Online noise has surrounded Alabama country singer Ella Langley after old photos of her with whitetail deer bucks she killed resurfaced. She posted them herself years ago. She grew up hunting with her family and has proudly talked about it. None of this is new.
After decades in newspaper and digital news media across the South, and years hosting SuperTalk Outdoors, I’ve also spent my entire life in the outdoors with family and friends. I’ve watched many people get pulled into fights they didn’t need. When something like this happens, the better move is usually pretty clear.
If I were advising Ella, I’d tell her she doesn’t need to say a word. Defending yourself just turns up the volume. It gives people looking for a fight more to work with, and it pulls in other folks who would’ve kept scrolling. The better thing is what she and a lot of us already do. Stay proud of where we come from and the life we lead, and keep living it proudly.
Country music fans have made it plain they really hate fake. They reward people who stay real about where they came from. Dolly Parton, Jonhny Cash, and Merle Haggard are among many who stayed true to themselves. The Dixie Chicks learned the hard way in 2003 when they criticized the president and the war from a stage overseas. Radio dropped them, fans pushed back hard, and many in the country audience walked away. Jelly Roll learned a similar lesson recently after he filled in on Jimmy Kimmel and stepped outside the image his fans coveted, so many rejected him.
Ella’s always been real about where she comes from. She’s a Southern treasure for a reason. She knows from her own life that a family that enjoys the outdoors together stays together. She doesn’t need to explain hunting to people who don’t do it, and she doesn’t need to apologize for something that’s been part of Southern and American life for a long time.
Hunting puts meat in the freezer. It also funds most wildlife conservation in this country through license fees and Pittman-Robertson taxes on guns and ammo. That money is a big reason deer and turkey came back from the low numbers they were at a hundred years ago. It’s how it works, and it works because hunters pay for it.
Ella’s already lived that. She doesn’t owe the internet an explanation. She should keep leading by example, as she already does, by being open about who she is and continuing to write and perform music that reflects her experiences. The rest of us who get the outdoors can do the same. We can post pictures and talk about the hunts if we want to, and we’ll keep buying the licenses and equipment that fund habitat work.
Ella, you should keep leading by example instead of engaging with people who will never agree with our lifestyle anyway. Your fans will honor your authenticity. Keep being who you’ve always been. That’s what we want from you, and that’s plenty.
Live loud and proud!
The views expressed by contributors are their own and not the views of SuperTalk Mississippi Media.
