Barbie, Oliver Anthony, Sovereignty, & Art
Warner Brother’s Barbie and country singer Oliver Anthony’s “Rich Men North of Richmond” share a number of qualities for all their differences in audience, production elements and values, and content.
Success and speed present themselves most notably and obviously. By August 14th Barbie grossed nearly $1.2B since its Friday, July 21st movie release, Box Office Mojo reports. Following Wednesday, August 9th radiowv YouTube sharing of “Rich Men North of Richmond,” Oliver Anthony found that the song achieved Number 1 iTunes downloads with 9.6M views and that five of his performances commanded iTunes Top ten in less than a week. The song enjoyed such popularity that many in the audience had memorized the lyrics and sang along with him with an authenticity for the 2020’s analogous to the very different excitement loosed with Elvis Presley’s 1954 Louisiana Hayride performance at the Morris Farm Market on the Outer Banks, North Carolina that weekend. And, all of this in the absence of Hollywood movie stars and publicity.
In each creative achievement, Barbie director Greta Gerwig and Appalachian bard Oliver Anthony address a common sense of too little return for too much exertion. Barbie feels she’s earned all she’s got. For all the differences in fantasy, notably Barbie’s persona as a toy, the film’s theme that women merit greater and more consideration scores global appeal.
Anthony articulates the thinking and feelings of many that they suffer too little income despite too much work due to captured public officials working for global elites more than average people. “[L]ivin in a new world” is principally extractive for those with an “old soul” forced to cope with “rich men north of Richmond/…[who] just wanna have total control/Wanna know what you think, wanna know what you do/And they don't think you know, but I know that you do/ 'Cause your dollar ain't shit and it's taxed to no end.”
It is in these regards that sovereignty emerges as a unifying complement.
Its nominal definition from John Stuart Mill as “that [form of government] in which the sovereignty, or supreme controlling power in the last resort, is vested in the entire aggregate of the community” is not yet broad enough for Barbie to overcome historic grievances and is so woefully compromised by elite capture to provoke rage for Anthony.
Gerwig and Anthony in her and his own way are making art to address this consciousness. “The danger ‘in Europe’ is of having too many things to say, and too many others to distinguish them from; the danger in the States is of their not having things enough—with enough tone and resonance to give them,” Henry James memorably observed in The American Scene (1907). Filmmaker and singer say plenty with distinct tone and exact resonance in summer, 2023.
Anthony is intent taking on responsibilities as a fresh Mark Twain responding to Henry James’s concerns. Country Chord reported that “he put together a last minute show in North Carolina at the Morris Farm Market, set to take place this Sunday, the 13th, from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. And if you take the time to drive out to hear him live, he promised to stay late to meet every fan in return. ‘I will stay until 2:30 a.m. if I have to…I promise if you show up, if you are willing to come and listen to me, I am willing to stay and listen to you. I’m gonna shake your hand. I wanna hear what you have to say, I wanna hear your story. This is not about me; this is about you.’ ”
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