Be real

When did things get so, well, fake around here? 

Air-brushed photos of celebrities grace the covers of magazines, so doctored that it's easy to forget they're flawed humans just like the rest of us. Politicians smile fake smiles and promise to work for the good of the people, and then once they're elected, do anything but. “Fake food” is on the rise — we're being told that food grown in a lab is more beneficial for us by far than anything natural.

But once in a while, something really real comes along. We know it when we see it, and our overwhelming enthusiasm for it shows just how hungry we are for something deeply authentic these days.

Something, or someone, like Oliver Anthony. 

Anthony's song “Rich Men North of Richmond” has become an overnight, sensational success. Why? Because he is real. He says it just like it is. He unapologetically calls out corruption and brokenness in American politics and society. And what's more, he seems truly sad when he sings about it. 

Anthony admitted in a heartfelt post on Facebook following the song's debut that “I have spent many nights feeling hopeless, that the greatest country on Earth is quickly fading away.” ”Rich Men" is more than just a song — it's a cry of the heart. And with 27 million views on YouTube and the number one spot on the iTunes Country chart, it's clear that Anthony's cry has touched the real feelings of people all over the map.

Conservative commentator Matt Walsh understands the huge popularity of Anthony's blue collar ballad: 

The main reason this song resonates with so many people isn’t political. It’s because the song is raw and authentic. We are suffocated by artificiality. Everything around us is fake. A guy in the woods pouring his heart over his guitar is real.

Maybe you know someone who you think of as being really authentic. You know how it feels to be around a person like that. Their honesty and vulnerability gives others comfort and courage. Anthony openly admits his flaws, rather than trying to gloss them over: “There's nothing special about me. I'm not a good musician, I'm not a very good person. I've spent the last 5 years struggling with mental health and using alcohol to drown it." The message is, “Hey, I get your struggle because I struggle too.” A real person makes you feel seen and understood.  

Maybe you could be that real person for someone else. And maybe I could too. Maybe if we all chose authenticity and rejected fakery more often, the messages that matter would rise to the surface and we could change the world together.

If a guy singing in the woods can do it, so can we.