In 2021, they framed Jason Aldean as having “right-wing” views, and then painted this as a problem in the “DNA of country music.” The media establishment has done similar hit pieces on him over the years, for things like opposing vaccine lockdowns. He was attacked last year, after his wife threw clothes from fashion firm Balenciaga in the trash, after the company was criticized for sexualizing children in its advertisements. More recently, he was criticized by The Washington Post for failing to “keep his politics private.” He was accused of the thought crime of showing his toddlers “wearing anti-Biden T-shirts.” But politics aside, and narratives aside. What we’re watching is a reading of the public heartbeat. We’re seeing a difference in impact, and a sign of what the public actually cares about. How is it that the corporate media, the entertainment industry, and most of the so-called voices of influence can stand behind woke companies, and the companies can still face a financial crisis as customers abandon them? But at the same time, these same institutions of influence can try to paint a public figure with ridicule, and public support sends that person to the top of the charts? This is bigger than just Aldean, and bigger than just a country music song. What this shows is that the power of the establishment is fading. The screeching of the voices of influence don’t actually have the influence they claim. The media establishment doesn’t represent public opinion. Businesses have little control over what people actually want. It’s becoming more clear that the noise of the media machine is just that—noise. And it doesn’t represent what people actually want or believe. |
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