Oliver Anthony says it’s time to make rural America great again.
The Virginia singer-songwriter, who became the night feeling of his country’s national anthem, “The Richman North of Richmond,” released a strong address on the struggles of everyday people, the effects of digital addiction, and the need to restore rural America at the Responsible Citizenship (ARC) conference in London on February 18th.
Drawing from the flood of personal experiences he received from August 2023 and messages he received, 32-year-old Anthony painted a harsh picture of a society where many suffer in silence, but the powerful and privileged person remains detached from reality.
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“We realized there were no clues as to how many people are really broken around us, how many are quietly suffering and barely hanging,” Anthony said.
Despite their struggle, these people, Anthony wants a better future. “These people, they’re not no body, so it kills me,” he added.
Self-proclaimed “Nobody at 32” and “high school dropouts living in a log cabin in Virginia,” Anthony said one of the culture’s biggest challenges is to praise the false admiration of celebrities, politicians and social media influencers. “We are busy idolizing the real idols of society,” he said. Those in the spotlight often explained that real heroes are not recognized and appreciated while leading a “comfortable little life.”
Anthony also addresses “neuroplasticity” and what he described as the dangers of excessive digital immersion, warning that society is undergoing rapid and irreversible change.
“We are the last living people in history, and we have experienced life before the digital age,” he said, pointing to a younger generation who often struggle to distinguish the online world from reality.
By the time he turned 30, cited statistics showing that the average American teenager had spent about 30,000 hours on social media, Anthony asked, “What is the 30,000-hour change that stares at a 30,000-hour hypnosis state at the human mind and offspring?”
“Without realising that, we are programmed and our culture is commodified,” he warned. “…in other words, the longer we spend online, the more we have, the more culture we have, the more psychology we have, and we become more vulnerable.”
His speech led to an emotional shift when Anthony shared his first-hand experience with disaster relief efforts after a severe flood in North Carolina. Anthony said that instead of a government agency, it was not a government agency, it was how volunteers intervened and intervened, and the community’s response to the disaster prompted him to rethink what true leadership looked like.
“The volunteers worked 16 hours a day, drinking supplies on everything from horses to helicopters. It was the human race right in front of me, and it was those seven days that changed everything for me in the seven days of North Carolina,” he said. “The lack of leadership, failure of protocols, and even overwhelming inefficiency from the nation were people who saved people. Nobode took up sagging…
“So we’re just here to remind us that we don’t need false idols. We shouldn’t rely on politicians who succumb to money to manage our cities and states. We need to find real leaders everywhere and empower them,” he added.
“I closed my speech by announcing the launch of a rural revival project that seeks to revitalize rural communities by combining music, faith and education through a transformative, community-driven experience that connects people with nature, promotes fellowships and promotes sustainable practices, self-sufficiency and healing.
The first official gathering for the project is set for April 5th in Spruce Pine, North Carolina.
Anthony closed it citing poem sal37. Trust in the Lord and do good. Living on the land and enjoying the safe pasture. Feel joy in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. ”