Oliver Anthony became a viral sensation with Rich Men North of Richmond. We sent @heyjohnrussell to an Oliver Anthony concert in Michigan to find out why the song still resonates. The answer tells a bigger story about what people want in this election—and for this country.
What it often is, is they want an easy solution. The idea that things are bad isn’t lost on them, but when presented a choice between someone laying out a multistep plan and someone presenting a convenient scapegoat, they’re happy to run with the scapegoat every time.
It’s not even entirely an inherently conservative thing. Many of us can fall prey to it due to the fatigue of late stage capitalism and just running with something we want to believe without researching the underpinnings.