Jason Aldean's critics are missing his point and misrepresenting his message | Column

Conservative Americans are tired of politicians and professors telling us what we can acceptably think, believe, and say. In giving voice to that frustration, we’re constantly admonished that we’re “dog whistling” to the dregs of society. Jason Aldean’s “Try That In a Small Town” is only the latest example.

“Try That In a Small Town” was released in May with little fanfare. It certainly didn’t make national headlines. When Aldean put out a music video in July with actual news footage of urban unrest which tracks the song’s lyrics, the outrage machine kicks into full gear.

“It’s the narrative of Make America Great Again, of white nationalism,” Dr. Karlos K. Hill told Rolling Stone. Tennessee Rep. Justin Jones exclaimed to CNN’s Kaitlan Collins, “This is a lynching anthem!”

Hill and Jones aren’t referring to the lyrics or the video. They hear the “dog whistle.”

Counterpoint: I grew up in small town Tennessee; Jason Aldean's song does not represent my values | Hill

What Jones and Hill get wrong

Canines have exponentially better auditory senses than humans. Progressive Americans, as shocking as it may sound, possess the same senses as the rest of us. Conservative Americans don’t have a secondary channel of communication whereby we send sinister directives to each other. For what it’s worth, we don’t have secret hand signals either.

Jones’s comments about Aldean’s song are based heavily on the music video’s backdrop of the Maury County Courthouse in Columbia, Tennessee. It happens to be the site of an infamous lynching in 1927.

In order for Jones’ argument to be true, viewers of Aldean’s music video would have had to recognize an obscure Tennessee courthouse and know its history almost 100 years ago and wish to communicate a pro-lynching sentiment. While I appreciate Jones’s confidence in the observational prowess and historical knowledge of the typical country music fan, the Nashville legislator weaves his preferred political narrative at the expense of the truth. CNN appears happy to give him a platform.

While Hill appears to believe the “pro-lynching” narrative is a stretch, he too reaches a racist conclusion and then makes Aldean’s efforts fit his perspective.

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Aldean doesn’t hide his actual message

“Cuss out a cop, spit in his face / Stomp on the flag and light it up / Yeah, ya think you’re tough,” Aldean sings. "Got a gun that my granddad gave me / They say one day they’re gonna round up / Well, that shit might fly in the city, good luck / Try that in a small town.”

Respect and appreciation for law enforcement isn’t the same as demanding a white ethno-state. There’s nothing crazy about bristling when someone desecrates our country’s flag. While most conservatives have no interest in threatening anyone, we will not respond favorably to unconstitutional attempts to confiscate our firearms.

Related: Town where Jason Aldean's controversial video was filmed defends 'small town values' amid debate

The country music star doesn’t hide his message: Don’t bring urban crime and chaos to rural America. It’s not an outlandish perspective.

While America’s violent crime rate remains well off the highs of the 1990s, the violent crime victimization rate in urban America is more than 200% higher than that of rural America according to recent information from the Department of Justice.

Aldean sings exactly what he means, and then he’s attacked for an entirely different narrative constructed by the enlightened few who can hear cultural dog whistles. Aldean has not produced a “lynching anthem.” To imply that he has embraced white nationalism guts the term of its actual and necessary meaning.

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We don’t need to cancel music or each other

I’ve had the privilege of living in large cities and working on farms. I’ve been fortunate to travel all across America. Life changes significantly in the distance from most large cities to rural towns. The experiences are so different that comparison isn’t useful. Some days I wonder if a true common good exists in America anymore.

The Declaration of Independence’s focus on securing life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for each other remains a decent cornerstone.

Don’t cancel songs. Make more music. Don’t censor liars and blowhards. Turn off the screen and go outside. Don’t wish for your political opponent to end up behind bars. Work hard to make sure we elect better leaders.

A culture where we’re never offended cannot be the aspiration of free people.

We’re not going to get along. Seeing eye-to-eye isn’t always in the cards. We can’t keep acting as if those who disagree with us are enemies who can’t be allowed a voice in the public square.

As much as I reject the perspectives of the cultural Gnostics who hear the dog whistles, I will defend their right to speak their minds. I’ll protect the media’s right to give them a platform. Some Americans seem interested in voices like Hill and Jones helping them hear what isn’t there.

Millions more in small towns across America prefer listening to Aldean.

USA TODAY Network Tennessee Columnist Cameron Smith is a Memphis-born, Brentwood-raised recovering political attorney raising four boys in Nolensville, Tenn., with his particularly patient wife, Justine. Direct outrage or agreement to smith.david.cameron@gmail.com or @DCameronSmith on Twitter. Agree or disagree? Send a letter to the editor to letters@tennessean.com.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Why critics of Jason Aldean's 'Small Town' misrepresent his message