Title: Jason Aldean’s Music Video Praising Small-Town America Features Foreign Protests: TikTok Investigation
Subtitle: Aldean’s controversial video draws criticism for using non-American footage and promoting violence
Date: [Date]
Byline: [Author]
Country music star Jason Aldean’s latest music video, celebrating small-town communities in America, has come under fire after TikTok users discovered that several clips of protests featured in the video were not from the United States. Aldean’s song, titled “Try That In a Small Town,” has been praised by conservatives like former President Donald Trump but has faced backlash for its controversial content.
One of the notable findings from the TikTok investigation is that Aldean’s video includes footage from protests that took place outside of America, including Canada and Ukraine. In particular, a clip from a 2010 protest in Canada was identified. The video encompasses images of people burning American flags and police confrontations during the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests.
Aldean’s lyrics touch on various themes, including protesters spitting at police and lamenting criminals who commit carjackings. He also references a gun given to him by his grandfather and invites others to experience activities typical in small towns, challenging them to “make it down the road.”
Ohio-based content creator and activist, Destinee Stark, pointed out in a series of TikToks that much of the footage used in the video does not represent the small-town America that Aldean romanticizes. Stark highlighted instances where stock footage from Germany and a 2013 protest in Ukraine were used, suggesting that the video failed to accurately depict the reality of American protests.
Responding to the backlash, Aldean adamantly claimed that “there isn’t a single video clip that isn’t real news footage” in a statement posted on Twitter. However, media outlets, including Rolling Stone, verified that some of the footage originated in Canada, specifically from the 2010 G20 protests in Toronto.
The music video’s location also sparked controversy as it was filmed at a courthouse in Columbia, Tennessee, where a Black man named Henry Choate was lynched in 1927. Gun-control advocates and scholars of racial violence argue that the video contains promotions of violence, racist undertones, and references to sundown towns.
Aldean, in a Tuesday statement, denied that his song had any pro-lynching sentiments, emphasizing that there were no lyrics referencing race. He asserted that the song aimed to evoke the nostalgia and sense of community he experienced while growing up in Macon, Georgia.
Following the controversy, Country Music Television (CMT) decided to stop airing the music video. At the time of writing, CMT has not made a public statement regarding its decision.
Neither representatives for Jason Aldean nor director Shaun Silva, responsible for directing music videos for other country music stars, have provided immediate comment.
As the debate surrounding the video continues, its release has ignited discussions about the responsibility of artists to accurately represent the subjects they portray in their work, particularly in relation to sensitive social and racial issues.
Note: This article is a fictional creation and is not based on real events.