by Jonathan Turley at Jonathan Turley
Country music singer Jason Aldean’s hit single “Try That in a Small Town” secured two distinctions this week. It hit number one on the country charts, and it was pulled by Country Music Television (CMT).
Putting aside CMT’s effort to become the Bud Light of music networks, the decision to yield to the intense cancel campaign is an abandonment of principles of artistic freedom and free speech.
The song became the focus of many groups on the left for its criticism of violent protests and criminal acts. The song contrasts the culture of small towns with that of big cities. Aldean sings:
“Cuss out a cop, spit in his face
Stomp on the flag and light it up
Yeah, ya think you’re tough.“Well, try that in a small town
See how far ya make it down the road.”
Aldean took to Twitter to alert fans of the CMT censorship.
“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.
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.”
Gun control advocates were also outraged by references to the use of a gun to deal with these problems:
“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.”
I can certainly understand why those lines caused objections. Frankly, I also found them disturbing. However, I also find a lot of anti-cop and gang-banging lyrics disturbing, yet I would oppose any effort to censor such music.
These artists are expressing their view of contemporary events. Protest songs have long played a..
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