* Country music is for ...
I grew up in the American South. I haven't found statistics to support the following statement, but I can't believe it won't be supported by facts: there are more country music stations on the radio in the Southern United States than any other genre of music. One would think that I would feel nostalgia for country music as a result, but I feel anything BUT nostalgia. Until today, I'd have said my distaste for country music must root in my issues and (let's just use the word) "loathing" around where I was born and raised. I'm FROM Fly-Over Country, and like every popular stereotype, it's rooted in truth. The South is a lovely place to visit, but I am oh-so-glad I no longer live there.
However, after I attended a straight wedding today which prominently featured country music love songs, the real reason for my dislike of country music was delivered to me like the proverbial thunderbolt from the cosmos -- it's Breeder Music. By that I mean it's music aimed in what seems an exclusive manner towards straight couples. I will have to research facts more to support my anecdotal reaction, but it certainly has that Opposite Parts Only vibe -- from the predominance of male singers in the industry, so many of whom pine away by melody for their lost ladies, to the scattering of women who pine right back at their men. Instinctively, I expect to find an overwhelming use of he/she pronouns by these country crooners, clearly announcing the opposite-gender connection.
Check my theory yourselves: if you listen to even most ROCK songs, the pronouns are usually "you and me." Not a male voicing singing about "she," or a female voice singing about "he." Listen to Folk or Soft Rock or even Alternative, and there's a lot less Obvious Announcement of Gender.
So mystery solved! I can't enjoy country music because as a genre it seems less than inclusive of all couples, including those who love just to love, instead of only those with the Divine Auspice and necessary equipment for making more babies. (Just what the world needs. More mouths to feed.) It seems aimed at an audience that does not include me.