Dear friends who listen to country music,

A few things. 1) I don't like country music. 2) I will never like country music. 3) no matter how many videos you try to make me watch of country songs (RJ), or how many times you sneakily change my radio to a country station (Lindsey), I will STILL not like country music.
Sorry.

I will give you this, though. I like Taylor Swift. I like blue grass music. I like Alison Krauss. I like folk songs with banjo? I don't know if that counts. But look, it's not like I hate everything about what you like. Just mostly.

What I really can't stand is pop-country songs, like stuff that plays on the radio. Like, really can't stand it. Like want to rip my ears off of my head and jump on them when I have to listen to it. I don't like twangy male voices or songs about dogs dying or something. It just isn't pleasant.

I mean take this Tim McGraw song that someone so kindly forced me to listen to. It's slightly ridiculous:

It starts off like this:

"It was Labor Day Weekend and I was seventeen, I bought a coke and some gasoline and I drove out to the county fair."

Alright, why do I care that you bought a coke and some gasoline? Needless information. In fact, all it does is make me not like you, because I prefer Pepsi. Way to alienate your audience, Tim.

Then, it goes on to when he gets to the country fair. He sees a girl standing in a ticket line and "it all started right then and there." It seems obvious that this boy is not a quality catch. If he was looking for a committed relationship, his feelings would have started after he had gotten to know this girl, asked her about her likes and dislikes, discovered what type of music she liked. But no. He falls for her because of the following reasons:

I had a barbecue stain on my white t-shirt, she was killing me in that mini-skirt...she had a suntan line and red lipstick.

First of all, gross. Clean up a little if you're trying to impress the ladies.
Secondly, gross. This is complete objectification of women. All this boy notices is: mini-skirt, red lipstick, suntan line. Does he say "Gosh, she has a great personality!"? Nuh-uh. What a pig.

Next, this boy is headed to Mardi Gras five years later and sees this same girl on a plane. How serendipitous! I'm sure that they will go on to have a classy, romantic time in New Orleans, getting wasted and doing Lord knows what. I mean, their love is based off of so much: similar interests, shared dreams, same sense of humor....oh wait. It's based off of a mini-skirt. Let's glorify that relationship, why don't we.


So, that's my take on country music. I would just like to add that just because I lead younglife in Greene county and am from a small town, those things do not imply that I should love country music. The fact that I don't just makes me a little superior in regards to everyone else.
Love you, friends!

p.s. Lindsey, I LOVE you (music taste & all). we can listen to up to two country songs in the car today just because I am nice :)