Leftists across America have been triggered. That's probably not going to come as a shock to anyone, but the establishment media and woke social media response to Oliver Anthony's gritty coal country ballad 'Rich Men North Of Richmond' is less than enthusiastic. Much like their reaction to Jason Aldean's 'Try That In A Small Town' which blew up the charts in the face of heavy media backlash, 'Rich Men North Of Richmond' is being derided as a "right wing anthem" laced with "conspiracy theories."
'Try That In A Small Town' goes straight for the throat in pointing out the level of anger among rural Americans and conservatives when it comes to the chaos wrought by leftist ideology. The message is bold - "Try that in our neck of the woods, and we'll rain hell down on you." Democrats attacked the song as "thinly veiled racism" hearkening back to the days of southern lynch mobs - But of course, the race baiting tactic is long worn out and no one seems to care about the accusations anymore. And, rather hypocritically, leftists once again reveal their underlying racism by suggesting that a song about rising crime can only be about black people.
Oliver Anthony's song is much more reserved and seems to take inspiration from protest songs of the 1960s and 1970s. The sound is also rooted in the classic country tones of performers like Hank William's Jr, escaping the boring overproduced robot music of the modern era. Rich Men North Of Richmond is simple, but Anthony's talent is undeniable. The song is also honest in its observations, so it's not surprising that the media is unsettled by it.
The political left often brags about their loyalty to the working class, but like all communists, they see the working class as a tool to be exploited, not a valuable pillar of society that needs to be saved. As soon as working men speak up in a way that runs contrary to the narrative, leftists seek to slap them back down again.
Initial social media complaints about the song sought to link it to racism, just as critics tried to do with Try That In A Small Town. The suggestion was that "Rich Men North Of Richmond" was a Civil War reference in favor of the Confederacy and slavery. When woke activists were educated on the fact that the phrase refers to rich politicians in Washington DC, they shifted to the classic argument that white America doesn't really know what hardship is and that they are in no position to complain. That's obviously nonsense, but reasoning with zealots is impossible.
The corporate media has taken a more subtle approach than usual to the song, stopping short of calling it a racist theme for lynch mobs. However, they are running with the "right wing anthem" argument (and in their minds that label alone is supposed to be a very bad thing).
The specific criticisms of Rich Men are perhaps the most interesting aspect - For example, Rolling Stone made particular reference to 'Regan era talking points' like Anthony's critique of fat people living on welfare. The political left has been engaged in an aggressive campaign to make "fat shaming" a form of hate speech, and they treat debates over welfare and entitlement programs as "archaic" and outdated. It's a common method of dismissing a political conflict by pigeonholing anyone in disagreement as being a caveman.
Strangely though, media commentators are even more annoyed by Rich Men's lyrics referring most likely to Epstein's Island, where "politicians look for minors." Rolling Stone called the reference 'head turning' and described Epstein's trafficking of child sex slaves to wealthy elites and powerful political leaders as "alleged" - The events on Epstein's Island are not a theory, they are factual and on record. Keep in mind that this is the same Rolling Stone that attacked the film Sound Of Freedom, a movie about a real life child trafficking sting, as "Q-Anon conspiracy theory."
The New York Daily News pointed out the reference while diminishing child trafficking as "...the center of many right wing conspiracy theories." According to the Department of Homeland Security, child trafficking is a global $150 billion a year business, often involving very wealthy participants.
It should be said that the establishment and the political left tends to reveal their true colors in the things that they try to sabotage. The progressive attempt to diminish a talented songwriter singing about the plight of the blue collar working man and the corruption of government indicates that these people don't care at all about the working man and are invested in government corruption. It's a reality most of us are aware of, but it's fun to hear about it in a song that makes leftists and media journalists squirm.
