The Editors podcast earlier this week included a conversation on the average person’s perception of the elites. They tossed around a few different explanations, including Dominic’s idea that “the vast majority of people just don’t think about the elites all that much.”
I think that’s true. Most people, and rightfully so, are more interested in building good lives for themselves, their families, and their communities than in people they’ve never met. They do, however, become interested in the elites when they perceive them as making their goals more difficult to achieve.
Quite a powerful expression of that sentiment bubbled up recently. A few days ago, previously little-known Virginia singer Oliver Anthony released “Rich Men North of Richmond” on YouTube, garnering nearly 2 million views in just a few days.
Anthony’s voice is powerful and raw, and his song is excellent. You can — and should — listen to it here.
It’s become so popular, though, because it resonates emotionally as well as musically. A few lines should suffice to give a sense of his message:
These rich men north of Richmond
Lord knows they all just want to have total control
Wanna know what you think
Wanna know what you do
And they don’t think you know, but I know that you do
‘Cause your dollar ain’t shit, and it’s taxed to no end
The frustration here with today’s politics is clear. But Anthony doesn’t sing about slitting throats or “try[ing] that in a small town.” He thinks taxes are too high and wants the life of the workingman to be made a little easier and for bureaucrats to abandon the project of “total control.”
It’s been asked many times how Donald Trump, a billionaire Manhattanite, became the face of working-class reaction. How did one of the country’s biggest elites become a credible voice for populism — especially without actually driving out the “deep state”? Because most Middle Americans don’t really want to destroy the elites; they just want to know that Washington isn’t one more obstacle to living a comfortable life.
They also want, on occasion, the public to remember “the ones who are held back,” as Johnny Cash put it.
Perhaps, in that respect at least, Oliver Anthony will be our new Man in Black.