So, after being out for months and not doing worth a damn, all the outrage or whatever we want to call it resulted in this song landing at number 2 on the Hot 100 this week. See, this is why it is better to ignore a song you do not like or are bothered by. The "outrage" gave it new life. And now this bland song is the number 2 song in the nation. Blech.
I can only speak from my personal experience. I only listened to this song because I heard about it in this thread. The only people I've seen mention it, outside of this thread, are my conservative friends on social media. I am not sure how many "angry libs" are making this song number 2 or how many people angry at the "angry libs" or people like me, who were just curious what the hoopla was about, are giving it the audience it has.
This actually could a be a brilliant marketing campaign for future releases. Do a song that is conservative with some vague hints at problematic stuff, go all over social media about how angry libs are about it, and BAM, you have a built in audience to go to town defending it and making sure it gets a lot of hits.
Probably would work both ways.
I love you like a brother, and I know you're recounting YOUR experience, which I can't void even if I wanted to (and I don't), but can we show a little respect that this IS NOT A CONSERVATIVE ISSUE. I would never have heard of this issue if not for my LIBERAL friends here, and if not for SHERYL CROWE who is absolutely NOT coming at this from the conservative side. And I listen to a lot of country radio (both my wife and oldest son listen to country radio in their cars; we have a rule in our cars: driver picks the music and passengers shut their pie hole) and still haven't heard the song all the way through. Maybe you haven't experienced that, as I said, but can we acknowledge that this is a PEOPLE issue, such that it is, not a CONSERVATIVE issue. Country radio has been playing these types of songs for a DECADE and <crickets>. Fire up "woke America", where everything, except, ironically actually dog whistles, are "dog whistles" and this is what you get (Check out "My Town" by Montgomery Gentry, a more passive and much much better variation on this song).
To Kevin's point: I mentioned Barbara Streisand above, and this is exactly that. The more publicity, the more this is in the news (and, if you buy into the liberal idea that "bad ideas promulgate", the more racists and bigots we're generating).