The Reaction of Black Folks to Rich Man North of Richmond Gives Me Hope.

Oliver Anthony's heartfelt song resonates with Americans of all Backgrounds, well, Except for D.C. Nepots

Oliver Anthony’s heartfelt song about the plight of the working man and how they are being ignored or worse by our supposed leaders in Washington has become a phenomenon. Anthony, who is homesteading in Virginia, wrote the song after getting sober and turning his life over to God and it looks like he has a bright future. A West Virginia radio station saw one of his YouTube videos he recorded on his phone and, moved by the song, they offered to help with a bit more professional video. In just a handful of days that video has tallied over 7.5 million views on YouTube.

The song fits in the stream of American music as well as The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down by The Band, or Jean Ritchie’s The L&N Don’t Stop Here Any More, which Johnny Cash covered.

Pay attention to the faces of these black YouTubers making reaction videos about Rich Man North of Richmond. You can see on their faces and in their body language how much the song impacts them. My knee jerk thought was someone might call Anthony, who sings in a heavy Virginia drawl, a racist, because one stanza refers to obese welfare recipients eating fudge rounds at taxpayers’ expense. Instead, the song is resonating with people of all backgrounds. It is literally bringing some of the reactors to tears.

Of course, the usual suspects at Rolling Stone called the song some kind of alt-right anthem, though Anthony has little regard for either Democrats or Republicans.

I’d love to play the song for the 537 or so people “north of Richmond” who are in charge of running this country, and for their media enablers. Stunned silence should be their reaction, though I suspect most would use it to promote their agendas and talking points. Sometimes the appropriate response is to hang one’s head in silence and shame. Do you think at tomorrow’s Monday morning press conference at the White House anyone will ask the president’s press secretary if Joe Biden has heard the song?