Musicians like Jason Aldean love to glorify ‘small-town’ America. It’s embarrassing | Jill Filipovic

America's cities are often safer and more diverse. Perhaps that's why Aldean, who claims to despise big-city values, lives in one?

According to the country music star Jason Aldean, you'd better not use your first amendment rights in small-town America, unless you want to be attacked by a vigilante mob. That's the message of Aldean's controversial song Try That in a Small Town, which includes the lyrics, Stomp on the flag and light it up / Yeah, you think you're tough / Well, try that in a small town / See how far you make it down the road / Around here, we take care of our own" and Full of good ol' boys / raised up right / If you're looking for a fight / Try that in a small town."

Critics have pointed out that the song glorifies the kind of vigilante justice that has led to lynching and extra-judicial killings, and that the song feels like a very loosely veiled reference to Black Lives Matter protests. They also point to the conspiratorial thinking behind the line 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."