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by KEN ARD
I’m a big music fan. But not so much of today’s music. My generation was blessed with Hotel California, Born To Run, Free Fallin’, Small Town, and Bohemian Rhapsody so I’m not easily impressed. But this song by Jason Aldean has gotten my attention.
“Try That In A Small Town” is the latest social and cultural artistic controversy because of some pretty aggressive and politically incorrect lyrics. I’ve read interpretive commentary by CNN, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and the fine ladies of The View. They’re educating Americans on what Aldean REALLY means with each word. Hate and racism by a Trump supporting redneck is what I expected they’d say, and they delivered with more precision than a Tiger Woods pitching wedge.
I’m from a town with no stop light. I own multiple muscle shirts. Eaten more potted meat and saltines than you can imagine. Slept on the infield at Darlington. Played kick ball at recess where a dude got bit by a snake retrieving the ball from the woods. Was 27 until I was convinced “wrasling” was fake. Still put peanuts in my beer and Diet Pepsi. And made a liquor still for my high school science project. I don’t need woke and enlightened members of the media or liberal politicians telling me what Jason Aldean is trying to say. I know because it’s where I come from.
Aldean is saying to America that big cities run by liberal governments are permissive of criminal activity. They allow looting and burning buildings without consequence. They condoned thuggery and crime and innocent people were taken advantage of. Businesses were burned, owners were beaten, and law enforcement was told to stand down. Aldean is saying the insanity of those propositions would never fly in small town USA. He’s not encouraging violence or defending racism. He’s articulating that there’s a set of values and way of life in rural America that would treat rioters and criminals the way they should be treated. They would protect their families and property regardless of what political leaders say or do. And protect each other. That’s about as American as baseball and apple pie and should never require an apology to anyone. F around and find out is the synopsis.
If I try to explain the Pythagorean Theorem or campaign finance, pay me zero attention. But when I give you my two cents on the belief system and goodness of “Small Town America” it’s because I lived it. And am damn proud of it.
Go Gamecocks.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR …
(Via: Provided)
Ken Ard is a native of Pamplico, S.C. The 88th lieutenant governor of the Palmetto State, he is the host of Wake Up Carolina on WFRK 95.3 in Florence, S.C. and the ‘No Stop Lights‘ podcast.
26 comments
Mr tArd.
Jason Aldean did not write the song. He has nothing to say, he just sings what his label tells him to. The label has zeroed in on what dumb crackers love and that’s being cluelessly angry at outside World.
Thanks for showing how good the record labels are at hooking in cartoonishly ignorant suckers. Hope antifa doesn’t march on…….lol……..Pamplico.
If you really believe Mr. Aldean “has nothing to say, he just sings what his label tells him to.”, then you really are totally clueless and have no idea who Jason Aldean is or what he’s about. I’d urge you to do some research, but frankly, I don’t think you’re capable of it. You’re just another “cartoonishly ignorant sucker” of the left. So stupid you make my head spin.
Ohhh, we got a researcher here!!
Way to take a stand, Kenard!
These woke progressives are just lining up to invade your small towns and spread “wokeness” to all of your children.
Educated progressives can’t wait to move to small dying towns that are the victims of Republican policies!
I bet Kenard is afraid these antifa are going to take all the high paying jobs in Pamplico! Better check that the manager of the Dollar General isn’t antifa! What about the manager of McDonalds (does Pamplico have one?). Who knows?!?
Just know Kenard is ready fur battle!!!
Ok Bumpkin, I guess your name kinda says it all. You should probably go get checked out by a professional or checked in to a professional facility. Good luck with your meds.
WOW AMAZING!
Great read and spot on. Would like to see more from Mr. Ard. Oh, and Jason Aldean would not sing it if he didn’t believe it. He doesn’t have to.
Well said. Bravo.
I recognize the point made in the lyrics of the song. Many of us “small town folks” are willing to help a neighbor in need, or step in to protect a neighbor or his/her property when warranted. Recent high-profile cases show another side of small town life in which certain members of the community escape consequences of their actions, however.
It is naive at best to assert that crime is more rampant in cities or states run by “liberal governments”. I’m not sure if that is the message intended by the song and video, but it appears to be Mr. Ard’s analysis of the message. Crime is a problem in both “Blue States” and “Red States”. (FACT!)
Personal opinion is we as a nation need to move away from the butt-hurt cancel culture bs (Bud Light, Aldean, all of it) and focus on real issues.
Will … When you run tripe like this, it’s very difficult to accept FITSNews as a media outlet that champions the “truth”. Shame on you for for insulting the moral intelligence of many of your subscribers … and more troubling your own intelligence.
Look Stevie, you may not like the article and that’s your prerogative. But talking down to the author just makes you look petty and childish. If you have something constructive to add, by all means do so. Otherwise run along home to your mommy. Or, if that makes you too ‘insulted’, too damn bad. And that’s MY opinion…
How is anyone to take your moral lesson about “talking down” seriously, when you start your comment with “Look Stevie…” You sound like a hypocritical dime store clown….from a small town
Thank you, Mr. Ard. Your analysis of the song is absolutely correct. I too hail from a small town that, to this day, doesn’t have a traffic light and is around 2000 people in Wisconsin. I’m 62 years old and have been a Democrat for the greatest majority of that. But not anymore. I didn’t leave the Democratic Party, they left me. By advocating for extremist policy’s from unfettered illegal immigration to spending hundreds of billions of dollars on Ukraine, (a job the Europeans should be stepping up to the plate for) to appeasing tiny slivers of the population at the expense of the majority, Democrats have moved WAY too far to the left. For example, Hillary asked for the Gay vote, the Black vote, the Female vote. How about asking for MY vote? I’m a White American (the largest group in the country) and she couldn’t be bothered to ask for my vote. Well guess what, she didn’t get it and consequently, lost my state and several others that she SHOULD have won. I’m now a registered Independent but I can’t see myself ever voting for a Democrat again. Not unless they come back toward the middle and that’s not likely anytime soon.
Great points, the white vote is different than the gay or female vote!!!
“Was 27 until I was convinced “wrasling” was fake. ”
I believe the acceptable term for that these days is “neurodivergent” although in your small town it’s probably still “retarded.”
So did Mr Aldean include footage of Jan6, or the Michigan militia storming the State House?
Hmmm.
To answer your question, no, he obviously didn’t include such footage. If you’d bothered to watch the video, you’d already know this instead of bringing up ‘what about…’ questions. It’s his video, he gets to include or exclude what he wants. For example, he didn’t include Ukraine war footage, nor imagery of the Grand Canyon either. So what, big deal. Again, it’s HIS video – his decision. If you want to make a video with different footage, go ahead and actually do it instead of whining. It’s a free country and you can make videos all you want.
Singing “Try that in A small town”, in my opinion means “You won’t get away with that behavior around here”. It insinuates we have a history of dealing with people who behave in an unacceptable way. It has the ring of truth to it.
Because
Thats exactly what the people of Columbia, TN did to Henry Choate back in 1927 when they drug his black body through their small town streets for what they considered unacceptable behavior. Being accused of touching a white girl. Then they hung him on the very courthouse steps Jason chose to stand on for his video shoot. Was that just a coincidence? Or is he standing with the vigilantes who happen to be the grandparents and great grandparents of the people native to the small town today?
I wonder had Jason known the context, would have made a different choice? Let’s use this moment to bring truth to light.
Okay Bryan, let’s try to set you straight here. So what if the video is set where some guy was lynched almost a hundred years ago. No one alive today had anything to do with that, certainly not Jason Aldean, you or I. Bad things happen to people everywhere. That doesn’t mean those locations are permanently off-limits forever more. That’s just stupid. For example, remember when Trump sent the USNS Comfort, the Navy hospital ship, to New York City to help victims of Covid? And how Andrew Cuomo refused to use it, instead sending thousands of people to nursing homes where they died? Somewhere around six thousand people died during this time. That’s SIX THOUSAND, not just one person. So, by your ‘logic’ no one should ever shoot another video in New York City because ‘something bad happened’. And I’ll remind you again, the Henry Choate thing happened almost 100 years ago. The thousands that died in NYC was just a couple of years ago in 2020. Also, something to think about, the courthouse in question is just south of Nashville, TN, about a half hour drive. Maybe the video director chose this location because it was close and gave the ‘look’ they were after. Neither you nor I know if that is correct or not, but it IS a possibility. Perhaps you can track down the person who chose this location and ask them?
If you have to look-up any definitions this week, make it the term ‘subliminal message’.
And, if needed, it’s okay to ask someone to explain it to you.
Mandingoist, you crack me up. “Subliminial messages’ must somehow seep through your tinfoil hat. Ever heard the expression, “Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar”? (Unless it’s wielded by bad boy Bill Clinton, of course…) Man, don’t go out in the sun, your head will explode like popcorn. lmao
Nashville music circles know who and what this guy is — and has been — all along.
A major problem is, all too often those in the Bluegrass & Country music scene are more than willing to look the other way.
Always been like that in those music genres; still is.
As for Aldean, he has people in his camp who have felt empowered to attempt their subtle (and not so subtle) bigotry, racism, etc., ever since politicians made it work. However these guys are not intelligent enough to slip anything by in their little movie.
Ah Mandingoist, you truly need to open your eyes. You think “Bluegrass & Country” music (I haven’t heard that term in decades, btw…) are ‘bigots’ and ‘racists’? How about providing some examples? Should be easy since you think it’s so prevalent. Really laughing at your left-wing lunacy. Perhaps you should sample some Rap or Hip-Hop music. Now THAT’S bigoted and racist. Sample pretty much any of that genre and you’ll absolutely find examples. You fall into that same old tired loony Liberal squawking where you keep mouthing the same phrase over and over again until challenged on it and then switch to a new nonsense phrase. Witness ‘Cultural Appropriation’ and ‘Systemic Racism’, among others. Where are all the LearJet Liberals (nod to John Kerry…) mouthing those phrases today? Yep, gone like the hot air from the PAC (Perpetually Aggrieved Class) they are. I once had had enough of an old White guy in my neighborhood going on and on about Systemic Racism and challenged him to give my an example – any example. Since it was ‘systemic’, meaning widely present, he should have no trouble coming up with a bunch of examples. Yet, the ONLY thing he could come up with was, wait for it, REDLINING! Yep, redlining! Too funny. For you youngsters out there, look it up. FYI, it was made illegal in 1968. That’s 55 years ago! Yet this is all this Liberal windbag could come up with. Laughing so hard…
Too bad the shooter in Vegas didn’t take a shot at the stage. It would’ve saved our ears from the garbage, bubble gum “music” that Aldean produces.
Whoa! I’m getting a ‘subliminal message’ that Fatty thinks shooters should kill more people! Oy! Lock Fatty up before he hurts someone! rofl
Ken Ard was lt. governor for just two years; whereas, the normal term for lt. governor is four.
Why didn’t Ard serve four years? Did he pull a Sarah Palin and quit mid-term?
The video should have also shown that riotous mob that stormed the US Capitol.
Ken Ard in Paamplico, I am just up the road in Hemingway and I had hoped that song was going to be just as u described..but if it was not racist, why use that particular courthouse to film in front of with its horrible past..and why did they also have to cut other scenes from said video??? it was racist..they just cleaned it up..No Jason Aldean did not write it however he is succesful enough to have used more control in the entire process…check it out..I usually do like Aldean…u made a good point but maybe only about the song and not the video. bes wishes