Country Music Television’s (CMT) decision to pull the video for Jason Aldean’s latest song, “Try That In A Small Town,” didn’t go unnoticed by viewers.
Fans’ dissatisfaction with this move underscored the widespread American sentiment that businesses and products should remain unaffiliated with political agendas or go broke, as demonstrated by the recent Bud Light boycott, highlighted financial expert Ted Jenkin.
“People are exercising their free speech on businesses one way or the other,” Jenkin said in a conversation with Fox News Digital, emphasizing that corporations must account for the repercussions of their choices.
Businesses, like Bud Light, have faced a downturn due to their embrace of political narratives.
Now, CMT might be on the same path, cautioned Jenkin, CEO of oXYGen Financial and host of the “Shrimp Tank” podcast.
He voiced skepticism over the wisdom of businesses entering the political arena, asking whether they’re better off focusing on their primary role of selling products or providing services.
The public seems to agree.
Bud Light’s sales plummeted following their promotion honoring transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney’s “365 days of girlhood,” a campaign that prompted a boycott from conservative consumers.
Jenkin interpreted this response as the public voicing their distaste for businesses pushing agendas, especially when it affects the products they purchase or the television they watch.
CMT’s decision echoes this sentiment, as it shares a similar blue-collar demographic with Bud Light — a demographic that has been largely supportive of Aldean. On Thursday night, fans expressed their appreciation for Aldean’s music outside a concert venue in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio.
Fans pointed to the appeal of Aldean’s music as a reflection of their American values.
One fan criticized the “canceling” by the “woke left,” stating, “The song is just the next step in that process that’s going on, and it’s terrible. It’s changing the country that we lived in.”
With CMT ranking 43rd among basic cable networks and averaging only 116,000 viewers daily according to Nielsen Media Research, the network is in a precarious position to risk losing supporters.
Furthermore, Jenkin pointed out a prevailing double standard, noting that artists favored by liberal audiences often escape scrutiny.
A case in point is the unfounded allegation that Aldean’s song is pro-lynching, which the singer vehemently denies.
Despite the lyrics mentioning illegal acts during the 2020 riots and concerns over gun rights, conservatives have drawn attention to more explicit and violent lyrics in popular rap songs to expose this apparent hypocrisy.
Using Ice-T’s lyrics from the film ‘Colors’ as an example, Jenkin questioned, “Was he really promoting gang violence, or it was just lyrics in a song that made sense in the movie?” He advocated for consistent standards when holding people accountable, condemning what he sees as “selective accountability.”
Aldean’s choice to film at Maury County Courthouse in Columbia, Tennessee, has also drawn criticism despite its history as a common filming location for music videos and movies.
This, according to Jenkin, illustrates the issue of selective accountability in today’s polarized America.
“We’re very selective about what we want to hold people accountable for, and who we want to hold people accountable for. And that is one of the main, fundamental problems today,” he said.
He insisted on the necessity to abolish this selective accountability, thereby establishing fair standards for everyone.
