Ticket 2 Ride

A bumper sticker on a truck (of course) said, “Try That in a Small Town”. I pondered these words for a moment, not wanting to make an assumption on its meaning, before I figured it was either a declaration or a warning – or both.

I’m not a contemporary country music fan (but I have a deep appreciation for the classic country of the 1960s and 1970s) so I’d never heard of the song, “Try That in a Small Town,” by Jason Aldean. I’m also not big on anthems, written to become a part of the social media landscape, which this one was written to be.

As one might guess, a lot of uproar followed this song, especially the music video, making this song both controversial and successful. Curious, I began reading about the reaction and outcry surrounding both the song and video.

“When u grow up in a small town, it’s that unspoken rule of ‘we all have each other’s backs and we look out for each other,’” Aldean wrote on social media. Aldean is not list among the four writers credited to the song, but he stated that he believes in and stands behind what this song says. Not a surprise.

“There is not a single lyric in the song that references race or points to it — and there isn’t a single video clip that isn’t real news footage — and while I can try and respect others to have their own interpretation of a song with music, this one goes too far,” Aldean added.

[Verse]
Sucker punch somebody on a sidewalk
Carjack an old lady at a red light
Pull a gun on the owner of a liquor store
Ya think it's cool, well, act a fool if ya like Cuss out a cop, spit in his face Stomp on the flag and light it up 
Yeah, ya think you're tough

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

[Chorus]
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

[Bridge]
Full of good ol' boys, raised up right 
If you re looking for a fight 
Try that in a small town 
Try that in a small town

I couldn’t disagree with Aldean more, the song is incredibly manipulative and is crafted to fit a specific narrative. The truth as he tells it is from a viewpoint that grossly exaggerates, editorializes and claims a moral high ground that is ridiculous at best. The lyrics are about tough guys proclaiming superiority and righteousness. In attempting to celebrate the goodness of what small towns can offer, those associated with the song take the derogatory low road, and portray small town life as somewhat of a cult. If you ain’t like us, we won’t like ya.

Okay, if you don’t like the song, don’t listen. Fair enough.

However, the video for the song is an entirely different matter. Images of protests, confrontations with police, vehicles on fire, robberies and assaults – all to imply these are big city occurrences that happen because that’s where criminals reside and can get away with it. There are images of police beating people, I guess to imply that police are the ones under attack in the big city. Cities are where immigrants, people of color and those of other religions tend to live. The courthouse illuminated in the video is more than just an eye-catching backdrop, in history, this courthouse location was the place of more than one lynching. Aldean claims that nothing in the video is wrong, while also saying that he didn’t know or select the court house location for the video shoot.

It’s wonderful when people are proud of where they live or raised, wherever that may be. I tend to believe that people are people anywhere, but we are greatly influenced by our environment.

Is there just one culture in a small town as opposed to neighborhoods or communities in big cities? In my lengthy life I’ve lived in different sized communities and experienced a variety of American cultures. Size of community is one factor, but not as much as you might assume. Communities, no matter the size, are where people of any color, ethnicity, religion or nationality chose to call home and not only reflect the cultural of that community, but add to it.

Small towns tend have people who look a like, think alike, drive similar vehicles, worship in the same place, vote alike and know everyone else’s business. Small towns across the world are probably very much alike in those characteristics. Youth baseball games, family events, celebrating community events, father-son activities – those images are prominent in the video, but only under the positive lyrics about small towns. The violence, flag burning, demonstrations, promiscuity – the images for cities. I’m betting that youth sports, family events, community events and other proud moments take place in cities on a common basis. Not everyone who lives in cities throws Molotov cocktails at police, are homeless, rob stores, use meth, or simply rude, angry people. Cities are not melting pots as much as they are salads, different ingredients combing for a mix of tastes.

These are such divisive times. It’s neighbor verses neighbor, and family member against family member. That song celebrates what some think are core American values; the celebration of family, of faith, freedom and community. Instead, the words and images divert from those noble aspirations to condemn and generalize others. America is also about generosity, acceptance, respect and tolerance – even if you look different, speak another language, practice a different faith or hold different views.

Life in a small town is not always idyllic, in fact, small town life can be quite difficult, and have many of the same challenges as cities. Lack of jobs, drugs, affordable housing, food insecurity, government corruption, cost for basic necessities, a changing world around us – all made worse by the poison of hate.