And Everything I Can’t Remember: A Brief Timeline of Aaron Lewis’ Unique Take on Patriotism
DISCLAIMER: The author of this article is a liberal 30-something born in New York City and living in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. He is not a political scientist, nor has he ever served in the military, and yet still he considers himself a proud American who believe’s in this country’s promise of liberty and justice for all.
During a recent solo show, Staind frontman Aaron Lewis told a crowd, “Maybe we should listen to what [Russian president] Vladimir Putin is saying.” Lewis’ implication is that Ukraine is home to a ‘Deep State’ stronghold looking to take over the world and discredit former president Donald Trump. For many, hearing an artist who is so adamant in his patriotism telling folks to sympathize with Russia’s megalomaniacal dictator was startling to say the least. For people in the hard rock and metal sphere, it was classic Lewis.
The truth is that while he regularly makes unorthodox claims such as, say, comparing Fred Durst to the Dalai Lama or urging people to take horse medication, it’s Aaron Lewis’ fervent attempts to prove his patriotism that are the most controversial. This is why we write about him: to record his statements in one place, so that our readers can be fully informed if/when he later brushes them off or attempts to walk them back (in all fairness, you also seem to enjoy clicking on them). So to keep our readership informed, we thought we would offer a brief timelines of Aaron Lewis’ take on patriotism, as documented by MetalSucks.
Here’s Aaron Lewis’ version of loving America:
- In 2014, Lewis sang the National Anthem at the fifth game of the World Series. Lewis noticeably didn’t know the words, garbling the “Star-Spangled Banner.”
- Then, in 2016, Lewis said that Colin Kaepernick taking a knee during the National Anthem “infuriated him.” His reasoning: “…this is where freedom and liberty get a little bit skewed. Your freedom and your liberty to do that, on the reverse side, is my freedom and liberty to not have to deal with it, and to not have it affect my life.” One’s emotional responses to public protest, it should be noted, are not protected by the First Amendment.
- In 2018, following the mass shooting in Las Vegas, Lewis spoke out against gun control, saying, “I am not of the belief that you punish the masses because of the few.” Laws, for the record, are rules enforced when the actions of one are deemed harmful to the populace at large.
- In 2019, when someone yelled something in Spanish at a show, Lewis said, “I don’t speak Spanish, I’m American,” before storming offstage. As of now, America is home to approximately 41 million Spanish speakers. Meanwhile, the language Lewis speaks is English, derived from a country that America had to defeat to win its independence.
- In 2020, Lewis said that former president Donald Trump’s impeachment “couldn’t have been more unconstitutional.” Impeachment, however, is protected by Article 1, Section 2 of the Constitution. There was no evidence that Donald Trump’s impeachment was in violation of the Constitution.
- Last October, Lewis complained about Confederate statues being torn down while in Virginia. Lewis argued that the people to which these monuments were dedicated were “all Democrats,” just like those tearing them down. However, he did not then explain why Republicans are unhappy about these statues being removed; the singer himself questions their removal in his track “Am I The Only One,” in which he laments ““another statue comin’ down in a town near you.” If Lewis hates Democrats and slavery, why is their removal a problem?
More about Lewis’ political beliefs can be found via his music, which is available on major streaming services, should you want to listen to it.
