J3N Provides the Latest and Most Up-to-Date News, You Can Stay Informed and Connected to the World.
⎯ 《 Just 3 N : New News Now 》
The Jason Aldean 'Try That In A Small Town' controversy explained
The Jason Aldean 'Try That In A Small Town' controversy explained
Country music singer Jason Aldeon is facing an intense wave of backlash after his song, “Try That In A Small Town”, went viral online, prompting many people to accuse him of dog-whistle racism. The song sets footage of Black Lives Matter protests alongside lyrics like: “Try that in a small town / See how far ya make it down the road / Around here, we take care of our own.” The song continues: “Cuss out a cop, spit in his face / Stomp on the flag and light it up / Yeah, ya think you’re tough.” Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter The BLM protests were a direct reaction to the murder of African-American man George Floyd by a white police officer. The clips in the music video, which also include an attempted convenience store robbery and other apparent crimes, alternate with shots of Aldean and his band performing in the public square of Columbia, Tennessee. To make things worse, the video is shot in front of the Maury County Courthouse, which at times appears to be on fire with images of burning US flags projected onto it. It’s the same building where a mob hanged 18-year-old African-American Henry Choate from the balcony in 1927. Columbia is also the site of an infamous 1946 race riot that nearly resulted in the lynching of future Supreme Court justice Thurgood Marshall. Another lyric goes: “Got a gun that my granddad gave me / They say one day they’re gonna round up / Well that s--- might fly in the city / Good luck.” Country Music Television (CMT) confirmed Tuesday that it had pulled the video from rotation. Social media has been ablaze with the controversy for much of the last week. Democrat state representative for Tenessee, Justin Jones, called the song "heinous", and a "shameful vision of gun extremism and vigilantism". One user said that if Lil Durk, a black American rapper, made a response to Aldean's video called "Try That On The South Side of Chicago", it would likely be denounced as violent. Others shared videos explaining exactly why people are interpreting the song as dog-whistle racism. Aldean has stood by the song, saying: “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.” Needless to say, the people defending him are all the ones you might expect. Top Republicans have jumped to Aldean’s aid, including former president Donald Trump and Florida governor Ron DeSantis. “Jason Aldean is a fantastic guy who just came out with a great new song. Support Jason all the way. MAGA!!!” Trump posted on his Truth Social account. The conservative influencer Ben Shapiro posted a video to his YouTube channel titled “Jason Aldean REFUSES To Get Cancelled”, in which he discusses the controversy and takes Aldean’s side. Most recently, Aldean has been filmed at a concert over the weekend defending the song further. He said: “What I am is a proud American.” “I love our country. I want to see it restored to what it once was before all this bulls*** started happening to us.” “I love my country, I love my family, and I will do anything to protect that. I can tell you that.” Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.
2023-07-23 17:46
AP PHOTOS: Indelible images of 2023, coming at us with the dizzying speed of a world in convulsion
AP PHOTOS: Indelible images of 2023, coming at us with the dizzying speed of a world in convulsion
Two moments, at opposite ends of the human experience.
2023-12-01 13:56
Abortion debate in South Carolina legislature stretches into second day
Abortion debate in South Carolina legislature stretches into second day
Lawmakers in South Carolina will reconvene Wednesday morning after debating for more than 12 hours on a bill that would ban most abortions as early as six weeks into pregnancy.
2023-05-17 21:29
Inflation Gauges at 2021 Lows May Support End to Hikes: Eco Week
Inflation Gauges at 2021 Lows May Support End to Hikes: Eco Week
Inflation gauges in the US and euro zone are set to show the smallest annual increases since early
2023-11-26 05:26
U.S. lawmakers expect Biden spending request this week, Israel wants $10 billion - source
U.S. lawmakers expect Biden spending request this week, Israel wants $10 billion - source
By Patricia Zengerle WASHINGTON U.S. Senate leaders said on Tuesday they expect President Joe Biden to send them
2023-10-18 04:15
Citi Says New Capital Rules Could Hinder Derivatives, Prime Brokerage Services
Citi Says New Capital Rules Could Hinder Derivatives, Prime Brokerage Services
Citigroup Inc. said a slew of new capital requirements that regulators will propose this week could hinder the
2023-07-25 05:45
Gaza health ministry: 2,750 Palestinians killed, 9,700 wounded in Israeli strikes on Gaza since Oct 7
Gaza health ministry: 2,750 Palestinians killed, 9,700 wounded in Israeli strikes on Gaza since Oct 7
GAZA At least 2,750 Palestinians have been killed and 9,700 wounded in Israeli air strikes on the Gaza
2023-10-16 15:52
Olivia Dunne stuns fans as she drops hints about mystery woman in Paul Skenes' life: 'My boyfriend has 2 girlfriends'
Olivia Dunne stuns fans as she drops hints about mystery woman in Paul Skenes' life: 'My boyfriend has 2 girlfriends'
Olivia Dunne, the highest-paid NCAA athlete, is now at the center of an unexpected twist in her love life
2023-11-12 11:47
Ukraine says nine wounded in Russian missile strike in Dnipro
Ukraine says nine wounded in Russian missile strike in Dnipro
A Russian missile struck an apartment block in the central Ukrainian city of Dnipro on Friday, Kyiv officials said, injuring at least...
2023-07-29 14:29
South Korean teachers hold mass protests after suicide highlights pressures from parents
South Korean teachers hold mass protests after suicide highlights pressures from parents
Hundreds of thousands of teachers are protesting in South Korea after the suspected suicide of a teacher that was widely blamed on the burden on educators in a country notorious for its high-pressure education system.
2023-09-05 13:55
ECB Hiking Critics Keep Up Political Heat From Portugal to Italy
ECB Hiking Critics Keep Up Political Heat From Portugal to Italy
Criticism of European Central Bank monetary tightening is persisting, with a new round of attacks on Thursday from
2023-06-29 21:15
Democratic lawmaker loses his cool with Matt Gaetz during House floor speech: ‘You are exhausting!’
Democratic lawmaker loses his cool with Matt Gaetz during House floor speech: ‘You are exhausting!’
A Democratic lawmaker lost his cool with Matt Gaetz on the House floor on Thursday night, screaming that the far-right Republican is “exhausting”. Rep Steven Horsford, of Nevada, singled out Mr Gaetz while giving an impassioned speech in defence of diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in the military and calling out shocking racially-charged comments made by multiple members of the Republican party in recent days. On Thursday, House Republicans introduced an amendment to a military spending bill pushing to ban diversity, equity and inclusion programs from the Department of Defense (DOD). Mr Horsford slammed the move warning it would hamper efforts to improve diversity in the military. “This amendment does nothing to address the recruitment shortfalls that our services are facing and instead it will only make it more difficult to recruit Americans of diverse backgrounds representing the true makeup of our nation,” he said. At this point, he turned and addressed Mr Gaetz directly, his voice rising. “What are you so afraid of? Why do you keep bringing these divisive issues to the body of this floor?” he asked, before shouting: “You are out of order! You are exhausting, Mr Gaetz!” Mr Gaetz – who is currently the focus of a revived House Ethics Committee investigation into his alleged misconduct – complained about Mr Horsford’s actions. “Mr Speaker, the childish antics that we just observed indicate that we’ve got a lot of work to do, both in this House and the military, not to have radical racial ideology governing our discourse and governing the policy choices that we make in these bills,” he said. During the heated debate, Mr Horsford, who is Black, also condemned comments made by Republican Senator Tommy Tuberville – who has repeatedly defended white nationalists – and Republican Rep Eli Crane – who used the term “coloured people” earlier on the House floor. “Just this week, the sponsor of this amendment called Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the military a, quote, ‘failed experiment.’ He has called it ‘cancerous’,” said Mr Horsford. “Just this week a senator from Alabama stated that it was his opinion that White nationalists are not necessarily racist and refused to denounce white nationalists serving in the military.” He continued: “Just an hour ago, on this very floor, one of the members on the other side of this body said his amendment, quote, ‘had nothing to do whether coloured people or Black people can serve.’” Mr Horsford said such comments by lawmakers “show exactly why we need diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives” in place. Mr Crane faced an instant backlash on Thursday night when he defended the bill amendment by using the offensive term for people of colour. “My amendment has nothing to do with whether or not coloured people or Black people or anybody can serve. It has nothing to do with any of that stuff,” Mr Crane said. The comment was widely condemned and ultimately struck from the record. Meanwhile, for the past couple of months, Mr Tuberville – who has been blocking the confirmation of senior military officials in protest of the DOD’s abortion policy – has repeatedly refused to condemn white nationalists as racist. “I call them Americans,” he said in May. This week, he then claimed that he can’t possibly be racist because he worked with many people of colour during his time as a football coach. On Tuesday, he finally walked back his defence of white nationalists, now admitting that they “are racists”. Following Thursday’s heated debate, House members voted on the amendment. The Republican-majority House passed the amendment by just one vote of 214 to 213, striking down diversity initiatives in the military. Read More Anger in House as Republican uses ‘racist and repugnant’ term to refer to Black Americans Biden calls out GOP senator’s ‘ridiculous’ block on military promotions: ‘It jeopardises US security’ GOP senator says he can’t be racist because he’s a football coach – after white nationalist comments House Ethics Committee revives ‘misconduct’ probe into rep Matt Gaetz Christopher Wray hits back at Gaetz after Republican presses him on trust in the FBI ‘Rage-baiting’ leftist Twitter account is probably fake, expert says
2023-07-14 17:26