By Dave Workman
Editor-in-Chief
Gun prohibitionist Shannon Watts, founder of the Michael Bloomberg-supported Moms Demand Action group, is taking credit for having country singer Jason Aldean’s controversial video of “Try That in a Small Town” taken down by CMT, the New York Post is reporting.
The song has actually skyrocketed despite being shunned as violent and racist, though the lyrics do not appear to suggest anything of the such. According to Fox News, Aldean may be the latest victim of “cancel culture.”
“Cancel culture has ruined careers and reputations across America in recent years as college campuses, corporate workspaces and social media platforms have been inundated with the growing trend,” the Fox report said. “Many feel that country music superstar Jason Aldean is the latest victim, or at least the latest attempt at it.”
The NY Post story, illustrated with a tweet from Watts (TGM is blocked from her Twitter page), quotes the anti-gun advocate stating, “Proud to have had a hand in getting CMT to reject this racist and violent song.”
Her tweet notes Aldean “was on-stage during the mass shooting at a Las Vegas concert in 2017 that killed 60 people and wounded over 400 more – has recorded a song called ‘Try That In A Small Town’ about how he and his friends will shoot you if you try to take their guns.”
Aldean’s lyrics include this line: “Got a gun that my granddad gave me / They say one day they’re gonna round up / Well, that s–t might fly in the city, good luck / Try that in a small town.”
That is not what the song’s overall lyrics are about, the singer maintains. In a note posted on Instagram, Aldean wrote, “When u grow up in a small town, it’s that unspoken rule of ‘we all have each other’s backs and we look out for each other.’ It feels like somewhere along the way, that sense of community and respect has gotten lost. Deep down we are all ready to get back to that. I hope my new music video helps y’all know that u are not alone in feeling that way. Go check it out!”
Much of the controversy may be due to what Aldean’s critics are attempting to censor: Actual news clips from the 2020 rioting in cities across the country, and at least one snippet of an armed robbery.
Liberals are having fits over the song and video, part of which was filmed in front of the courthouse in Columbia, Tennessee. Columbia Mayor Chaz Molder told a local television station, “I hadn’t listened to the song prior to today, but I’ve now seen the video…I respect the artist’s freedom of his own lyrics and the fans who support him, but I’m hopeful that the next music video that uses our historic downtown as a backdrop will seek a more positive message.”
NPR notes the courthouse was the scene of a 1927 lynching in which a black teen was hanged by a white mob. That teen, 18-year-old Henry Choate, was reportedly pulled out of the jail and dragged behind a car, an incident that preceded Aldean’s video by nearly a century.
Aldean’s fans are defending the artist and his video. Fox News reported that CMT is now facing a “fierce backlash” from fans. Legal expert Jonathan Turley, a frequent Fox News guest, tweeted, “Putting aside CMT’s effort to become the Bud Light of networks, the decision to yield to the intense cancel campaign is an abandonment of principles of artistic freedom and free speech.”
Time will tell if Turley’s analysis is correct.
