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Lil Nas X And His Satan Shoes Reflect A Splintering Culture

Lil Nas X

On the Federalist Radio Hour, author Billy Hallowell said the real danger is not in the sneakers themselves, or in the music video, but in the culture. 

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On this episode of The Federalist Radio Hour, Billy Hallowell, author of the book, “Playing with Fire: A Modern Investigation into Demons, Exorcism, And Ghosts,” joins Culture Editor Emily Jashinsky to discuss Lil Nas X’s “Satan shoes” and what the celebration of his hellish appeal signals about our culture.

“There’s nothing new under the sun. A lot of other people have done this kind of stuff in the past, and there was a reaction to it, but we’ve come to a really strange place in our culture where people are praising this, they’re loving it, they’re asking for more, and there’s a sizeable proportion of people who feel that way,” Hallowell said.

Hallowell said the real danger is not in the sneakers themselves, or in the music video, but in the culture.

“I think, the slip into apathy, this spiritual apathy, this feeling that either this stuff isn’t real or we just don’t care about it. And then beyond that, it’s not even just not caring about it, it’s using it in a mocking sort of way,” he said.

While Hallowell conceded that some people may be tired of hearing “culture war,” Lil Nas X’s newest music video should be a wake-up call.

“This video, what we’re talking about, this is part of the culture war and it’s not something that only the right is waging. Both sides are part of this war and it’s going on whether Christians or conservatives like it or not, or are tired of it or not. It is a real thing and it is happening,” Hallowell said. “…I always say to people, ‘don’t let your guard down. Love God, love others, speak up for the truth, but buckle up because it’s going to get a lot wilder.'”

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