The internet has exploded once again. Beware of the right-wingers! is the mantra of every liberal outlet this weekend. Why are they in an uproar? Everyone that works for a living is posting Oliver Anthony's anthem, "Rich men north of Richmond"
Obviously the location north of Richmond is Washing DC. Who can argue with Anthony that the Swamp is corrupt and the politicians we voted in are loathsome scum? Not me. He's hit a nerve and everyone's feeling the pain.
What we do with the pain is vital for our mental and emotional wellbeing.
It’s easier to criticize a creative work of art than it is to create something yourself, the song is catchy it’s well written and performed flawlessly, it's very well done. My goal isn't to critique the music. The problem seems to be a cultural bait & switch: Bad men in DC, to unfair wages, to woe is me.
My overall guess is Anthony wants to motivate us, but to what and how to? He probably doesn't know the answers to get us out of our problems anymore than any of us know how. He's fed up like the rest of us.
His vocals are amazing, the main point of the song is spot on, so I'm not criticizing Anthony, I'm raising an awareness that’s obviously missing in the conversation over capitalism and the fact for a lot of people hard work doesn't seem to payoff. I am a capitalist, but I'm also a realist and I'm keenly tuned into the feelings I hear expressed every day.
Life is hard. The system is rigged. There are no easy answers and I can't pretend to have the answers to the problems with getting ahead in life. The song "Rich men north of Richmond" is just one example of the angst that everyone is feeling these days. My goal here is to address my fears and concerns for the mental & emotional wellbeing that come along when we feel powerless and oppressed.
Any advice I could offer always can be labeled as "that's easier said than done" or looked upon as "who are you to say?" There are no easy answers to the problems we all face these days. But I worry about how we are making matters worse for ourselves when we don't ask deeper questions or analyze how our rage without action consumes us then cripples us.
I believe Anthony is well-intentioned and has every right to voice his well thought out and accurate opinion. But if nothing changes for you after you digest the song, you'll be in a worse headspace than you were before you memorized the song, and that worries me.
I’m not interested in fault finding or finding flaws in the song or the musician, it’s concern for the audience I'm take issue with. Compliance, is still compliance even if you complain about it, but are we hurting ourselves further by our reactions to the situation while we are at a loss for a response?
There is no call to action, not anywhere it seems. I love Tucker Carlson, he raises these same issues we hear in this song and more, but I have yet to hear words to live by from Tucker or anyone. I do not know what is the best course of action to take to fix the system, but I do know we are crippling ourselves as a culture emotionally by our woundedness coupled to our inaction.
I have a high tolerance for other people's pain on most issues, but not so much on this issue. I feel anxious and worried for the young people just getting started, and it hurts to see people I know and love trapped in the quicksand of misery. My fear and concern for everyone is that if his message doesn't inspire anyone to action then the inaction that follows the rage truly is more demoralizing than the situation itself.
There’s a world of difference between sounding like an angry teenager who’s mad at mom and dad and a mature adult who takes responsibility for their life, and here again I'm taking about the audience not the musician. The resulting problem with songs like this is they typically leave the crowd in a victim mentality, mentally & emotionally immobilized.
Please ask yourself: What changes when you feel fed up with the man keeping you down? Nothing. You’ll still clock in Monday morning, only angrier and more fed up. But how does that help you?
The weekend will pass, your paycheck half gone to taxes and you feel helpless. Feeling worse about your situation isn't healthy. Failure to take a risk to is a failure to reap the rewards. Over time, enviously stewing in feelings of weakness instead of being defiant against the problems or The Man, begins to leave one feeling defeated.
My criticism isn’t leveled at the musician, and it's not meant to be harsh. When we jump on the bandwagon “the man is keeping me down” it only seems to increase our emotional suffering. Pouting about the Man feels good over the weekend but then Monday comes and that pouting turns to self-loathing, and you begin to hate yourself for you've let the Man do to you.
I wish it was as easy as saying "Toss your tea in the harbor, refuse to participate in a system that you sustain, start your own company, stand together and make a difference." But I know those words ring empty and smack of pride.
Whatever you choose, to do something different or not on Monday morning, I know that wallowing in self-misery isn't what anyone wants for themself. All I want to do here is ask that everyone sees the personal harm we do to ourselves when we only look at our problems and we don't look for solutions.
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