‘Rich Men North of Richmond’ — The Dangers of Trumpism in 3 Minutes
<p><strong>Oliver Anthony</strong> seems more redheaded rube, fallen from the bed of the turnip truck and into the glaring spotlight of 21st Century viral fame, than musical missionary of the new confederacy. Perhaps he’s some brand of hybrid mutant</p>
<p>It doesn’t really matter.</p>
<p>Whether Anthony is cravenly complicit or a pitchy-voiced pawn in a game far beyond his comprehension, the implications of the Farmville, VA resident’s viral hit “Rich Men North of Richmond” and its overnight success are as illuminating as they are troubling.</p>
<p><strong>Simply put, “Rich Men North of Richmond” embodies all the dangers of Trumpism distilled into a 3 minute folk/bluegrass dirge.</strong> It has skyrocketed to the epicenter of the cultural zeitgeist, scoring 36 million YouTube views in two weeks and landing the previously unknown singer to the platform’s “Number 1 Trending for Music” tag. The song’s explosive rise is perhaps the most telling sign yet that the 2024 election cycle will be driven by legions of Americans so blinded by misdirected rage that they’re ripe to fall for the same shell game that nearly unraveled the United States with the election of <strong>Donald Trump</strong> in 2016.</p>
<p><iframe frameborder="0" height="480" scrolling="no" src="https://cdn.embedly.com/widgets/media.html?src=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fembed%2FsqSA-SY5Hro%3Ffeature%3Doembed&display_name=YouTube&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DsqSA-SY5Hro&image=https%3A%2F%2Fi.ytimg.com%2Fvi%2FsqSA-SY5Hro%2Fhqdefault.jpg&key=d04bfffea46d4aeda930ec88cc64b87c&type=text%2Fhtml&schema=youtube" title="Oliver Anthony - Rich Men North Of Richmond" width="854"></iframe></p>
<p>Protest music is instrumental in the American story. Nearly every social movement has been soundtracked by a corresponding musical uprising. To Anthony’s credit, “Rich Men North of Richmond” starts off with a gut punch, instantly positioning itself in the longstanding tradition of no frills anthems by and of America’s have-nots.</p>
<p><a href="https://medium.com/counterarts/rich-men-north-of-richmond-the-dangers-of-trumpism-in-3-minutes-563670da1bd7"><strong>Website</strong></a></p>