
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.
1970-01-01 08:00

Kai Cenat sets Rolling Loud stage on fire with epic guest appearance alongside Lil Yatchy: Fans say 'this is crazy'
Kai Cenat and Lil Yatchy treated their fans to a stunning stage performance at Rolling Loud
1970-01-01 08:00

Russian attack on Odesa kills one, damages cathedral, Ukrainian officials say
(Reuters) -A Russian air attack on Ukraine's southern port of Odesa early on Sunday killed one, injured nearly 20 and
1970-01-01 08:00

Jake Paul debunks accusations of drug use as he reveals VADA test result
Despite constant allegations of taking performance enhancing drugs during his brief boxing career, Paul has always denied such behavior
1970-01-01 08:00

What happened to H.E.L.P.eR.? 'Venture Bros.' creators weigh in
For seven seasons, a beeping robot called H.E.L.P.eR. (aka Helper) was ride-or-die for Team Venture.
1970-01-01 08:00

Joe Rogan: 5 most emotional moments of 'JRE' podcaster
Though he usually exhibits an uber-masculine demeanor, Joe Rogan has never been reluctant to show his emotions on his podcast
1970-01-01 08:00

KSI eager to cross paths with Jake Paul at Logan Paul's wedding: 'If it pops off, it pops off'
While fans want KSI to face off Jake Paul, the former claims that Jake is unwilling to accept his challenge
1970-01-01 08:00

Andrew Tate's vaping views continue to divide fans after UFC star Sean O’Malley’s remark: ‘The hypocrisy is crazy’
Andrew Tate and Sean O'Malley's views on vaping left netizens divided
1970-01-01 08:00

Did Rami Malek and Lucy Boynton break up? 'Bohemian Rhapsody' co-stars spark speculation after not being seen together for months
Rami Malek and Lucy Boynton, who met on the sets of 'Bohemian Rhapsody' were last spotted together in public at the BAFTA Awards
1970-01-01 08:00

‘We’ve changed history!’ Myleene Klass celebrates as government pledge more miscarriage support
Myleene Klass has celebrated “changing history” after the government announced plans to better support women who miscarry while pregnant. For the last four years, the former Hear’Say singer has been backing changes to the Women’s Health Strategy in Parliament. This included a call to ensure women will not have to suffer up to three miscarriages before receiving help – an issue sensitive to Klass due to her personal experience with miscarriage. On Saturday (22 July), the Department of Health and Social Care announced a package of new measures to "boost the health and wellbeing of women and girls", including a pilot scheme that will see medical intervention for women after every miscarriage. As the pledge was made, Klass, 45, shared a picture to Instagram of herself and Labour MP Olivia Blake stood outside the Houses of Parliament celebrating the win. In the photo, Klass is wearing a yellow power suit while Black wears a floral dress, with the two campaigners holding signs that read “we did it” and “miscarriage matters”. “WE DID IT!!!!” the I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! star captioned her lengthy post. “We have changed the law and therein, history! The world is officially a better place for women and their families because we never gave up. “I met @oliviablake_mp filming my Bafta nominated Miscarriage documentary. We were both battered and bruised from our MC experiences but from that moment we joined forces and I became a campaigner for change to Miscarriage law and women’s health care.” She continued: “Women’s health has always been a contentious, almost invisible issue. Miscarriage is the final taboo, dismissed as ‘one of those things’ or ‘it wasn’t meant to be’. I now know that not to be the case. Change has to come from the top, from Government. Who knew our wombs are owned by Westminster?!” Klass then explained what the new law meant and how baby loss charity Tommy’s would be helping going forward. This includes more support for those experiencing miscarriage, retraining medical staff to handle the issue and updated guidelines for the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists. “That’s the official line,” she continued, “The personal side of this is 4 miscarriages along, pouring the heartache and frustration into fierce campaigning HAS WORKED. We have changed the future for so many mothers to be and babies to come. “This will all take time, but it’s officially confirmed and will be actioned… I wanted my children to see their mother turn her pain into power and the babies I never got to hold, to know they chose a mother who would fight to have their voices somehow heard. I never dreamed those voices would resonate into the history books and their legacy would be the most powerful of all, real change.” The changes come after a published pregnancy loss review, which looked at improving NHS gynaecology and maternity care. Minister for women’s health Maria Caulfield said: “Our work continues to support women through the agony of pregnancy loss… We will keep working and investing so girls and women across the country can benefit from the world-class healthcare they deserve.” Earlier this month, Klass had spoken out defiantly in support of the proposed changes to the law, saying that the government did not “deserve power” if it failed to implement them. “A health secretary and a health department and a government that doesn’t look after the people, that is in a position and empowered to do so, doesn’t deserve to hold [onto] that power,” she said. Read More Tim Shaddock rescue: Ben Fogle offers to pay for Australian sailor and dog to be reunited after emotional separation Fans defend Prince Harry and Meghan Markle amid breakup rumours Father sparks outrage for calling son ‘spoiled’ after 23-year-old said he can’t throw wedding for under $7,000 Myleene Klass: Government does not deserve power if miscarriage policy unchanged Researchers warn after 25 types of toxic flame retardant found in human breast milk Amy Dowden announces absence from Strictly Come Dancing due to chemotherapy
1970-01-01 08:00

Are Logan Paul and Seth Rollins friends? SmackDown's Savior discusses his respect for former rival boxer and KSI
Despite feuding in the past, Seth Rollins recently revealed that Logan Paul and KSI have earned his respect
1970-01-01 08:00

Did Christina Aguilera and Tony Bennett ever work together? 'Beautiful' singer shares throwback pics as tribute after legendary pop vocalist's death
'Tony's immense contributions to the industry will forever resonate with us all,' Christina Aguilera stated in her tribute to Tony Bennett
1970-01-01 08:00