July 19, 2023

There is a new controversy over a recent song and accompanying music video released in May of 2023 by country music star Jason Aldean. “Try That in a Small Town” has been criticized by many on the political and ideological Left as a pro-lynching song filled with racist dog whistles and not so subtle calls for violence. Many on the political and ideological Right, in the meantime, have defended the song and expressed agreement with the overall message. Country music outlet CMT has pulled the video from their playlist amidst the backlash. Aldean has defended his work from accusations of racism and has attempted to explain the intended meaning of the song.

Read an example of a criticism from the Left here, and an example of a defense of the song from the Right here. Below you will find the lyrics of the song and the music video for reference. This article will analyze the song and video given the material it actually contains and consider it within the larger context and subtleties of our culture. Read the articles from the above links and watch the video before considering the following analysis.

The Song and the Video Suggest Different Things

The first thing to note is that listening to the song/reading the lyrics alone and watching the video with the song may result in two entirely different impressions. The video places the focus primarily on opposition and reaction to mass rioting and lawless violence. There is nothing in the actual lyrics of the song that suggest this focus; in fact, the lyrics seem more focused on unvirtuous activity and criminality of individuals than of groups during mass events. While such activity is inexorably linked and no doubt would garner criticism along the same lines, here the distinction is important.

The offenses Aldean references in the opening stanza (sucker punching somebody on a sidewalk, carjacking an old lady, pulling a gun on the owner of a liquor store, cussing out a cop and spitting in his face, stomping on the flag and lighting it on fire) can certainly happen in “small towns” across America, albeit less frequently than in large cities. Other than recognition of a duty one might feel to defend the self and others from impending violence (assault, carjacking, robbery) these examples do not really warrant the need for vigilantism or concern that law enforcement cannot handle. Of course, spitting in a cop’s face will obviously be dealt with by the cop during a normal altercation too. Flag stomping and burning, likewise, is correctly regarded as First Amendment protected activity (so long as the flag does not belong to someone else) and does not warrant any violent retaliation. While one may have intense disgust with these actions, they are not necessarily something people would be justified in meeting with violence.

The song, in itself, does not work as well as it does accompanied with the video. The video, showcasing footage from mass rioting and violence from large mobs, frames the offenses Aldean mentions in the opening stanza not so much as isolated incidents, but rather as examples of the type of behavior that comes with lawless violence during rioting and disorder. Within this context, the proclamation, “Try that in a small town, see how far ya make it down the road, ’round here we take care of our own, you cross that line, it won’t take long, for you to find out, I recommend you don’t try that in a small town” makes a lot more sense.

In accord with this interpretation, Aldean is suggesting that small town people will not put up with such activity and will respond to defend their community. Is he correct? That is debatable. Such mass violence does not happen as often in smaller populated areas as it does in large cities. A small town would probably not have as organized an official response from police as do cities with large riot response squads and resources to handle frequent disorder (at least not at first, county and state resources, as well as neighboring jurisdictions, may intervene eventually). Citizens may necessarily be required to step up and fulfill the role of defenders of their communities in ways not expected of city people. This is not to say city people ought not attempt to defend themselves, others, and their property during these mass rioting events. Probably the most famous example of a community doing so (and one nearly everyone on the political and ideological “Right” admires) is that of the “Rooftop Koreans” that defended their stores from damage during the Los Angeles riots in 1992. Such a mentality is certainly valued among the small town “good ol’ boys raised up right” populations Aldean is referencing in the song. Here we see reference to another cultural clash that spans not only the ideological spectrum, but generations as well. Notwithstanding other motives or abuses, such a mentality and the principle upon which it is based (the moral imperatives and duties to which Aldean undoubtedly refers in order to be “raised up right”) is as defendable as it is virtuous.

Accusations of Racist “Dog Whistles” in the Song

None of us were born yesterday; we all know that there is often a hidden or secondary meaning implied within a work of art. While we may never know what Aldean actually intended with this song in every way, we can make some safe assumptions based on common knowledge, and we can exercise caution regarding unwarranted assumptions based on subjective interpretation. The accusations of the Left in this case are primarily based on such subjective assumption and framed coincidences. This is in line with the common tactics of Leftists which intentionally shift focus away from objective and logical debate towards critique of the speaker and their motives.

Aldean has been critical of the BLM movement in the past and the violence resulting from BLM-related activities. This video indeed features some footage of violence from BLM-related riots, along with other such incidents. Does that mean the video is necessarily racist or critical of any given race? No, that does not follow. Even direct criticism of BLM, their tactics, and their ideology can be legitimate and free of racism. Of course, such criticism is also deemed racist by the Left by their warped definitions. As Aldean himself points out, neither the song nor the video specifically mentions a race or an ideology. While it is safe to assume the past incidents that involved violent actions related to BLM-inspired protests are part of the criticism in the video, the critique of the behavior does not necessarily mean a critique of any specific race. Perhaps if there is any racism to be found here, it is in the assumptions of the Left, which seem to be asserting a positive correlation between the unvirtuous behavior that is the direct focus of the criticism and an entire race in itself.

The same goes for the inferences towards ideological critique. Cities that see such rioting tend to lean heavily Left. One such Leftist-favored policy is gun control up to and including confiscation and bans. The song references such policy with the lyric, “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.” Assuming this is a call to violence is not warranted, as the song is heavily focused on defense from willful violence. This is a primary purpose of the Second Amendment which reflects the fundamental right to self defense each individual and community has inherently. This reflects a difference in worldviews between most city people and “small town” country people – the former more content to outsource such duty to authorities while the latter insist on recognition of such right and duty individually. This again has little to do with race, the trends in certain demographics towards one or the other being more incidental than intrinsic. The example of the Rooftop Koreans mentioned above showcases the importance of firearms as a deterrent and a last resort tool towards securing rights from infringement. Many people will disagree with this in principle, but there is no need to resort to accusations of racist intent.

Finally, the “pro-lynching” criticism of the video came about due to someone recognizing the location of Aldean in the video is the Maury County Courthouse in Tennessee. In 1927, a black man accused of a crime was infamously lynched there by a mob. Is this nearly century-old inference and accusation valid? It seems to be a stretch and is certainly unsupported. Perhaps Aldean and/or his people chose the location because it is a cool-looking building in his current state of Tennessee? The jury is out on this point. It ought to be noted however that the criticism in the video focused on lawless violence would also apply to lynchings. If we focus on the objective material in the video, it certainly does not support extra-judicial killings or actions contrary to the Rule of Law. So accusations the video is “pro-lynching” do not make much sense unless one wishes to stir up controversy. Indeed, the video, released in May, went relatively unnoticed by the mainstream press until this point was made.

Verdict

While the song and lyrics, in my opinion, are not all that great, the video clears up some of the ambiguity and is much more relevant and powerful. The message is valid but the delivery may not be very productive at the moment. Aldean has so far been unapologetic for the content and he is correct in his unyielding stance; the types of Leftists making the accusations are as unreasonable as they are vicious. Reasonable people that may be put off by the controversy deserve clarity however, so efforts ought to be made to explain that critiques of ideas, policies, and actions are separate from critiques that are based on belittling or denying the inherent value and worth of individuals, groups and their fundamental rights. Every artists has a right to express themselves as they see fit and consumers will always feel different ways about it. All we can insist upon is that others be reasonable and fair in their support or opposition to such works and tolerant of differences of opinion.