Oliver Anthony went from a man playing for tiny crowds at backwoods festivals to an international star overnight with his viral hit Rich Men North of Richmond.
It was an inspiring story. One of a former factory worker from rural Virginia striking out to fulfill his dreams and actually succeeding. The song itself was pretty good as well, with several brilliantly written lyrical hooks.
It didn’t take long before the backlash began, though. Why? Because Anthony dared to express the plight of poor Americans and their views of the nation’s power structures.
Rolling Stone already has a hit piece on Oliver Anthony.
No ideology, just hatred pic.twitter.com/dy8Pi6ID5c
— Cullen McCue (@CullenMcCue) August 12, 2023
Now, Wikipedia has taken on Rich Men North of Richmond, and in describing the song, couldn’t have missed the point more badly.
According to @Wikipedia, inflation is now a “right-wing talking point.” 🤔🤔🤔 pic.twitter.com/qZ4vUNgZ2E
— Jon Miltimore (@miltimore79) August 16, 2023
I’d like to say this is unexpected, but this is completely expected from the left, especially when they feel as if their sacred cows are being challenged. Instead of taking Anthony within the context of his life and what he’s dealt with to interpret his song in a meaningful way, the Wikipedia authors just chalk the lyrics up to being “right-wing” talking points.
I don’t recall inflation being a figment of the right-wing imagination, though. Rather, it’s an issue that has ravaged Americans for over two years now, and even as the rate of increase has begun to slow, prices are continuing to rise. When you are paying around 17 percent more for things today than you did at the beginning of Joe Biden’s term, that isn’t something that can be brushed off as a partisan talking point. It’s simply reality.
Likewise, child sex-trafficking, which the song alludes to with a Jeffrey Epstein reference, was not created from the bowels of conservative forums. That so many on the left, especially in the information-sphere continue to think it’s a good idea to downplay sexual abuse of children is astonishing. As to high taxes and welfare abuse, those have been parts of our system of government for many decades. There was a time not that long ago when even the Democrat Party was in agreement with Republicans on those issues.
Regardless, the big problem here isn’t the petty assignment of the song’s lyrics to some partisan ideology. It’s that it completely misses the authentic mood behind the song, which isn’t about partisan politics at all. Rather, it’s illustrative of the discontent in Americas’ working class as they see elites from both parties fight to conslidate power over them. There are plenty of Democrats who could listen to Rich Men North of Richmond and still connect with it.
I don’t know the details of Anthony’s politics, though he claims to not be significantly right-wing. I don’t need to know his politics, though. His song strikes a chord because it rings true for millions of Americans. Elite gatekeepers downplaying it as a partisan screed only further proves his point.
