this post was submitted on 25 Aug 2023
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[–] Ashyr@sh.itjust.works 131 points 1 year ago

If he'd only written the first verse, I might believe it.

[–] MonsiuerPatEBrown@reddthat.com 78 points 1 year ago (6 children)

I find it odd that that singer doesn't understand his fan-base.

[–] 31337@sh.itjust.works 31 points 1 year ago (4 children)

Yeah, it seems a bit strange. At least he's not a grifter (yet). Or, maybe he's just really bad at grifting.

His politics and messaging is inconsistent. He's got Reagan-era tax and welfare talking points mixed in with qanon pedophile conspiracy lines. Then makes a video where it sounds like he thinks he's a centrist. I guess the Overton window really has shifted, lol.

[–] PoliticalAgitator@lemm.ee 29 points 1 year ago (2 children)

It's not hard to imagine how someone within the conservative cesspit would end up with a worldview that's a complete mess.

It takes education that not everybody has access to to see through the junk science of neoliberalism, transphobia, climate denial and anti-vax. It takes context that not everybody is exposed to to realise that friends and family who have always been good to you, may not actually be good people.

I have a small amount of sympathy for him. His life and feelings were being used to push a far-right agenda that he's clearly not comfortable with, making him the latest target of abuse. He's got more in common with the LGBT community than he might want to admit.

But my sympathy dries up quickly. He holds views that are deeply damaging to society and didn't seem to have a problem when it was other people on the receiving end.

If he can learn from this and shake off his other shitty views, I'd have some respect for him but until then the enemy of my enemy isn't inherently my friend.

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[–] TrismegistusMx@lemmy.world 13 points 1 year ago

He's just another rube being exploited by the right wing media cycle.

[–] jpreston2005@lemmy.world 7 points 1 year ago (2 children)

qanon pedophile conspiracy lines?

dude. jeffrey epstien had a private island where they raped children. that's not a conspiracy, that's what happened.

[–] TrismegistusMx@lemmy.world 7 points 1 year ago

And to Oliver, the reason Epstein was rich and able to molest children is because he's a Jewish queer.

[–] Lesrid@lemm.ee 3 points 1 year ago (3 children)

Was bizarre to me that the first NPR story on this song focused on the line referencing Epstein being a far right conspiracy. Everyone I've interacted with thinks everyone photographed with him or Ghislaine partakes.

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[–] Stern@lemmy.world 23 points 1 year ago (1 children)

The disgust makes sense when it's Rage Against the Machine and conservatives but homey apparently hasn't looked at mainstream country in the past 30+ years because it ain't "Folsom Prison Blues" anymore its "I Love America And My Ford Truck (Unless Ford Goes Woke)"

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[–] TrismegistusMx@lemmy.world 22 points 1 year ago

His politics amount to Jews running the world and queers being child molesters so don't expect much in the way of critical thinking.

[–] afunkysongaday@lemmy.world 11 points 1 year ago

Why would you expect someone to understand a group of people just because they like a song they made? Art being misinterpreted, or interpreted in a way the artist never intended, is the oldest story in the book. Long story short it's not at all "odd that the singer doesn't understand his fanbase".

[–] gandalf_der_12te@feddit.de 6 points 1 year ago

Maybe it's not his "fan base" that he doesn't understand, but rather than annoying 10% butt-hurts that always cause trouble.

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[–] i_cant_sports@lemmy.ml 56 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Ignoring the whole welfare lyric for a moment, I think this experience ended up being a hard lesson for this young songwriter.

To borrow a line from Bluey - “…when you put something beautiful out into the world, it’s no longer yours, really.”

[–] balderdash9@lemmy.zip 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

People need to remember that this guy did not have a lot of success before this song. It's a breakout hit from an unknown artist

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[–] foggy@lemmy.world 28 points 1 year ago (7 children)

This song is honestly amazing with Dale Gribble AI vocals. It feels like it was from a parallel universe where King Of The Hill never stopped making episodes.

https://youtu.be/JbJTbykAK1Q?si=9FnjofCl9GMMq_to

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[–] iHUNTcriminals@lemm.ee 21 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Ootl... Who is this red head of the woods and what did they do?

[–] dill@lemmy.one 68 points 1 year ago (5 children)

Tldr: some no name dude wrote a country song. One of the lyrics shits on welfare recipients. Conservative hogs lose their mind and his song hits top charts. He comes out backpedaling and claiming we all "interpretted the lyrics wrong" and welfare recipients are victims not leeches. Now everyone is confused.

[–] glockenspiel@kbin.social 59 points 1 year ago (3 children)

Can't forget the part where his personal YouTube channel also has an extensive watch list ("videos to make your noggin' bigger" or something similar) full of full-on anti-semitic conspiracy theories. Such as Jews secretly orchestrating 9/11.

[–] some_guy@lemmy.sdf.org 24 points 1 year ago

This is an important detail of which I was unaware. I was almost gonna credit him for snubbing his nose at privileged politicians, but now I can write him off again.

[–] die444die@lemmy.world 13 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Got a link to that?

ETA: never mind I was having a hard time finding reference to that but then I found this article:

https://www.nbcnews.com/pop-culture/rich-men-north-richmond-viral-conservative-anthem-rcna99698

[–] MetalJewSolid@sopuli.xyz 5 points 1 year ago

this definitely feeds into my thoughts on who he thinks the "rich men" are

[–] kite@lemmy.world 22 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Ohhh. This is the dude who performs the song my coworker was all but having orgasms over yesterday and was trying to make me listen to - "the lyrics are amazing, just listen to them!" She already thinks she's magnetic from a hepatitis vaccine, and this morning informed me that the moon landing was a hoax, so I think I made the right call in utterly ignoring her and her stupid song.

[–] dill@lemmy.one 4 points 1 year ago

Oh no... This is just sad. They need a friend and a hobby.

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[–] Scooter411@lemmy.ml 11 points 1 year ago (4 children)

The song title rich men north of Richmond is also likely a dog whistle for other crappy bigots like this idiot.

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[–] Ensign_Crab@lemmy.world 7 points 1 year ago (2 children)

One of the lyrics shits on welfare recipients.

There's no way he chose Richmond for any reason other than being the CSA's capital city.

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[–] HawlSera@lemm.ee 5 points 1 year ago

Ah okay I was confused why people were hating on this guy. Before I knew that it sounded like "The machine is wondering why rage against the machine hates them for liking their music again."

[–] JackbyDev@programming.dev 6 points 1 year ago

Just to be clear, this isn't the guy who made "try that in a small town" which was another meme of a song lately.

[–] foggy@lemmy.world 12 points 1 year ago

I said most of what I wanna say yesterday

[–] jacaw@sh.itjust.works 8 points 1 year ago (6 children)

It’s wild that people are so mad about the fudge rounds line. Poor people are often forced into situations where they eat unhealthy foods. Why should food aid programs help fund American obesity rather than tackle it? Is that not the same as declaring tomatoes a vegetable so we can keep serving pizza to to schoolkids?

[–] GBU_28@lemm.ee 12 points 1 year ago

It doesn't help fund obesity, it helps feed people.

People who live in a food desert and can only access bad food.

You don't ask the "keep people from starvation" fund to also be the "fix systemic class based wage structures" fund

[–] renrenPDX@sh.itjust.works 9 points 1 year ago (4 children)

Oddly I'm not bothered by that line so much. I'm more disappointed with the title and the chorus. Richmond, being the capital of Virginia was a border state of the Civil War. Yes technically Washington DC is very much north of Richmond, but I think the song resonates more with a certain crowd due to the former reason vs the latter.

The song could have been better IMO if it targeted LOCAL governments by state, instead of trying to blame Rich Men North of Richmond. As if Rich Men South of Richmond wasn't a thing...

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[–] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 8 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Deciding what food people get to eat with their food assistance money is disturbingly authoritarian.

[–] Aabbcc@lemm.ee 4 points 1 year ago

Deciding what food people get to buy would be a bad solution to that problem anyways

Working to have healthy options be more affordable and available seems like it'd help and it doesn't seem disturbingly authoritarian

[–] WoahWoah@lemmy.world 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Food assistance is already regulated. No hot food, no pet food, no vitamins, no beer or wine, etc

[–] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

So now add 'no sugar' to that? Look, I don't like that there's an obesity epidemic, but that's basically telling poor people they can't enjoy food they like. I don't think that is the right way to help people.

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[–] Franzia@lemmy.blahaj.zone 6 points 1 year ago

I'm bothered by it because he's just repeating Raegan. At least try to convince me you're a populist, come on.

[–] Touching_Grass@lemmy.world 5 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Are people mad or is media saying people are mad and then people are agreeing with media.

I often find now that media creates a bunch of controversy on behalf of artists or comedian's were no shits were given. But like a "man on the street" bit, when confronted by a view like "the song calls people fat" then people who never gave two shits might say this things like " that's kind of shitty"

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[–] neptune@dmv.social 4 points 1 year ago (3 children)

I think it's just as much that it's good stamps buying the junk food. The point is he's mad poor people are making a poor choice. I don't really see any sympathy for the fudge round eater.

“Well, God, if you’re 5-foot-3 and you’re 300 pounds, taxes ought not to pay for our bags of fudge rounds.”

The implication is that if to pay for your own food, be as fat as you can, but if you are poor you better act how other people think you should act.

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