I’ve spent a good amount of time writing about the positive aspects of choosing to live in a small town. I don’t think I’ve ever tried to make it sound like we live in some Hollywood version of a 1950s Mayberry (although there was some pretty decent wisdom available behind the “hayseed” simplicity of the characters). John Melloncamp sang about small towns and now there is controversy over another song about small towns by Jason Aldean.

It would seem that there are a number of people who take up some offense to the artist’s perception of the big city when contrasted with a small town. Some have even likened the song to some kind of right-wing, neo-fascist calling card for violence and racism. If you are at all level-headed and don’t spend a bulk of your time in some narcissistic echo chamber trying to find whatever it is that causes you to be offended, you might just enjoy the song.

Like most people who live in a small town, we are closer to the people and the consequences of decisions that are made. Most politicians lack the proximity to really understand some piece of legislation that they think will solve a problem that might not be a problem at all. There are just some things in small towns that you wouldn’t do in a more urban setting because the logistics and “vibe” are simply different.

Breaking and entering in a big city are all too common occurrences but in a small town, who knows what’s going to happen when a criminal tries to break into a home? Might be easy, but you might also find that the homeowner has certain precautions in place that will spoil the collection of that which is not your property.

Small towns enjoy a certain reputation among the urban purveyors of cultural sophistication. The traffic jams, crime rate, random acts of violence and general lack of people skills are all part of becoming a more “sophisticated” citizen. Small towns still very much operate on a kind of unspoken understanding that certain things will simply not be tolerated. Sure, we might not have a shopping mall or a bunch of big box stores but the heavy price you pay for those is hardly worth the tradeoff.

It’s easy to hate on a small town, a place that some people just want to leave, but just wait until something happens and watch how people show up to help. Sometimes you have to live in the city because that’s where you’ll make some economic success for yourself, but for those of us who have chosen to live in a small town, John Cougar put it best: “got nothing against a big town, still hayseed enough to say, ‘Look who’s in the big town,’ but my bed is in a small town, that’s good enough for me.

I think about those lyrics every time I visit and enjoy the big city. I enjoy going but I love coming home! Of all the things Jason Aldean writes about in his top-selling song, I don’t see one thing that makes a big city a place where I would want to rest my head.