This past month, Jason Aldean has been steeped in controversy over his song “Try That in a Small Town” and its accompanying video, which critics say has racist and pro-lynching undertones.
In defending his song, Aldean said, “I know that a lot of us in this Country don’t agree on how we get back to a sense of normalcy. But the desire for it to– that’s what this song is about.”
I am left questioning what “normalcy” Aldean is referring to. What does normal in the United States look like? Has it ever existed?
What is considered normal for Aldean’s form of politics is rooted in idealistic views of extremely selective portions of America’s past. People who align with Aldean often wish society went back to the 1950s, a time of notable economic prosperity and blossoming pop culture.
But what makes this past so idyllic?
If we look at the 1950s, we can see many things to yearn for. For example, one parent’s income could support a nuclear family with two kids. Children were attending public schools en masse and could go to college for a relatively low price.
Following World War II, the American economy boomed as foreign nations relied heavily on American banking and manufacturing to rebuild. This resulted in one of the best economic eras in American history. The well-regulated economy led to one of the fairest times in terms of wealth inequality. Eventually, new technology developed further, providing refrigeration, computers, new forms of vaccines and other healthcare innovations.
Despite these obvious benefits, there were serious downsides. The 1950s was one of the worst decades for civil rights. Brown v. Board of Education was not decided until 1954. Its lack of enforcement culminated in a standoff between the Arkansas national guard and federal troops in 1957 to allow the Little Rock Nine to enter an all-white high school.
For women, domesticity was the norm. Society placed intense pressure on young girls to get married right out of high school and begin raising children as soon as possible. From then on, they were expected to stay home. This dull lifestyle and the accepted abuse and infidelity of men at the time led to high rates of self-medication among mothers using newly developed anti-anxiety drugs like Miltown and Valium.
Political rights were diminished at this time as well. The Second Red Scare, led by Joseph McCarthy, hunted down anyone suspected of anti-capitalist sentiment and blacklisted them from public life.
Religious movements pushing back against the Soviet Union included the establishment of the Pledge of Allegiance and the national motto, both of which were given additions that referenced the Christian God. While students were not forced to recite the pledge, the mass recital connecting the United States to the Christian faith was disconcerting for many.
Leaving the 1950s, we cannot say much about normalcy in American life. The only Americans whose lives have remained relatively unchanged are wealthy, white, Christian men.
Conveniently, the times in which we hear calls to return to the past almost always align with changes in power that grant rights to minorities. What exactly are we trying to bring back for the sake of normalcy?
Black Americans have continually fought for their rights throughout history, only to be met with a series of discriminatory practices, such as the 1800s’ “Black Codes”, Jim Crow laws, redlining, gerrymandering and gentrification. Are these the practices we want to return to?
Labor movements throughout American history have fought for the 40-hour workweek, free weekends, an end to child labor and a minimum wage. Today, Republicans in many states are loosening child labor laws, refusing to raise the minimum wage and rejecting calls to require overtime pay. Is this what we want to go back to?
Women have had to fight for their basic rights, such as their right to work, vote, own property and control their bodies. Yet, Republican strategies seek to diminish the power of Democratic women, refuse to confront the gender pay gap and are actively limiting access to abortion. Do we want to go back to a misogynistic world?
There is no such thing as a “normal” American life. When people call for a return to normalcy, what they’re actually doing is calling for a return to a time that was only good for white, Christian men.
I do not want “normalcy.” I want us to be better than normal. I want us to continue developing our society to be better for everyone, not just those in power. America was founded on the idea that the status quo is not the best we can be. Encouraging a return to normalcy rejects the founding premise of the United States that we must progress forward to a more perfect union.
