Editor’s Note: All opinion section content reflects the views of the individual author only and does not represent a stance taken by The Collegian or its editorial board.

To be completely transparent, country music has never been my thing. I don’t consider myself the most qualified person to talk about this, in part because I’m not an avid listener of the genre but also because the majority of those around me or from my hometown also reject country music — or really anything deemed country. 

Though this is a byproduct of where I’m from, such beliefs have instilled a vehement distaste for the genre within me. The only country songs I’ve ever listened to on my own time were, “Before He Cheats,” by Carrie Underwood, because it is really good, and, “Drunk on a Plane,” by Dierks Bentley, because it is so, so laughably bad.

Maybe, truly, if I gave country music a better chance, I’d find more gems. But it’s hard for me to put in a valiant effort when every song I’m exposed to, either by friends or randoms, relies on one of the country genre’s holy trinities: relationships, vehicles or alcohol.

“Artists such as Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Reba McEntire and Dolly Parton have inarguably and collectively made some of the best and most long-standing hits of any genre in the industry.”

I recognize that saying this essentially boils a whole music genre down to three incredibly artificial stereotypes. And, to a certain extent, all genres will have a similar trifecta of topics that popular songs frequently pull from.

Again, I’m not the most qualified person to say such criticisms, so take it from country star Brad Paisley himself; here’s some of the lyrics from his 2011 hit song, “This is Country Music”: “You’re not supposed to say the word ‘cancer’ in a song / And telling folks Jesus is the answer can rub them wrong / It is not hip to sing about tractors, trucks, little towns and mama / Yeah that might be true / But this is country music and we do.”

On a more serious note, the actual reason these stereotypes rub people the wrong way is because a lot of popular songs contain lyrics that follow antiquated gender roles, if not containing downright sexism and overall bad taste. Here’s some of the lyrics from a 2013 song, “Redneck Crazy,” by Tyler Farr: “I’m gonna aim my headlights into your bedroom windows / Throw empty beer cans at both of your shadows / I didn’t come here to start a fight, but I’m up for anything tonight / You know you broke the wrong heart, baby / And drove me redneck crazy.”

It’s not that the whole country genre writes distasteful songs about messy relationships, old-fashioned trucks or a broken bottle of whiskey. But when more than 10% of hit country songs reference liquor in the title alone, country music as a whole looks disproportionately off-putting, and the public becomes wary.

There are several country artists who have called out the genre’s stereotypical depiction of women, including Maddie & Tae. Here’s some of the lyrics from their 2015 song, “Girl in a Country Song”: “Being the girl in a country song / How in the world did it go so wrong? / Like all I’m good for is lookin’ good for / You and your friends on the weekend, nothin’ more/ We used to get a little respect / Now we’re lucky if we even get / To climb up in your truck, keep our mouths shut and ride along / And be the girl in a country song.”

No matter how much I dislike certain country songs, I will never discount an entire genre. Artists such as Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Reba McEntire and Dolly Parton have inarguably and collectively made some of the best and most long-standing hits of any genre in the industry.

Their success, however, does not negate the fact that many popular artists today have platforms built on decades of stereotypical songwriting. Maybe there’s an audience for it; there could be a whole community of “Drunk on a Plane” enthusiasts. But until those artists produce songs that reflect the current world we live in, modern country music songwriting will continue to be perceived as antiquated.

Reach Emma Souza at letters@collegian.com or on Twitter @_emmasouza.