A Message From Radney Foster's Mom & Publisher

Rarely do we ever break from specific music-only news, but I saw something on Facebook last night I thought was a profound statement on the intersection where music and politics collide that I thought was important to share. 

Earlier this week, respected singer/songwriter Radney Foster expressed his political opinion on the upcoming elections through his social media. Like many, he has strong feelings and was using his platform to express his opinion. For purposes of this column, it isn't even important to share whether it was red or blue, just that he was a proponent of one view over another.

As you can surmise, the wolves came out on social media and the conversation (more of a one-sided conversation) turned ugly. Again, it doesn't matter which side of the aisle the wolves came out on. Both fringes of the political spectrum have turned vicious. The decades-old conversation about whether celebrities, athletes and singers should use their platform to express their political views descended into blather. The reality is that they have a voice. And more importantly, they live in a country where that voice is protected by rights. 

Somewhere along the line, expressing one's opinion has become blasphemy if it doesn't align with your own narrow views of how the world should operate. Discourse has been thrown out with the baby, the bath water, the soap, the faucet and the sink. 

Last night, my writing friend Holly Gleason reposted something from Radney's Mom, Bette. She posted it on her Facebook wall. It was a letter of sorts from Radney's book publisher (and writer and editor of Working Title Farm), Sheri Smith.  It brought a smile to my face and I thought, with all negative mudslinging and cancel culture enveloping our society, it said why freedom of expression from everyone is important. The message was this: That same passion that drives their music craft is the same passion that bleeds over into wanting to make their communities better. They're not two halves of different people, they're the same individual. In most cases, those are wildly creative and passionate people that follow their muse. 

You can have your opinion- whatever that may be. But consider listening to the others as well. It may not change the way you feel about an election topic, but you might just learn a little more about those around you and why they feel the way they do.