The Left’s Elitism Problem.
The left used to be for workers, underdogs, and salt of the earth. In recent years many have felt that this no longer rings true. The left’s reaction to Oliver Anthony’s “Rich Men North of Richmond” demonstrates the left’s elitism problem and how it no longer seems interested in winning the hearts and minds of ordinary people.
The left claims to be for the people, as opposed to their opposition on the right.
Voices on leftist social media echo the old belief that the left is supportive of the underdog. Admittedly, it is the left that promotes social welfare in the forms of education, mental and physical health awareness, taking care of the homeless, among other things. These are actions which are unarguably valuable to society, but unfortunately social welfare doesn’t fix all problems.
The left is not addressing the needs of ordinary Americans.
Though they aren’t necessarily homeless or in debt, average Americans are struggling, and it isn’t just in their heads. By many metrics the standard of living has gone down in America. Americans are struggling with understanding the purpose of life. There is an identity crisis nagging in people’s minds, across large swaths of middle America. It is presenting itself in the form of lowered life expectancy than previous generations because of an addiction epidemic. The left thus far has nothing to say about this growing malaise that many sense.
Where does the left’s elitism problem come from?
It will come as no shock to readers that most liberals live in cities while conservatives tend to live in rural areas. The left not only doesn’t want to, but can’t understand the concerns of the right because they live in totally separate worlds. This is where the left’s elitism problem stems from. Is it possible for liberals to traverse the widening gap between the right and the left? Anything is possible, but the only way it will happen is if enough see this as necessary.
The left’s elitism problem is cultural snobbery.
Many say “I hate country music” reflexively, but have they ever heard country music that was actually made by someone living in the Appalachian mountains? Or are they basing this judgement on country music played on the radio, which was heavily tailored in a studio? Surely for many Anthony’s song is the first time they are hearing real country music.
The left’s elitism problem goes deeper than music.
It wasn’t always the case that the left chided figures from the Bible Belt or those with a Christian background. Many liberals used to look up to Woody Guthrie, who was a folk singer from Oklahoma. Pete Seeger was also a darling of the left. Their songs were undeniably country and about the everyday man. But something shifted in the last 50 years, and now the left party is infected with an elitist attitude. Now a Woody Guthrie might be shunned as nothing more than a country bumpkin.
Why do liberals have disdain for rural people?
The people living in many parts of the South and Midwest today are the genetic and cultural descendants of Confederates. Their music is heavily rooted in the Irish and Scottish traditions. Unfortunately, this means many leftists will automatically write off any and all bluegrass music for these very reasons. The left’s elitism is on full display with Anthony’s song because he is the wrong person to be criticizing the left. It can tolerate criticism levied at it only from certain people. Liberals praise the virtue of diversity, except if the people in question are Southern or Christian.
The right’s reaction to “Rich Men North of Richmond”.
Conservatives Matt Walsh and Ben Shapiro, who are as far from provincial as you can get, gave it glowing reviews. The Republican party and political brand that has supported morally bankrupt policies like Reagan’s “trickle down economics” endorses this song.
Juxtapose the right’s reaction to the left’s elitist reaction.
Many liberals are blasting the song, saying it relies on right-wing dog-whistles. Anthony Fantano, YouTube’s most famous music critic, had some harsh criticisms about it. He accuses it of resurrecting old grievances between the North and the South, and having “bigoted baggage”. Many are summing up Anthony’s concerns as nothing more than a thoughtless hissy fit.
Why are the right’s and left’s responses so massively different? The right has its finger on the pulse and knows that this song is addressing what Americans are truly thinking. But it’s also that the left has an elitism problem.
What “Rich Men North of Richmond” is saying.
It is about a working-class man. It’s based on Anthony’s own observations of the rich outsiders he witnessed when working in North Carolina. The song illustrates the corrosive affect the financial elite can have on rural communities. It’s about how the system is rigged to help those who already have, while holding down those who have not.
The words and melody are simple, which is all that is needed in a song sometimes. The message is clear and Oliver sings his song passionately.
Let’s delve deeper into the lyrics, shall we?
The song starts:
I’ve been sellin’ my soul, workin’ all day / Overtime hours for bullshit pay / So I can sit out here and waste my life away / Drag back home and drown my troubles away.
Regardless of how well-crafted you feel the song is or isn’t, no one can deny how draining life can be when you feel things are hopeless and you see no end in sight.
The chorus goes:
Livin’ in the new world / With an old soul / These rich men north of Richmond / Lord knows they all just wanna have total control / Wanna know what you think, wanna know what you do / And they don’t think you know, but I know that you do / ‘Cause your dollar ain’t shit and it’s taxed to no end / ‘Cause of rich men north of Richmond.
The line “rich men North of Richmond” could be referring to any number of places and people. The two first places that come to mind are Washington D.C. and Wall Street. These are places that are known for their blatant and nonstop disregard for human rights. Washington D.C. is constantly voting in favor of more wars against the citizens’ wishes, while Wall Street profits off of the rest of America. Perhaps it’s a jab at Silicon Valley and the way they sell our digital information? This is what makes these lyrics genius.
The song continues:
I wish politicians would look out for miners / And not just minors on an island somewhere / Lord, we got folks in the street, ain’t got nothin’ to eat / And the obese milkin’ welfare.
Mining is one of the most dangerous jobs still to this day even with the aid of technology. The working conditions are horrendous, but somebody has to do the job because much of our lives still revolve around coal whether we like it or not. Starving indeed is a real problem.
Well, God, if you’re 5-foot-3 and you’re 300 pounds / Taxes ought not to pay for your bags of fudge rounds / Young men are puttin’ themselves six feet in the ground / ‘Cause all this damn country does is keep on kickin’ them down.
This is where the song went off the rails a little bit. There are plenty of obese people not on welfare and many are working strenuous jobs. Additionally, it’s known that the obesity epidemic partially runs along socio-economic lines. Your brothers and sisters are fat and sick because they can’t afford to make themselves healthy, not because they are lazy. Using the fat people are lazy stereotype was the most offensive part of this song.
But his last line gets back to the point: America isn’t caring well enough for the people that give so much to this country.
Despite the left’s elitist reaction to “Rich Men North of Richmond”, it has struck a chord with Americans.
Many aspersions are being made about Anthony Oliver’s word choice. There is no evidence that he was trying to inflame tensions between the North and South. It just so happens that the people who control this country live north of Richmond. There was nothing in the lyrics that indicates ill willn Even if the song is relying on a dog-whistle though, does that mean it’s bereft of significance? Is there any room at all for nuance or perhaps understanding?
The song speaks to the silent majority and if the left is smart it will get over its elitism problem.
As always I, and the team at Brooklynites, thank you for reading. Click back soon. <3
Read about what liberalism is:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberalism
Read about what conservatism is:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conservatism
Read about the devestating fires in Lahaina:
https://172-234-236-52.ip.linodeusercontent.com/lahainas-paradise-is-lost/
Read about Daniel Penny’s shocking charge:
https://172-234-236-52.ip.linodeusercontent.com/the-daniel-pennys-charge-is-a-travesty/