Rich Men North Right Or Left?
By Bob Small
Must we see Rich Men North as left or right
The first time Rich Men North of Richmond played on the headphones, there were echoes of Billy Bragg, of Woody Guthrie, in the song written and sung by Oliver Anthony
“I’ve been sellin’ my soul, workin’ all day, overtime hours for bullshit pay”.
The whole song felt very left to me but Rolling Stone tried to disabuse me of that notion. Yet in this same article, they quoted Oliver Anthony “it seems like both sides serve the same master-and that master is not someone of any good to the people of this country.”
Tell me how that’s left or right.
Fox and The Seattle Times insist on this opinion.
Bryan Chai of the Western Journal, takes a more nuanced approach saying “Men like Aldean and Anthony are clearly sick of (Flyover Country) that being a pejorative and want Americans to know that whether you’re suffering in Farmville or Silicon Valley, they hear you and feel you”.
See also
Music sensation Oliver Anthony gets record offer as ‘Rich Men North o
and from overseas
The protest song that’s taken America by storm hits … – The Guardian
When Democrat Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut dared to say “I think Progressives should listen to this”iliberals piled on him.
Even after adding “all problems the left has better solutions to than the right,” attacks continued.
As to the “obese milking welfare” lines in the song, that should not be seen as racist, more as frustration about a government system that rarely works as it should.
Here is a recent quote from Anthony that has angered some of those on the right:
“I mean, we are the melting pot of the world, and that’s what makes us strong, is our diversity, and we need to learn to harness that and appreciate it, and not use it as a political tool to keep everyone separate from each other you know?”
