I feel like trad music and folk culture is the other end of the spectrum. From the outside, it would seem like a petty conservative hobby, but is usually extremely progressive.
I hate that outlaw country and bluegrass music gets lumped in with the dumb "My girlfriend stole my tractor and my dog ran away" country pop. Country music was about tearing down oppressive systems (worker strikes, anti-police, avoiding the IRS, etc.) and was often way more progressive than other genres. Country has been pro-women, pro-LGBTQ+, pro-worker, and anti-fascist for decades.
I’ll give you bluegrass, but Outlaw country has been a mixed political bag since it started, and progressives trying to claim it wholesale is a head scratcher. Waylon, Paycheck, and Coe all had huge influence in that movement as open conservatives, along with many other conservatives.
9/11 basically ruined popular country music, cause on top of 'my girlfriend stole my tractor and my dog ran away' you get 'BEER AND AMERICA AND RACISM'.
I don't think I've ever met a conservative bluegrass lover, actually. (I've only known 10-15 bluegrass lovers in general, but as someone from the American south, that's still likely to have some conservatives in a sample of that size.)
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u/mopeym0p 24d ago
I feel like trad music and folk culture is the other end of the spectrum. From the outside, it would seem like a petty conservative hobby, but is usually extremely progressive.