The song is a provocative collection of reactionary attacks on the poor, disguised with phony populist appeals and denunciations of “rich men” in northern cities.
What a weasely, deceptively meandering little article.
First it spends its time talking about actual overt displays of racism and anti-semitism, but writes it in a way that makes it easy to confuse what they’re referring to with the song itself, as if Anthony is somehow responsible for the actions of Trump or conservative country singers. This is pretty transparent and pathetic.
When it actually talks about the song, it points out its fatphobic, anti-welfare lyric as its only evidence of racism and anti-semitism. While I certainly agree that this line is ignorant (and indicative of a backward political sensibility), there’s no mention of race. There’s certainly a strong correlation between anti-welfare sentiments and racism, but the one doesn’t really qualify as a strong demonstration of the other. The article, however, seems to think this is plenty, and drives right on forward as if they had their proof.
What really raises an eyebrow about this article, though, is its sudden pivot to what seems to be overt Russian propaganda. They typify the war in Ukraine as ‘US led and provoked’ and Ukraine itself as a ‘fascist-infested regime’. This while mocking US humanitarian efforts and #MeToo, as well, seemingly, as leftist ‘racial and gender politics’. It even takes the time to hate on unions.
This article claims to be from a socialist source, and yet all of its positions outside of its opposition to what it describes as racism and anti-semitism, are anti-leftist. Curious.
Sounds like WSWS is a potential candidate for a Kremlin mouthpiece.
What a weasely, deceptively meandering little article.
First it spends its time talking about actual overt displays of racism and anti-semitism, but writes it in a way that makes it easy to confuse what they’re referring to with the song itself, as if Anthony is somehow responsible for the actions of Trump or conservative country singers. This is pretty transparent and pathetic.
When it actually talks about the song, it points out its fatphobic, anti-welfare lyric as its only evidence of racism and anti-semitism. While I certainly agree that this line is ignorant (and indicative of a backward political sensibility), there’s no mention of race. There’s certainly a strong correlation between anti-welfare sentiments and racism, but the one doesn’t really qualify as a strong demonstration of the other. The article, however, seems to think this is plenty, and drives right on forward as if they had their proof.
What really raises an eyebrow about this article, though, is its sudden pivot to what seems to be overt Russian propaganda. They typify the war in Ukraine as ‘US led and provoked’ and Ukraine itself as a ‘fascist-infested regime’. This while mocking US humanitarian efforts and #MeToo, as well, seemingly, as leftist ‘racial and gender politics’. It even takes the time to hate on unions.
This article claims to be from a socialist source, and yet all of its positions outside of its opposition to what it describes as racism and anti-semitism, are anti-leftist. Curious.
Sounds like WSWS is a potential candidate for a Kremlin mouthpiece.
Not even “potential”, that’s what it’s been famous for way before the 2022 Ukraine war.
Ohhh. Well, good to know!