So your nothing-but-trouble relative, who spent the last decade runnin' a numbers game, finally brings ruin upon the whole family.
He bet the farm on a golddigger named Beverly, but she turned out to be the sly CEO of Lyin' and Cheatin, Inc...
You've always had trouble with this no-account relative.
For decades.
Always he's promised to do better--to BE better. But each time he's only sunk himself--and you--deeper into the manure pile.
This time, though, it's serious. He's left the family deep in hock and a truly painful reckoning is a-comin.'
But he comes to you and says, "look, I know I done wronged you so many times before, but you can really trust me this time. I'm on the mend. I've left my cheatin' ways behind. I'm clean, and I'm askin' you to renew your faith in me."
And you say:
"Hey, no problem! We know you done us wrong, but we are committed to our government-run schools and stay true to you we will!"
Wait. What?
Exactly. I can't believe ANYBODY is willing to just bend over and take more punishment like that, but ladies and gentlemen, you've SEEN some of the posts on our SPARK redistricting forum.
The air of resignation.
The "we have to deal with them, so we'd better make the best of it."
The utter lack of backbone.
Anyway, getting back to the narrative:
The next thing that happens--while the words "you can really trust me this time" are still echoing in your ears, is that you are ambushed in the woods by some gun-for-hire demographers. You'd softened up just for a moment, you see, and you got yourself sucker-punched.
Because that's how it works when you keep forgiving those who would prey on your kindness.
But when you go back to confront your relative, you're told to not make a big fuss because, "hey, they only wanted to talk atcha a little bit--don't pay it no nevermind."
(Powerful twanging of guitars; cut to a shot of a screen door bein' slammed shut; the other family members have finally HAD ENOUGH).
That's right. In MY country music video, this family ain't takin' no more junk.
The people in MY song--are you one of them?--have guts, a strong sense of right and wrong (they'll protect their sister neighborhoods as well as their own) and a limit for how much BS they're willing to take.
In MY music video, we say how things are gonna be. We don't take orders, and we don't roll over and play dead.
We confront. We extract promises, and hold feet to fire. We wind up putting an end to every last bit of lyin,' thievin' and obfuscatin.'
We make it clear who's the tail and who's the dog.
And then, just for good measure, we cut to a shot of an ACTUAL dog, and the pickup truck he's half hangin' out of.
Hey, if I'm gonna get this video on CMT, I'm going to have to follow the conventions of the genre.
