I've been hearing the John Mellencamp "Small Town" song in my head ever since the latest internet "let's all get offended & call each other nasty names" made for social media event.
"This successful life we're livin' got us feudin like the Hatfield's and McCoy's"...Waylon Jennings.
Probably because my love & knowledge of Country Music stops somewhere in the mid 80's with Willie, Waylon and Hank JR. So I know absolutely ZERO about the "famous" singer and/or singers involved & care less than zero.
"I had the right to remain silent. But I didn't have the ability"... Ron White
In order to not be labeled racist, libtard, inbred or far right wing QAnon or far left wokester I should just remain silent. After all I take most of this crap about as seriously as I take the flat earth "controversy."
But as Willie says "I didn't come here and I ain't leaving." so imma give my own opinion. Kind of.
"People talking without speaking. People hearing without listening.".. Simon & Garfunkel.
Seems like people these days talk at each other & yell over each other. We dehumanize each other by yelling "babie killer, thug, colonizer, white privilege, black babie momma, anti vaxer, murderer because you voted for Trump, America hater because you voted for Biden, and of course the clincher "Racist" because you don't see the world in "pun intended" black & white.
For just a moment I want to say something. The only thing that really bothers me is censorship. If someone I don't agree with can be shouted down and their speech be made illegal then so can mine.
No. I haven't watched the whole video or listened to the song. Because music is something personal to me. I'm not a good musician. But I am a musician. It's something I either feel in my soul or I leave alone. I have no interest in "Rap, Modern Country, Progressive Rock or Classical Music."
However, in principle I support the free expression of them all.
Before I retired a fellow social worker told me a story. There was an old couple that came into an agency. They needed food and a little help with bills. One of the younger workers refused to help them. Thankfully my colleague who happened to be black helped them. But why did the first one resent them?Because the old folks were white & therefore responsible for slavery, lynchings & all the evil throughout history.
I can also tell you similar stories about poor Hispanic & black folks being mistreated. Somewhere down the line somebody convinced poor white folks they had more in common with the Donald Trump's of the world than their equally poor black neighbors. Someone, somehow convinced poor black people that they had more in common with the rich, white raised Barrack Obama than with their poor white neighbors.
So the truth is (for me.) I hate censorship. I will always want to hear that song you tell me not to listen to. I will always read that book you tell me to burn. I will always defend free expression. I won't always agree. But I'm old school American!
So that's all I got to say about that.
"No, I cannot forget where it is I come from. I cannot forget the people who love me. Yeah, I can be myself here in this small town. And people let me be just what I want to be."...John Mellencamp
Peace!
