A few thoughts on the update to the story Julio has been covering -- and it's not a surprising one. After race obsessives piled on country music star Jason Aldean over his anti-crime, anti-rioting song, bullying Country Music Television into pulling the music video off the air, interest in the song has spiked.
By one significant measure, it's now sailing up the charts:
Jason Aldean's "Try That In A Small Town" has reached #1 on US iTunes. pic.twitter.com/PXZa31xpp4
— Billboard Charts (@billboardnewsb) July 19, 2023
"Conservatives are consistently moving markets more than any time I can remember," marvels Josh Holmes, likely in a reference to recent cultural flashpoints involving Bud Light, Target, 'The Sound of Freedom,' and now this. Critics say Aldean is promoting racism, lynching and vigilantism in 'Try That In A Small Town.' You be the judge:
In case you missed it, the singer responded to the attacks on social media, totally rejecting the basis of the criticism:
In the past 24 hours I have been accused of releasing a pro-lynching song (a song that has been out since May) and was subject to the comparison that I (direct quote) was not too pleased with the nationwide BLM protests. These references are not only meritless, but dangerous.…
— Jason Aldean (@Jason_Aldean) July 18, 2023
The cancellation brigade claims that the video must be infused with pro-lynching imagery and meaning because the location where it was shot witnessed a lynch mob murder nearly a century ago. As I noted on Special Report, Aldean's song is protest art -- in favor of police, and against lawlessness. Lynching is a particularly vile form of lawlessness:
Jason Aldean’s song is a protest against lawlessness — from the SR panel: pic.twitter.com/BIPQBwOFXi
— Guy Benson (@guypbenson) July 20, 2023
To twist pro-cop, anti-lawlessness expression into a 'problematic' form of racism is to associate anti-police sentiment and lawlessness with race. Which is racist. I'll leave you with another L for the race obsessives, who tried and failed to turn a lovely American music story into a tale of racism and bigotry. It turns out the queer woman of color 'victim' is delighted by what's happened:
Tracy Chapman must not read the Washington Post. pic.twitter.com/3B2CeAdnHF
— Will Cain (@willcain) July 19, 2023