Sam,

Pointing out reality is a good thing. But it doesn't have to focus on the negative of the reality. Have you ever read in the papers, or known any one who did a random act of kindness? Ever heard where someone did a songwriters benefit for someone with Cancer? That doesn't mean that the Cancer is not real. It means that a lot of people got together to help somebody fight it.
That is much of what I talk about. Most songs in the country format are not so much positive as they are just not NEGATIVE. they find a way through whatever life's troubles are. Songs like "Live Like You Were Dying" or "I've Had Moments" come to mind continualously. And that is what I am talking about. And there is also the matter of perspective.
Songwriters write from a perspective of pain. They live it and that is what they want to write about. Fair enough. We all have pain. But in the world of trying to get attention, it is the equivilant of focusing the camera on the million other people who have pain. It simply fades into the background because every one else writes the same thing.
So it basically comes down to what you want to write about. Everyone has the opportunity and responsibility to write what they want to write. But if you want to get attention the last way to do this is to do the same thing everyone else does.
So there are some of us that look to find the "rope of hope" or "twist on the tale" songs, which are the ones that get more attention, simply because they are different. It doesn't have to be an "Up with people, Mr. Happy everything is wonderful day" as much as it doesn't need to be the "Everything is terrible and life sucks and I hurt you and you hurt me, every minute of every day."
Nobody has to be reminded how bad things are around us all. I think people have to be reminded that there is some good in the world.

MAB