Just a question about linguistic nuance: is the phrase "likes country music" (or variants on that) ever used as code to denote racism?  I wondered if I'd picked it up a couple of times, but I might well have invented it, based on my own liberal tendencies.

I do not, (hopefully) obviously, believe that people who like country music are de facto racist.

Never heard it used that way. It's a pretty neutral term. A lot of rock musicians have been highly influenced by country music. And who doesn't love Willie Nelson? Actually I was struck by how popular country music was in the scottish highlands when I was there in the 70s.

Cheers Smiffy: as I say, it may well have been an imagined association on my part.

British folk music is to some degree equivalent in the UK, but it was born first from peasant culture and then reinvented over several (recent) generations as proto-socialist.  Still generated some belting music along the way: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2AzIpQejYs
 

I wouldn't be surprised, a bit like saying 'very fond of musicals' to denote being gay. I'm pretty sure I've heard it used that way.

Ta WmA.  If I can retrace an example (or find a new one) I'll post it for comment or debunkage.

I have a friend called Dorothy if that helps.

Dorothy was a country gal...

Lives in a cottage?  Aesthetic?  Confirmed spinster?  I know the girl.

'Who doesn't love Willy?'  I'll get my coat.

Nope. This Dorothy dressed as a teenager in her twenties, would make friends with the most unsavoury characters and was following a Yellow Pricked Toad or something.

Perhaps, but not running in racist circles, I wouldn't know.

(looks it up)


I can't find any reference to the term's being used to describe a racist, bigot or prejudiced individual. You may have invented your first American Slang Phrase. Congratulations.

I can see how one might come to the conclusion, since Southerners generally listened to Country music, and Southern Democrats were typically Segregationalists, slave owners, KKK members, or all.

Do you walk, or are they more oval?

I think those kind of subtle implications are far more of a British thing, whereas Merkans would just blurt it out, possibly down the barrel of a shotgun.  :-&

I like country music. But then again, I am a bit of cnut sometimes ;)

Interestingly, since much of our population originally came from over there, I'd expect you to be on top of it.

Odd nut.

It might interest you that perhaps 30% of all Americans own guns. That 30% is concentrated in areas where gun use for hunting is quite high. In Alaska, for example, approximately 62% of Alaskans own guns, while in Delaware the rate is about 5.2%.

Of course the numbers are only reflective of those who admit to owning guns.

Most racists are white-collar Democratic elitists, by the by.  ;) Is that subtle enough?

Walrus.