If you're a country music fan you might be advised to avoid reading the Washington Post Style section when its writers tackle country music. It might make you want to put your boot up the critic's posterior.
The latest nuisance is J. Freedom du Lac's analysis of why country music radio is so chock full of songs about small town America. To you and me, the answer might be obvious, but du Lac set out to paint the trend as "divisive" and reactionary. In this excerpt, du Lac sets out to discredit the professional opinion of a D.C.-area country music station programmer:
Says Meg Stevens, the WMZQ program director: "It's a global theme: Wherever you're from, that's your place. You see what's happening with the economy and what's going on in the world, and people are getting in closer to their roots and their community, whether you're from rural Virginia or downtown D.C."
But the Atkins song and others of its ilk -- from Jason Aldean's "Hicktown" and Miranda Lambert's "Famous in a Small Town" to Zac Brown Band's "Chicken Fried" and Josh Turner's "Way Down South" -- are narrowcasting to a specific community: the core country audience, whose roots aren't exactly in America's urban centers.
The symbolism and prideful sentiments of the songs are intended to create a sense of belonging among people with similar backgrounds and lifestyles, or at least people who romanticize life in the rural South. (It's not a place; it's a state of mind.) To some listeners, though, it might sound as if the artists are closing ranks.
Story Continues Below Ad ↓"Some of these songs seem to fall into the 'we're from Real America, and you're not' camp," says Peter Cooper, who covers country music for Nashville's daily newspaper, the Tennessean. "Seems like being divisive while the industry around you crumbles is a poor decision."
Poppycock. There are plenty of suburban (like yours truly) and city-dwelling folks who love country music, despite having never grown up on or near a farm. Heck, New York City-native Sean Hannity is a huge country fan while Midwestern small-town born-and-bred Rush Limbaugh, not so much. A friend of mine of Hispanic heritage, raised in Washington, D.C., but who went to college in Tennessee, is a big country fan. One of the biggest rising stars in country music today is a black man, Darius Rucker, best known as the former lead singer from Hootie & The Blowfish.
Far from being divisive and exclusionary, most Americans can agree with the values and sentiments of songs like the Zac Brown Band's "Chicken Fried" with lyrics like:
And its funny how it’s the little things in life that mean the most
Not where you live, what you drive or the price tag on your clothes
There’s no dollar sign on a piece of mind this I’ve come to know
And this:
I thank God for my life
For the stars and stripes
May freedom forever fly, let it ring.
Salute the ones who died
And the ones that gave their lives
So we don’t have to sacrifice
All the things we love
Yes, that might make the hipsters du Lac knows turn up their nose, but to most Americans, they are laudible sentiments, even if the musical genre is not your cup of tea.
But du Lac isn't done, adding insult to injury by deriding country music as cliche:
Says the Tennessean's Cooper: "While these songs' lyrics tend to celebrate the special and idiosyncratic nature of the rural South, the music itself is often as distinctive as the Applebee's restaurant out by the interstate that runs next to so many 'small towns.' "
Moore's "Small Town USA" doesn't exactly break new ground. But then, that wasn't the goal.
—Ken Shepherd is Managing Editor of NewsBusters
Editor at Large
Comments Policy
coming up next...(not)
May 9, 2009 - 11:11 ET by jazzact13Can't wait for this writer's critiques about rap and R&B music, which are so much about the hood and the ho's and the bling and the streets and how hard it is out there for a pimp.
Not that I'm holding my breath for it. Figure it'll be a while. Like maybe when hell freezes over.
"Thoroughly worldly people never understand even the world; they rely altogether on a few cynical maxims which are not true."
Chesterton, Orthodoxy
reply
May 9, 2009 - 12:16 ET by Mike76He won't write those critiques about rap, of course. "J. Freedom Du Lac" doesn't care about "divisiveness" or "exclusionary practices" or "narrowcasting" or any of that. He doesn't care if blacks, mexicans or asians do exactly the same thing. He is against predominately white people engaging in something they enjoy listening to. "J. Freedom Du Lac" is an anti-white, it's as simple as that.
When I get in debates with
May 9, 2009 - 17:04 ET by BDWhen I get in debates with my "Urban Colleague's" about that form of music we call rap, I often ask them to find me the "Oldies Channel" that caters to the rap Golden oldies of the 1980's and 1990's. Can't find it because historically that music form just does not STAND UP to close the test of time.
I cannot spin through the radio dial and help but hearing a series of golden Oldie stations catering to Pop/Rock/Metal anywhere I go. But never rap.
About the only Rap hit you might hear from the 1980's today that can still be expected to be played on the radio is the Run DMC remake of Aerosmiths "Walk This Way" and that is simply because Steven Tyler gave them a real voice.
Hell, even Disco has its fan base in the oldies....
The premise is about as
May 9, 2009 - 11:26 ET by pcantidoteThe premise is about as stupid as asking why rap is all about the inner city. Du U Lac common sense?
Enforce Term Limits if They Won't: Vote Against ALL Incumbents in 2010.
This fella(?) not sure, is
May 9, 2009 - 11:27 ET by ConservativeRexThis fella(?) not sure, is just a lost soul. He (it) is just another in a long line of apologist for anything at all to do with America.
The folks who like country music don't give a rip about what some fella back East says. The way I figure it, there are two kinds of music, country and western.
It's hilarious....these
May 9, 2009 - 14:20 ET by motherbeltIt's hilarious....these urban elitists denigrate country music and insult its proponents and fans as toothless inbreds. Then they wonder why those rednecks won't write and perform the kind of music New Yorkers like!
They might say "Wow, that sucks!" But at least they'll say "Wow!" -Duff Goldman, the Ace of Cakes
merle said it best....
May 9, 2009 - 11:28 ET by rustylynnI hear people talkin' bad,
About the way we have to live here in this country,
Harpin' on the wars we fight,
An' gripin' 'bout the way things oughta be.
An' I don't mind 'em switchin' sides,
An' standin' up for things they believe in.
When they're runnin' down my country, man,
They're walkin' on the fightin' side of me.
Yeah, walkin' on the fightin' side of me.
Runnin' down the way of life,
Our fightin' men have fought and died to keep.
If you don't love it, leave it:
Let this song I'm singin' be a warnin'.
If you're runnin' down my country, man,
You're walkin' on the fightin' side of me
While in the Army for
May 9, 2009 - 11:30 ET by jdhawkWhile in the Army for nearly three decades, no matter where I went our soldiers loved C&W. The local bars and restaurants would cater to them and their music. Whether it was in Vietnam, Korea, Europe, the Middle East, C&W could be heard. While not music I listen to with any frequencies, it always brought back a bit of home and the USA when I was oveseas. It is just great music.
By the way, when the owners and editors of WaPo look back on their failed newspaper, remember it was crap writing like this one that made it happen.
Plus country music often
May 9, 2009 - 11:34 ET by Ken ShepherdPlus country music often tells a story, and the stories the tell are not wrapped up in adolescent sex drugs and rock 'n' roll fantasy like some rock music, nor in being a thug and sexin' up women in the club like lots of rap music.
The stories country music tells range the gamut from cheating songs to songs celebrating love and marriage, songs about losing a dearly loved one, songs about love of country and sacrifice for same, songs about living a simple life, songs about enjoying a Sunday in the south.
That's why people like country music. It tells stories and it does so in a style that is instrumentally appealing, regardless of whether you're from Mobile, Alabama or Boston, Massachusetts.
Out of step
May 9, 2009 - 11:55 ET by Jerry MackIn the newspaper world, people are out of step with them.
Ditto JD
May 10, 2009 - 14:10 ET by UpNorthand look at who goes on USO tours to Iraq and A-stan. It sure isn't Jay-zee or people like it. It's Toby Keith, Aaron Tippin, and country singers. And the troops love them for it.
Ain't on the edge of no popular trends
May 9, 2009 - 11:31 ET by Anneke9While I didn't find du Lac's article quite as dismissive as Ken did, I was appalled at the following comment:
So, let me see if I understand correctly: Country Music must become more moderate, more centrist, more inclusive or die like a dinosaur? Where have I heard that argument before? Jeez, now the liberal MSM is even going to tell us how to write the lyrics to our songs?
___________________
Camouflage conservative in Baghdad-by-the-Bay
Twin Cities Metro Area
May 9, 2009 - 11:32 ET by CobraManHere in the Twin Cities (Minneapolis and St Paul to the uninformed) there are several Country Music stations available to the public, and at no charge. So, where's the supposed "narrowcasting?" I don't see (or "hear") it.
BTW, what's wrong with catering to your core audience? Bands, and the radio stations that play their music, do that all the time. I don't hear people complaining that Rap is tailored towards a particular segment of our population, that of inner city dwellers. When's the last time you heard a rap song about the wide open plains of North Dakota, for example? Or about small towns and townships like you'll find in rural Nebraska, or even rural Texas? Or, how about Upstate New York?
The Citizens of each State shall be entitled to all Privileges and Immunities of Citizens in the several States.
The US Constitution
Unless you're a fetus.
The US Supreme Court
Did you read the article
May 9, 2009 - 11:36 ET by funkdomeIt says:
"Not unlike hip-hop, in other words, a genre in which artists repeatedly reference where they're from and with whom they're aligned as a means to establish their bona fides and, especially, connect with their tribes. "
I am a firm believer that the media is totally biased. However, this article is not a good example of that.
It is biased
May 9, 2009 - 11:47 ET by CobraManIt is biased. It's biased against local identity and affiliation. In other words, since the songs don't deal with the global community, or simply reflect a local influence (just like Hip Hop), they're singled out for criticism. Hence the "tribal" label. Didn't you know we're suppose to be a global community? How DARE some band promote a local identity in their songs. That's so exclusive!
The Citizens of each State shall be entitled to all Privileges and Immunities of Citizens in the several States.
The US Constitution
Unless you're a fetus.
The US Supreme Court
"Not unlike hip-hop,
May 9, 2009 - 14:26 ET by motherbelt"Not unlike hip-hop,
Means country music is biased and narrowcast, and so is hip-hop.
They both cater to their own "tribe."
The bias is in that the media never complain that rap and hip-hop are too "narrowcast" and should seek to widen their audience. Blacks apparently are "entitled" to have their own "exclusive" culture of music, white folks have to be include everyone.
They might say "Wow, that sucks!" But at least they'll say "Wow!" -Duff Goldman, the Ace of Cakes
I Do Not Like Country Western
May 9, 2009 - 11:45 ET by JDWAlthough I can appreciate it.
It would be interesting to know what du Lac's 'analysis' of the classics is. How does he compare Tchaikovsky to Chopin...?
Obviously classical music is not relevant. Country western is being used as a means by which to focus on the GOP and ultimately demean it.
JDW
DAILY WAVE
When people fear their government there is tyranny.
When government fears the people there is liberty.
Connections
May 9, 2009 - 12:08 ET by nkviking75Country songs about small town life. Why in the world would there be any connection between the two?
I'm going now. I want to play my compliation CD of rap songs about tractors and pickup trucks.
When you put the clowns in charge, don't be surprised when a circus breaks out.
Error
May 9, 2009 - 14:31 ET by motherbeltThey might say "Wow, that sucks!" But at least they'll say "Wow!" -Duff Goldman, the Ace of Cakes
Ironic Name, J FREEDOM du Lac
May 9, 2009 - 12:11 ET by rammingspeedBeing divisive is a poor decision? How about the ultimate leftist musical hero, Pete Seeger? He was a troubadour warning people through song of how evil everyone is who isn't a Marxist. I guess he was wrong - gasp! Or, Bob Dylan? Was his divisiveness bad for the musical industry? And if it had been, so what? He was telling the truth. Right?
And on and on.
J. Freedom du Lac is a high ranking member of the thought police. He will have his head handed to him, the same way Seeger's and Dylan's detractors had their heads handed to them. (I mean, we now are socialists, aren't we?)
Inconsistent or Biased?
May 9, 2009 - 12:30 ET by slickwillie2001So the liberals want 'localism' in talk radio, but not in music radio?
i'm from
May 9, 2009 - 12:44 ET by rona small town in the south. i like country music and small town themes because that's what i am. i'm not a citizen of the world. i am a citizen of the us and proud of it. i love my small town values and cling to my "guns and religion". j freedom du loco needs to spend time in a small town. maybe he could learn what the real america is about.
Ron: thanks for saying
May 10, 2009 - 07:08 ET by Pete WilsonRon:
thanks for saying exactly what I was thinking. I agree with you 100%.
Being proud of where your roots are and where your heart is, to me is not being "devisive", it is being proud of who you are.
If J. Freedom du Lac did spend any time in small town America, whatever region he chooses, he would find the best people in this world - small town folks. You know, the folks who care about you, help you when you are down, and who you help when they need it. All voluntarily, without any mandate from anyone.
Pete
The ones who always know
May 10, 2009 - 18:03 ET by Lord ElicaniThe ones who always know your name when you walk into a restaurant, or the people who spend half their time in a neighbor's driveway talking... Wonder where the tale of Southern hospitality and friendliness came from?
I used to trust the media
To tell me the truth, tell us the truth
But now I've seen the payoffs
Everywhere I look
Who do you trust when everyone's a crook?
- Queensrÿche, "Revolution Calling"
If the WaPo is truly concerned about divisiveness
May 9, 2009 - 13:05 ET by OxyCon...in the music industry, then why no mention of Rap and Hip Hop music, which are both the worst offenders when it comes to narrow casting, divisiveness, misogyny and hate speech?
It's because they are cowards and they have an agenda at the WaPo.
And to me, it sure looks like we live in a time when it's fashionable to hate on and attack white people, and I'm getting sick and damned tired of it.
Nashville Country ain't country!
May 9, 2009 - 13:15 ET by jefflebowskiFirst of all, that mess coming out of Nashville is not country! It's pop music. If you want to hear country, you will want to listen to Texas country. We don't have them pretty boy model types who don't even write their own music!
That aside, liberal yankees hate our patriotism in the south. They were raised to blame America and discount every good thing about the USA. Reminds me of one of my favorite Ray Wylie Hubbard songs where it says:
"I love the USA and the other states, they're OK;
But Texas is where I want to be and I don't care if I ever go to Delaware anyway. Screw you, we're from Texas."
Just brought a tear to my eye.
Angry White Dude
www.angrywhitedude.c...
Amen Jeff
May 9, 2009 - 13:52 ET by ricklailGeorge Strait is one of the last true country. You can hear a lot of Bob Wills influence in his music.
Me I will stick to my oldies from the 50's, 60's, and early 70's.
David Allen Coe wrote the perfect country song about Mama, trains, pickups, prison, getting drunk and rain.
WELL, I WAS DRUNK THE DAY MY MOM GOT OUT OF PRISON
AND I WENT TO PICK HER UP IN THE RAIN
BUT BEFORE I COULD GET TO THE STATION IN MY PICKUP TRUCK
SHE GOT RUNNED OVER BY A DAMNED OLD TRAIN
Semper suprene nitens
Rick, that's a classic
May 9, 2009 - 14:09 ET by jefflebowski"and I'll hang around as long as you will let me, and I never minded standing in the rain....but you don't have to call me darlin', darlin,
you never even called my by my name"
Yep, AWD had the pleasure of seeing the Bastard Sons of Johnny Cash last night. Great band! Texas honky tonk music is the only true country left. Besides, it's gooder-n-hell. I encourage everyone to check it out. If you want some names, let me know.
Angry White Dude
www.angrywhitedude.c...
Rick,
May 10, 2009 - 14:12 ET by UpNortha true country classic, that is.
Jeff, agreed. What passes
May 10, 2009 - 19:06 ET by JasonCJeff, agreed. What passes for contemporary "country" is over-produced I-IV-V pop by guys who happen to wear designer cowboy hats. I fully agree with one aspect of the writer's position, that this kind of music is as homogenized as a chain restaurant. Great analogy. And I'm sorry, but patriotic platitudes simply don't move me. It's not about not being patriotic, it's just that couplets about the "stars and stripes"always sound cheesy to me.
I agree fully about Texas. Give me Townes Van Zandt or Robert Earl Keen any day. Hell, Gillian Welch shows more soul in one measure of "Annabelle" or "Caleb Meyer" than Toby Keith could cram into an entire album. Their music, to me, is what Americana and heartland soul is all about, partially because they don't wear it on their sleeves.
And if you ever get a chance, check out the first album by Iron and Wine, called Creek Drank the Cradle. The songwriter is from Miami, of all places, but the production is gritty and lo-fi, and the music sounds like it just congealed in the Mississippi bayou...
This guy again?
May 9, 2009 - 13:30 ET by awffp1890This guy use to write for the Sacramento Bee. His stuff was garbage then, and it's garbage now. Du Lac fancies himself an intellectual with a finger on the pulse of pop culture. Nope, just another liberal reporter thinking they are better than the rest of us.
"Not for fame or reward, not for place or rank, not lured by ambition or goaded by necessity. But in simple obedience to duty." - From the barracks at Ft. Benning
When I was growing up my
May 9, 2009 - 14:20 ET by ricklailWhen I was growing up my grandmother listened to WNNC out of Newton, NC fron sun up to sun down when they signed off. Earl Holder was the station owner as well as newsman, weatherman and DJ. In the afternoon he was Grandpappy Milsaps from Baker's Mountain. He loved Bob Wills music. I knew the words to about every one of Bob's songs from Faded Love to Milk Cow Blues.
When I became a teenager it was not cool to listen to Bob Wills, Web Pierce or Patsy Cline. So I got into the 60's rock and roll. WNNC started staying on a nights and played rock and roll. They were the only station doing it. Today that is where my music taste lie. I have about 550 songs on my MP3 player from The Beach Boys to The Zombies. My heart will always lie in those memories of Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys belting out San Antonio Rose.
I don't know who this yahoo is but I assume he never set beside an AM radio on Saturday nights with the popping, cracking, and fading out to listen to the oldest running radio show, The Grand Ole Opryfrom WSM. I bet he wouldn't have the guts to walk into a bar around say Gatesville, TX and repeat the words he has written. I don't want to forget the Lousiana Hayride either. It spawned a lot of stars like Elvis. Everybody forgets that Elvis strated out singing country and southern gospel.
Semper suprene nitens
Is it time to rebrand?
May 9, 2009 - 15:26 ET by pbthinkerI guess those poor country stars, who just can seem to sell out a concert or get a million CD's on the market, should listen to this guy and rebrand themselves. Then again, does this guy actually claim to believe they have a problem?
One thing is for sure, if country stars start to gear their music toward Jenneane Garofalo, their album and concert sales will certainly plummet. I think they know what works much better than this guy.
The nice thing about it is, when you hear these songs, you don't think about the artists home town, you always think about your own. If you come from the big city, you think about your special neighborhood, and we all had one. It's something that, apparently,
Mr. du Lac can't relate to and he's much the worse off because of it.
Election 2008-God's way of showing us that elections count.
Could be the wonderful
May 9, 2009 - 15:50 ET by bigtimerCould be the wonderful leftists working on trying to include C&W stations in the Fairness Doctrine....no matter the title they end up using to do so.
These elitists never quit from their Ivory Towers....never...after-all, agenda matters.
Doubling down on stupid is not a particularly good idea. ~Andrew Breitbart
The problem he sees isn't
May 9, 2009 - 16:19 ET by 10thAmendmentThe problem he sees isn't the narrow casting - it's the Pro America aspect that is the core of the matter. We have two areas left where you are aloud to publicly like the USA. Talk radio and country music. They are going to shut down talk radio but country music is more problematic. It's seen as subversive.
The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people.
If thinks its "bad" now...
May 9, 2009 - 17:22 ET by pvoceWait until he hears the network I work at...we sing a lot about God and Jesus Christ!
Pro-Family, Pro Country, Pro God....
Yeppers, we'll have them up in arms for sure!
www.inspirationalcou...
It seems to me that a whole
May 9, 2009 - 17:26 ET by Antisocial-ismIt seems to me that a whole lot of John Cougar songs are about small town America. Despite being in the rock genre and a good little Lib himself.
But, what do you expect from a guy that probably travels exclusively in anti-American circles. We could call them "circle jerks" perhaps?
For those of you that haven't heard Keni Thomas's song "Not me" I recommend going to youtube and Watching it. If the last verse doesn't bring a tear to your eye, well, dammit you are not human. (said in a joking way)
Anti
May 10, 2009 - 14:18 ET by UpNorththanks for pointing out Keni's song. What a great song!!!! Thanks for the song Keni, and thanks for your service.
Mac Davis: "Ode to Obama"
May 9, 2009 - 17:46 ET by ConScotthttp://www.nysun.com/national/trouble-with-obamas-arrogance/73137/
Oh Lord it's hard to be humble
when you're perfect in every way.
I can't wait to look in the mirror
cause I get better loking each day.
To know me is to love me
I must be a hell of a man.
Oh Lord it's hard to be humble
but I'm doing the best that I can.
I used to have a girlfriend
but she just couldn't compete
with all of these love starved women
who keep clamoring at my feet.
Well I prob'ly could find me another
but I guess they're all in awe of me.
Who cares, I never get lonesome
cause I treasure my own company.
Oh Lord it's hard to be humble
when you're perfect in every way,
I can't wait to look in the mirror
cause I get better looking each day
To know me is to love me
I must be a hell of a man.
Oh Lord it's hard to be humble
but I'm doing the best that I can.
I guess you could say I'm a loner,
a cowboy outlaw tough and proud.
I could have lots of friends if I want to
but then I wouldn't stand out from the crowd.
Some folks say that I'm egotistical.
Hell, I don't even know what that means.
I guess it has something to do with the way that I
fill out my skin tight blue jeans.
Oh Lord it's hard to be humble
when you're perfect in every way,
I can't wait to look in the mirror
cause I get better looking each day
To know me is to love me
I must be a hell of a man.
Oh Lord it's hard to be humble
but I'm doing the best that I can.
We're doing the best that we can
I don't see the writer being
May 9, 2009 - 19:06 ET by balboaI don't see the writer being being accusatory at all. He quotes two people who say that the songs can be related to by everyone, then he puts in the qualifier that some of these songs seem aimed at a small segment of people, and it's hardly accusatory.
If anyone's being critical, it's Cooper, who says that SOME of these songs seem divisive. The writer is merely setting up that quote when he writes, "To some listeners, though, it might sound as if the artists are closing ranks."
Read the whole article, and you see it's simply an article about a trend that doesn't says it's good or bad.
A trend?
May 10, 2009 - 11:35 ET by CobraManCountry music is hardly a trend. The local, small town, down to earth flavor of Country Music is hardly a trend. That "trend" has been found in CW music since the beginning.
To quote John Denver back in 1974:
Well life on the farm is kinda laid back
Ain't much an old country boy like me can't hack
Its early to rise, early in the sack
Thank God I'm a country boy...
...Yeah, city folk drivin in a black limousine
A lotta sad people thinkin' that's mighty keen
Son, let me tell ya now exactly what I mean
Thank God I'm a country boy
The Citizens of each State shall be entitled to all Privileges and Immunities of Citizens in the several States.
The US Constitution
Unless you're a fetus.
The US Supreme Court
Not country music, CobraMan.
May 10, 2009 - 12:50 ET by balboaNot country music, CobraMan. The large numbers of songs about small town living.
ya know
May 9, 2009 - 23:29 ET by RowaneI'm about sick of these elitist a$$holes and thier opinions issued ex officio from thier rectums.
Someone needs to tell these idiots that Country music is music for the common man, not for "music critics" who wouldn't know good music if it bit them.
Rowane... You got that
May 9, 2009 - 23:33 ET by bigtimerRowane...
You got that right...plus you stated that much more politely than I wanted to.
I'm with ya!
Doubling down on stupid is not a particularly good idea. ~Andrew Breitbart
Amusing to read an urban
May 10, 2009 - 01:54 ET by RR GOPAmusing to read an urban Communist's opinions of country-western music.
Have any of you guys ever read Soviet news propaganda or listened to Radio Moscow back in the day?
The similarities in tone/style between their lofty pseudo-intellectual classist claptrap and this piece are quite uncanny.
One of the 34% who thinks George W. Bush was a great President. One of the 61% who wants to bring back the stock and pillory (yep...approval for Congress now at 39%...do you believe that!?).
Americana
May 10, 2009 - 01:55 ET by ShanghaiRayIt should be obvious even to the most casual observer that, liberals are picking away at our social, cultural and moral institutions. Anything that makes America look or sound patriotic or good just won't fly with these guys. Marriage? Gays, no problem. Next we'll hear about someone wanting to marry their pet. Abortions? Sure, why not it's nothing more than a clump of skin. Gays in military? Not a problem, perhaps they should start making double racks for the barracks. Picking, chipping, slicing away every bit that was America and the sad part is that it actually works. We are being destroyed from within little by little but a sure as the sun rises and sets.
No one is responsible for their own actions anymore yet everyone else is responsible to clean up the mess. This is a no-win situation. If America remained as it once was, then perhaps roughly 50% o the population would hate it and if America becomes what the liberals want then the other 50% will hate it.
America has become the world's cesspool and everyone is taking a dump on us. I don't know about you guys but the stench is driving me up the wall.
Another celebrated liberal bigot
May 10, 2009 - 03:13 ET by gmaniac1I do not listen to a lot of country but I think it's wholesome music. This du Laxative guy is running out of ideas.
When the people fear the government it's called tyranny, when the government fears the people it's called liberty!
Huh!!!
May 10, 2009 - 03:44 ET by flyingmonkey"Seems like being divisive while the industry around you crumbles is a poor decision."
Sounds to me like the New York Times, or for that matter, WaPo!
What a timely article!
May 10, 2009 - 09:50 ET by SarahAnnieJust 2 days ago, my 2 1/2 year old daughter was in the car with me, singing "Ring of Fire", by good old Johnny Cash. And she loves Taylor Swift's "Love Story".
Country music is all we listen to, because I don't have to worry about her dropping an f-bomb before she hits 3.
Nebraskans for War: Peace through Strength
More evidence of Bias
May 10, 2009 - 12:07 ET by CobraMan"The symbolism and prideful sentiments of the songs are intended to create a sense of belonging among people with similar backgrounds and lifestyles, or at least people who romanticize life in the rural South. (It's not a place; it's a state of mind.)"
Here's more evidence of Bias. This 'critic' thinks all Country Music is based on the "rural South." So, what about those bands, and the songs they create, that don't originate in the "rural South?" I guess they don't exist, or don't count, if your an elitist East Coast Liberal anyways.
The Citizens of each State shall be entitled to all Privileges and Immunities of Citizens in the several States.
The US Constitution
Unless you're a fetus.
The US Supreme Court
But the Atkins song and
May 10, 2009 - 20:14 ET by fitzfongBut the Atkins song and others of its ilk -- from Jason Aldean's "Hicktown" and Miranda Lambert's "Famous in a Small Town" to Zac Brown Band's "Chicken Fried" and Josh Turner's "Way Down South" -- are narrowcasting to a specific community: the core country audience, whose roots aren't exactly in America's urban centers.
That's funny. Since when did "narrowcasting to a specific community" become a bad thing? Seems to me that libs have been playing that game for quite a while. How many times have we heard them trot out that lame populist cliche about "Main Street vs. Wall Street"?
"Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery." -Winston Churchill
Reading the whole article, I
May 10, 2009 - 20:17 ET by balboaReading the whole article, I don't think the author is saying it's a bad thing, merely a reality.
(At least everybody who
May 10, 2009 - 20:38 ET by fitzfong(At least everybody who grew up down by the railroad tracks, shooting BBs at old beer cans, playing church-league softball and singing "loud and proud" to Lynyrd Skynyrd's Southern rock anthems.)
bal,
I read the whole article, too. And while I agree that much of it is relatively benign, there are passages like the one above that are simply dripping with the kind of urban elitist, condescending sarcasm that suggests intentions that are anything but benign.
"Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery." -Winston Churchill
fitz, respectfully, I took
May 10, 2009 - 22:39 ET by balboafitz, respectfully, I took that more as a tongue-in-cheek nod to some of the essentials of small town songs.