Recommendations of the Editorial team
Last Sunday, Zac Brown delivered one of country’s most popular refrains: That’s not political, that’s patriotic.
He also sang the national anthem.
Brown belted out “The Star-Spangled Banner” at the cage fights on the South Lawn of the White House – standing gracefully atop a flag-themed Monster Energy logo, under the glow of a giant UFC claw, wearing a suit that vaguely resembled a cartoon detective, at Donald Trump’s 80th birthday party. If you want to immortalize the event, you can buy the official patriotic T-shirt – imported, of course.
Patriotism or politics?
“For me, this is patriotism, not politics,” Brown said in an interview with “The Pat McAfee Show” about his appearance on fight night. “I mean, screw the divisiveness. I don’t believe in that. I love this country. I love all the people who sacrificed so I could live my American dream.” Brown was on the show to defend himself against criticism he received for his participation in the event – a night that ended in the most unpolitical way possible, with heavyweight contender Josh Hokit capping his victory by shouting to the crowd: “Michelle Obama is a man.” No matter how you try to use the label “patriotism” to get out of the situation in advance, everything Trump does is inherently political. Of course, the night ended with the winner shouting out a ridiculous, unpatriotic statement about the only black first lady in U.S. history.
For country artists, this is one of the oldest numbers in the keep-as-many-fans-as-possible handbook: The “It’s not politics, it’s patriotism” packaging has been used by many before Brown when doing anything but that – Jason Aldean’s racially coded “Try That in a Small Town,” Toby Keith’s chauvinistic “Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue (The Angry American),” Darryl Worley’s “Have You Forgotten.” Musicians are not required to act politically as part of their job, and many fans appreciate it when artists don’t preach partisan views. But doing something divisive and then explaining it away with “patriotism” is going too far for many people.
“I’m ashamed,” says War and Treaty’s Michael Trotter Jr., an Iraq War veteran who has seen real combat. “I’m very proud to say that I served this country – and served it well. That’s why I’m ashamed that people hide behind the term ‘patriotism.’ I’m ashamed that grown men would use a sporting event to lash out against a former first lady who represented this very place with class, dignity and decency. I’m ashamed that my colleagues took part. But the truth is: There was nothing patriotic about what we saw.”
Where patriotism ends
To be fair, Brown has used his reach to mobilize resources and support for military families and veterans through his organization, Camp Southern Ground. That’s why the “Chicken Fried” singer probably knows exactly where patriotism ends and politics begins – and where Trump’s macho 80th birthday spectacle falls on this scale.
Trotter, for his part, is co-founding an organization called iVet Cares with his wife, Tanya, to support veterans — and he wants more country artists to stop playing up patriotism and start listening to what it really means. “I think most artists think that throwing money at something is enough. But it’s more important to listen to veterans, listen to soldiers and sailors and Marines and really understand what they actually need. And then lobby, go to Congress and get involved,” he says. “Artists need to stop being artists and start being people.”
The UFC event was supposedly meant to honor veterans – but that remained vague at best. Military personnel in attendance were reportedly required to meet a “fitness standard” and cover their own travel expenses, while the for-profit event attracted an audience of tech billionaires and drummed up advertising partners. In the end, as with everything the Trump administration does, it was the division that a cage fight in the people’s home brought with it – and that made any real patriotism impossible from the start.