Jason Aldean's small-town swan song

I think most of us have seen or heard the lyrics of "Try That in a Small Town." The video shows graphic images of violence in supposedly bigger cities which include high crime, flag burning, riots, disrespect to the police and more. The song conveys the message that love of country, neighborliness and sense of community are the sole property of small towns whereas the big cities are cesspools of degeneracy.

I live in the 'burbs and was raised in Chicago. What does Chicago have that you can't find in small towns? Let's start with theaters, some of the best museums in the country, world class cuisine, multi cultural and multi ethnic neighborhoods which means we have had exposure to diversity from many different people from many different countries and we have multiple institutions of higher learning and some of the best health care systems in the USA.

I graduated from one of those institutions and worked 24 years in one of those health care institutions with top minds from all over the world and am grateful for the experiences I had to see through Mr. Aldean's fallacies.

It is beyond presumptuous to think we city folk don't care about our country. Mr. Aldean also hints at the unfounded fear that one day the authorities will confiscate our guns. This is designed to put fear in people. Wrong, sir.

If what you glean from this song is values of neighborliness, that's great but if you buy into the rest of this song about such values belonging only in small towns then you are being misled.

Sandy Hook was a small town, too, lest we forget.

Lawrence R. Kopp

Schaumburg