Real

Fewer than 2% of Americans work on farms, but about 20% dress like they do.  Our rural mythology, with the popularity of country music, Ivy League presidents speaking like country bumpkins, and men wearing cowboy hats at the mall, is fitting for a pre-industrial nation.  George Carlin wondered why it is socially acceptable for adults to dress up as cowboys, but not as pirates.

I should be fair.  Many people wear the baseball cap of "my team" that they certainly don't play for.  And if you really find that a cowboy hat protects you from the sun and rain or it represents your authentic culture, then I'm with you.

And I happen to think that a lot of country music is purely awesome.  Sometimes it is a mix of original rock styles with modern folk sentiments that is hard to dismiss.  There are hipsters like Ryan Adams (no, not Bryan) who have strong country edge to their music.  And of course some of it, like in any popular genre, is trash.

There's a song that I wouldn't normally care for, but it is partly in line with my quest for substance.   It is called "Real" and it is by James Wesley.  It makes the simple point that reality TV lacks substance.  He sings:

Where I live, housewives don't act like that
And the survivors are farmers in John Deere hats
Our amazin' race is beatin' the check
Prayin' that the bank ain't ran it through yet

 That sounds about right.