Country singer Brad Paisley recently released a new song in collaboration with LL Cool J called “Accidental Racist.” It immediately sparked a firestorm, with left-wing blogs and websites decrying it as an appalling reinforcement of 21st-century racism—or something to that effect. Such an interpretation is simplistic, both in its reading of the language itself and in the overall value of the song.

One of the most derided lyrics in the song occurs in the first stanza, in which Paisley explains, “When I put on that t-shirt [with a Confederate flag on the front], the only thing I meant to say is I’m a Skynyrd fan.” The most frequent treatment of this is that Paisley is an uncaring bigot because he’s too lazy to find a Lynyrd Skynyrd shirt that lacks the stars and bars. Such a reading, however, overlooks the actual meaning of the lyrics—Lynyrd Skynyrd, much like the Confederate flag, is often appropriated as an emblem of Southernness, and Paisley is not talking about his wardrobe but rather conflating two popular Southern images. When he says he is a Skynyrd fan, what he means is that he is proud of his roots. Nowhere does he claim that the shirt he is wearing is a Lynyrd Skynyrd shirt.

Another of the most offending lines occurs in the fourth stanza, in which Paisley declares, “We’re still paying for mistakes that a bunch of folks made long before we came.” Paisley has been accused of, at best, not understanding the issues at hand and, at worst, providing a semi-defense of the Confederate cause. The fact is, however, that Southerners are paying for the mistakes of previous generations. Anyone born north of Virginia can attest to the fact that “Southern” conjures to mind such tropes as “hick,” “redneck,” “Ku Klux Klan” and “racist,” all stereotypes that came into being as a result of the South’s slave economy and subsequent decades of segregation and discrimination. As LL Cool J points out, “When I see that white cowboy hat, I’m thinkin’ it’s not all good/I guess we’re both guilty of judging the cover not the book.” The fundamental message of the song is not to reinforce racism but to move beyond it, and when LL Cool J says, “If you don’t judge my gold chains/I’ll forget the iron chains,” he’s not imagining that we forget slavery but rather that it not be held against the current generation of well-meaning Southerners.

However, if we do run with the reading that “Accidental Racist” is, in fact, racist, then that simply adds another layer of meaning. If Paisley is racist in singing about moving beyond racism, it is entirely accidental, and as he points out, “I got a lot to learn/but from my point of view/I’m just a white man comin’ to you from the Southland.” Paisley’s ignorance is self-acknowledged, and in its own bumbling, clumsy way, the song does exactly what it sets out to do. It shows that many southerners don’t want to be racist but unfortunately still are and yearns for a time when mutual understanding will break stereotypes.

As self-proclaimed proponents of tolerance, we should laud Paisley, not condemn him. In this song, he represents a generation born in a different culture that wants to escape its racist past, and he recognizes that “we’re still siftin’ through the rubble after 150 years.” Paisley knows there are problems, even if he himself is unaware of them, and “[he] tr[ies] to put [him]self in your shoes and that’s a good place to begin/But it ain’t like I can walk a mile in someone else’s skin.” If we truly do advocate a fair, understanding, tolerant society, we should recognize the good intentions behind what is at times a problematic song and instead of snidely consigning Paisley to the dustbin of ignorant racists, use “Accidental Racist” to engage in a civil manner with those who want to avoid racism as much as we do. Let’s put down the pitchfork and take up the peace pipe.