#I'm Jewish have always lived in Asia and my American family members are just barely under the Mason-Dixon line

[basingstokemercury]

Serious question what's up with everyone making fun of country nowadays and invoking tropes I don't think I've even seen

"it's backwards and conservative" Do you have any familiarity with Johnny Cash? An activist for Native American rights whose iconic image is the Man In Black as a symbol for the disadvantaged? The songs Folsom Prison Blues? Man In Black? And I know Tumblr loves Dolly Parton as a person, for good reason - 9 To 5, her signature workers' rights protest, isn't quite country, but most of her discography is.

"it's too religious" Fair - several musically excellent songs lean too heavily into Christian themes for me to enjoy as a Jew (though I'm sure Christian audiences love them, progressive ones too). But many of those religious songs evoke more universally applicable ideas of brotherhood, hope, and justice - and are those really things worthy of mockery?

"the emotions are shallow" I See A Darkness is one of the most authentic portrayals of depression in music I know of. Many country songs have themes of love, heartbreak, and drama/tragedy - but those are common to music across nearly all genres, even if specific songs don't land for everyone.

At the end of the day it's just a music genre, yes, but one that does have emotional significance for many people, cultural significance for many others, and as much diversity in content and performer talent as any genre of entertainment.

And it's not very fun to have cherished childhood memories and music that genuinely resonates with you mocked just about everywhere you turn aside from people who are actually fans of it.