Since everyone is talking about Jason Aldean’s new song, “Try That in a Small Town,” I figured I’d weigh in. Not that anyone asked, of course. These are just my two cents on a song that might cost a few bucks on iTunes, and my opinion is worth exactly what you pay for–so feel free to agree, disagree, or something in between. Why am I doing this? Because his song got me thinking about what it means to be a patriotic active citizen and what it means to be strong. And, well…it is very different from Aldeans, it seems. At the end of this, whether you agree or not, I hope my words at least earn the chance for you to consider them.
Before we begin, if you have not yet had a chance to hear his song, here is the music video. Set aside whatever you may have read about it, and listen/watch first-hand.
I love semi-rural life. The night sky in the American Southwest is…simply amazing. A nerd like me never tires looking at the Milky Way. Oh, and if you want elbow room? Oh man, you got plenty of wide open spaces to hike, camp, hunt, fish, sit on a hill and contemplate life, or sit on a hill a get stupid drunk with your buddies. Whatever. And my little street here is pretty quiet too, which is something I like. And yes, I love country music. I don’t listen to a lot of Aldean, but I like some of his songs. For my taste, “Dirt Road Anthem” is overall pretty catchy.
But for me, Aldean’s new song is a bit cringy. Sorry man. I can’t shake it. To me, it distorts what it means to take on a patriotic responsibility to improve our nation and what it means to be strong. Or, more accurately, the song distorts what those concepts mean to me. I won’t analyze every lyric (ain’t nobody got time for that), but I’ll break down why.
With a resounding YES, crime deserves justice. I won’t argue otherwise. So anyone who says, “but rioting, roberry, etc. are bad!” please know I agree. But Aldean’s song is ironically dripping with implied vigilantism. Isn’t America supposed to be a democratic republic? Isn’t she supposed to be a land of “rule of law?” Our founding fathers had the idea that even shitty criminals have rights in our justice system. And if you disagree with this, watch the 1943 classic film, The Ox-bow Incident. Spoiler alert: that vigilante posse (hell-bent on administering some good ol’ fashioned cowboy justice) wrongly accused innocent men of murder and lynched them. Despite all the things our founding fathers disagreed with and failed in, that idea is one of the many things I think they got right. For me, it is patriotic to defend criminal rights while simultaneously letting the justice system do its due diligence before giving punishment (if warranted). Justice is not an angry fist in someone’s face (even if they deserve it) while you wave the flag. Justice is a tempered process.
To be fair, many songs promote waaaaaay worse than vigilantism. But the existence of cringy lyrics elsewhere does not make these lyrics less cringy. Now, is it fair that Aldean’s song is one of the few (out of the many) cringy songs to generate so much social buzz? Maybe, maybe not. I don’t know. I lack the understanding of the various, complex, interacting socio-cultural factors to honestly answer that. But there is more cringe in this song worthy of note, at least in my book.
Aldean praised rural life, which is totally fine. Again, I like non-urban life. But he totally ignored how many small towns have huge problems with substance abuse, violence and abuse, and crime/justice issues. Not to mention that many places in some rural parts of America have higher rates of firearm homicides than urban ones. Yeah…it’s true. Check it out below.
His song not-so-subtly implies urban life is dangerous and crappy. Yes, there are plenty of urban areas with crime and violence problems that need better solutions. I won’t disagree there. I would be irresponsible not to. But much of rural America is plagued with these problems, and they also need help. Aldean says, “We take care of our own.” Awesome. Let’s do that. If we care about rural America (as we should…because they are Americans too), then I think we should talk about getting resources to help them rather than romanticize the overly simplified idea that rural areas are inherently safer. That may be a very general trend, but as you saw above, this is by far not always the case. It’s better to deal with a complex reality than a simplified fantasy. Don’t get me wrong. I hope I can continue living in semi-rural areas because I like my space while being a short drive away from stores and other services. But let’s not delude ourselves. If we want to take care of our own, then we need to honestly address the problems that also plague rural areas. This is just one way we can help (dare I say it, yeah, I’m gonna say it) make America great. To me, that is patriotism. That would be taking care of our own. That would be using our strength for good.
Next, let’s look at that line, saying, “Got a gun that my granddad gave me; They say one day they’re gonna round up…” I responsibly own firearms and consider them tools for defense, and for me, I do not consider them to be symbols that enhance my identity. By responsible ownership, I mean I understand the spectrum of force, when and when not to use them, can proficiently use them under pressure, keep them safely stored, and minimize the chances of ever having to use them in the first place. Outside of war, I am fortunate to have never had to pull a weapon on someone, and I hope I never have to again. So I have nothing against owning firearms.
That being said, my wife and I have huge swaths of our family tree that were murdered from an actual “round-up” the Germans did. Of course, our nation (despite all the good we have done) has its darker chapters we need to remember, like the Japanese internment camps and the genocide against Native Americans. America, as much as I love her, ain’t always on the right side of history. But…oy vay, Mr. Aldean… “One day they gonna round up?” I am not 100% exactly sure what this means, but it seems he is trying to imply someone (not sure who) is going to one day come for his guns and/or try and put him in camp. Oy vay. While I acknowledge it is possible, it is very unlikely that this “they” are coming for your grandad’s firearm or will try to put you in an internment camp for being Caucasian or conservative, or whatever. For me, this lyric is like telling your friend, “Hold me back, bro” against a scarecrow. My man, you don’t need a firearm because one day they “are” (in fact) going to “round up.” Having a firearm may help further deter that unlikely event from coming to fruition, but let’s not pretend it is even close to certain. But, conceivably, you may need a firearm (combined with proficiency) to protect your loved ones during some kind of emergency. It is relatively rare, but it happens more often than “they” doing a round-up.
And who is this ominous, undefined they? The military? The police? A foreign invader? A mob of angry people? Why should I fear this nebulous, hypothetical future “they” when there are real threats here and now? There is a whole heap of nice people here in my town. But, yes, it pains me to admit there are some bigots full of hate, unabashedly displaying their “white pride” tattoos, bumper stickers, and other white supremacist regalia. It disappoints, frustrates, and enrages me that we still have to deal with this, especially given the horrors inflicted on the families of my wife and I. But if you want to act tough, if you want to be patriotic and stand ready to defend Americans from the wolves, then I think it is better to focus more of your attention on the real wolves (in the here and now) and less on some hypothetical, nebulous, undefined, future “they.”
Next, let’s look at his quip, “See how far ya make it down the road” after someone “stomp[s] on the flag and light[s] it up” Okay, you’re mad. I get it. I’m a combat veteran, and I lost brothers in arms serving our nation. We can greatly dislike people burning Old Glory, but as long as that fire is not posing a physical threat to people or property, then that form of protest is protected free speech. Even if we feel they deserve a fist, it doesn’t mean we act on it. Moreover, I don’t see how implying it’s cool to send some triggered small-town posse to beat them up for protesting fits with our values as a land of law.
As I said before, we can stand for the flag and anthem while having the backs of those who peacefully protest because they want this country to be better. Yeah, I don’t always like the way they do it. But they are still Americans expressing grievances for our nation’s failures. Yes, I love America. That is why I raised my hand and took that oath. But I also recognize she has much to improve on. If you see someone burning the flag, it’s okay if that boils your blood. But our nations’ problems should boil our blood even more. I suggest taking a sip of some suds, settling down, and talking about how we can fix things rather than punish someone for their legal right to desecrate a symbol. If we want them to be patriotic, then we need to give them better reasons by forming a more perfect union. For me, that is patriotism. That is making a strong nation.
But for me—as a combat vet originally from the Vegas area—what is most cringy is that Aldean’s inactions during the October 1 Vegas shooting don’t match his tough guy act. Aldean was unfortunate enough to be on stage when the attack began. It was chaos, and people were confused before the reality of the terrible situation settled in. He could have told his fans to take cover and run. Instead, he ran, which is understandable. Who wouldn’t? Now, it is worth commending him for visiting the victims in the hospital. That was a class act, and I tip my hat to that. But my point here is this: if he wants to be seen as tough as he talks, he should have walked some of the walk. He should have taken a moment to help his fans in their most dire hour.
I feel like many people are itching to misunderstand me. Please don’t get me wrong, I ain’t mad that he’s human and ran away from gunfire. I know first-hand how shitty that is. But if you want to tell everyone how much of a tough guy you are and how willing you are to protect the flock from the wolves, then fine. Go right ahead. But please know that if you ever find yourself in a shitty situation that tests whether or not you will walk the walk, then it is best to at least do something.
A crowd of people were confused, thinking, “Is that pyrotechnics? Is this really happening?” Hundreds were injured in the chaos, and 58 people died in that tragedy. (Sixty, depending on how you want to count it). There is little Aldean could have done. But there is a real chance that he could have saved one or even a few lives by helping warn his fans. It irks me to boil a tragedy down to a simplified metaphor like “a test,” especially when I have my own PTSD issues (or, as I like to try and frame it, “post-traumatic growth”). So I empathize with his trauma that night. But in terms of showing us if his tough-guy act matches his real-life actions…well. It doesn’t seem that way. I wouldn’t expect him to risk his life by grabbing victims and dragging them behind cover. I wouldn’t expect him to apply improvised bandages and tourniquets to the wounded. But he could have spent a few seconds to warn those fans. Had he done that, I’d at least give him a nod for walking some of the walk.
(As a quick side note, I want to give a shoutout to this guy flipping off the shooter while holding a beer on the night of that shooting. This guy makes me smile every time I see him.)
Now with all that said, it is worth commending Aldean for visiting the victims in the hospital. I am confident that small gesture helped many of those victims cope a little better with that tragedy. It was a class act, and like I said, I tip my hat and raise a glass to that. I truly do. But I also want to point out that none of my opinion here should be taken to mean he has no potential for growth.
I am reminded of Henry Fleming from Stephen Crane’s novel, The Red Badge of Courage. Henry had an overly romanticized view of himself. However, these views were largely shattered after he came face to face with the realities of combat and ran away from battle. Henry had to eat a large slice of humble pie and come to terms with…well…a lot. Henry did deal with it, though, and he was more courageous in a later firefight. Would Aldean perform better (like Henry) if he is unfortunate enough to be thrust into another similar situation? I don’t know. But I don’t think Aldean ate the same humble pie as Henry did.
I can’t speak for everyone. But for many of us (veterans and civilians alike), we don’t need to talk tough to exude strength. For many of us, respecting our nation’s symbols is important, but not at the expense of devaluing others’ rights. For many of us, refusing to ignore our problems and focusing on how to fix our problems is how we combine strength and patriotism. And for many of us, we recognize that we will not always live up to the ideal version of ourselves. We will not always be courageous. But for many of us, that gives us all the more reason to not invest in overselling some tough-guy appearance. This isn’t high school. Strength isn’t measured by how much you talk. It’s measured by how much you walk the walk. Patriotism isn’t measured in how much you wave the flag and cherish symbols. It’s measured by the actions that embody our values and serve the people. That would be strength, that would be taking care of our own, and that is what we should be trying to do in every small town and urban sprawl. And for whatever my opinion may be worth, I reckon many people need to be reminded of that.
In my view, there is a storm brewing across this nation, where we have to make some important decisions regarding what this democratic republic of ours is supposed to stand for. How we should navigate it all, I do not know. What will grow in its aftermath, I do not know. What advice would those founding fathers (who vociferously disagreed on so many things) give us today? Again, I do not know. But I am fairly confident that we need less “act” and more action. We need fewer flags and more America. We need fewer swords and more justice. We need to romanticize our fantasies less and fix our reality more. We need less left vs. right, less rural vs. urban, less us vs. them, and more “how can we help.” In my humble view, that’s what Aldean’s fans, country music fans, rural America, and all of America needs to hear. So let’s try that in our large nation.
E Pluribus Unum
Sgt Scholar Actual
Sgt Scholar 