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The Independent Shares Laughable Attack on Oliver Anthony Fans

Site says conservatives turned on 'Rich Men' singer (there's just one problem)

The media is behaving badly. Again.

Yes, that’s a “Dog Bites Man” story, but it’s worth exploring when it comes to the Culture Wars. This time, it’s the UK-based Independent that’s the source of the problem.

The news site hopes to douse water on overnight sensation Oliver Anthony’s music career by disconnecting him from a large part of his base.

Conservative music lovers.

The site says Anthony’s recent Fox News interview drove a wedge between him and his right-leaning base.

The problem? The Independent didn’t bring the receipts.

“Conservatives turn on Oliver Anthony after his real accent is revealed in interview,” screams the headline.

It gets worse.

After belting out his complaints about welfare recipients eating fudge rounds and making QAnon-adjacent allegations about politicians sex trafficking children, conservative darling Oliver Anthony has come under fire from his right-wing fan base for allegedly faking his accent.

There’s so much misinformation in that paragraph it demands a separate article, but let’s stick to the main story.

It’s unclear who, if any, thought the “Rich Men North of Richmond” singer had an accent at all. The focus has been on his voice and his prescient lyrics which struck a chord with millions of fans. The singer is raking in $40K a day thanks to intense music downloading.

Later, we learn of another “deal breaker” between singer and fan base. Anthony praised American “diversity,” allegedly a no-no on the Right.

Except that’s not accurate.

Conservatives loathe forced diversity, affirmative action measures and looking at a person’s identity over their character. 

“I mean, we are the melting pot of the world … and that’s what makes us strong, is our diversity, and we need to learn to harness that and appreciate it, and not use it as a political tool to keep everyone separate from each other you know?”

Anthony has avoided an overly political agenda, but those comments are right-leaning in nature.

Here comes the proof that Anthony has lost his conservative fans in a New York minute.

Ready?

An X user, whose pinned tweet has links to videos praising a leader of the American Nazi Party called Mr Anthony an “algorithm boosted ‘based’ red beard hillbilly song guy” who was “faking his accent.”

OK, so far we have a Nazi who is upset with Anthony. That’s … not a conservative. That’s a Nazi.

What else you got?

Derp AKA @Lomzlomz, who boasts a social media flock 621 followers strong, called Anthony a plant. That echoes the conspiracy theory some liberals have embraced regarding the singer’s overnight success.

A quick look at Derp’s Twitter account doesn’t show any political messaging, Left or Right.

What else you got?

Next, we’re shown a liberal Twitter user who claims the Right has “cancelled” Anthony for his comments.

That’s it.

The story wraps with a note from Variety saying “Rich Men North of Richmond” is getting virtually no airplay in the conventional sense. It’s only the biggest song in the country, and radio stations should be ashamed to avoid it like they are.

There’s literally no proof to back up the story’s claim. None. Zero.

It’s a dark combination of wish fulfillment and lousy journalism. 

RELATED: WHY THE MEDIA CAN’T STOP HATING ‘SOUND OF FREEDOM,’ OLIVER ANTHONY

Why? It’s obvious.

The Left and the media are desperate to take down an overnight sensation whose populism appeals to right-leaning America. And if they have to make up a story out of whole cloth, then that’s what they’ll do.

And did.

RELATED: PELOSI DOC MARKS NEW LOW FOR MEDIA BIAS

A few Independent readers skewered the site for its lousy logic.

So, the writer of this article found 3 negative comments, including one from a Neo-Nazi, and paints it as everyone turning their backs on Oliver? This is modern-day journalism: half-aced and stretched “facts” to paint a narrative. I’m conservative and still support the artist and the song. It’s a well-known fact that country and folk singers fake/stretch an accent while singing. Doesn’t change the meaning and power of the song.

Fake news. Conservatives have not turned on Anthony. Conservatives also know America is a melting pot and have absolutely no problem with this. Hell, the Republican party is very diverse. Look at the conservative field of candidates. Now look at the two old white guys running for the democrats.

The far-Left Jezebel picks up the same narrative and actually digs up some facts to back it up.

Two X users. Two.

Neither is aggressively political but if you read enough of their Tweets you could say they were right-of-center.

Two articles. Two tepid examples of conservatives turning on Anthony.

Now, more evidence could emerge that supports this narrative. Or, angry conservatives could take a day or two to react to the sound bite in question.

It’s possible.

The journalists in question didn’t bother waiting for actual proof to support their claims. They just made up a narrative out of whole cloth that fit their worldview.

Somebody should write a song about it.

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