The County singer Luke Combs has popularized “Fast Car”, an old Tracy Chapman gem from my bygone era. The Washington Post used the occasion as a springboard to address larger issues of race and sexual identity and the lack of representation in country music. Some pushed back, feeling the editorial was gratuitous. Can’t we just like the song? Does everything have to be about “those issues”? The back and forth commenced.

What interested me though, was the way the two camps are talking past each other. One side is asking for a cease fire in the culture wars, the other is offended at the attempt to rule out of bounds beforehand legitimate questions surrounding “those issues”. A song written by a black lesbian popularized in country music is a healthy sign, a cause for celebration. It is also an occasion to ask and raise questions because the barriers are real and still exist. The back and forth is a feature, not a bug. If the Washington Post made its argument and was greeted with universal agreement and acclaim, I suspect the real world would look much different then the world they are describing.

But it also got me thinking. Is there a sizable underground contingent of black lesbian country performers desperate but unable to cut into the mainstream? And how would a country Tracy Chapman, an undeniable whistle-popping, feet-stomping talent succeed in that market? Would she have to be careful, proceed with a subtle, covert lesbianism, or could she give it the full Cardi B treatment? In the end, it’s all about winning, I suppose. That seems to be the way America resolves these cultural disputes. At a certain point, the talent, the ear-worm catchiness converts even the most hard-hearted cynical souls. The bug is the feature. So feature the bug, front and central.