27/08/2026
Dolly Parton was a living embodiment of American exceptionalism. Everything about her was exceptional: her songwriting, her voice, her appearance and her sense of self. The response to her passing has only served to underline just how exceptional she was. And in the past 24 hours, as people have reflected on her life and career, her exceptional compassion has shone through too.
If you knew nothing about Dolly, other than she was an 80 year old woman from rural Appalachia who dressed in rhinestone studded costumes, sang country music and was a person of strong faith, you might assume she would be part of the MAGA movement.
Yet at a time when some who claim to be followers of Jesus Christ are talking about “the sin of empathy” and claiming that loving thy neighbour as thyself will lead to the end of western civilisation, Dolly’s faith led her to embrace everyone. When asked to comment on the introduction of anti-trans legislation in Tennessee where she lives, she spoke in support of the transgender community.
“I just see how broken-hearted they get over certain things and I know how real they are. I know how important this is to them” she told the Hollywood Reporter in 2023 “That’s who they are. They cannot help that any more than I can help being Dolly Parton, you know, the way people know me. If there’s something to be judged, that is God’s business. But we are all God’s children and how we are is who we are.”
The fact that Dolly Parton was beloved by Republicans and Democrats alike is a reminder that the compassionate America has not gone away, that it still endures and inspires despite being eclipsed by Trumpism for the past decade. And in many ways, Dolly was the Anti-Trump, self effacing where he is self aggrandising, benevolent where he is transactional, sincere where he is cynical and unifying where his is divisive.
There was no Us and Them with Dolly. Her stock response to questions of politics was to state that she “just wanted everyone to be treated good”.
Her passing is a great loss, but she remains an example to all of us who base our politics on that principle.
