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The South Dade Branch of the NAACP condemns the song and video performed by Jason Aldean entitled, “Try This in a Small Town.” The song and video present themselves in an incendiary light as they appear to promote violence. In addition, America’s history and treatment of Black people juxtaposes the narrative created within the lyrics of this song. For example, the lyrics suggest cussing out a cop and spitting in his face would yield a forceful or potentially deadly reaction when viewed or heard contextually. However, history informs the black community that Emmitt Till, Medgar Evers, Harry T. Moore, Mary Turner, Ballie Crutchfield, and Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., didn’t do anything of the activities outlined in this song, but while in a “small town”, they were lynched or assassinated. The song, “Try This in a Small Town,” contains lyrics that are or can be viewed as threatening. Even more disturbing is the fact Aldean sings his lyrics at a known lynching site in Tennessee – which highlights the importance of robust education on the crimes that have been committed against Black people solely because of our race in this country.
Although the NAACP South Dade Branch supports the First Amendment rights of Mr. Aldean and his Freedom of Expression, yet we also applaud the difficult decision made by CMT to pull the video due to its violent content. In short, President Ford, of the NAACP South Dade Branch welcome a dialog with Mr. Aldean by opening the door for a candid conversation to discuss how to move forward by creating a teachable moment.
