For the past 12 years, Swift has managed to channel the the homegrown charm of Wyomissing, Pennsylvania, with a dash of the Nashville country music scene, while gallivanting around New York with Lena Dunham and Karlie Kloss types. By sidestepping politics, she’s shown she doesn’t have to choose between past and present, or sever old ties as she laps up fame and money. She’s a pop star, and although she wields sizeable influence, she has no obligation to be political.
Essentially, the charge against her is that she hasn’t participated in the ‘denouncing Trump’ dog and pony show. This isn’t about her being apolitical, it’s about her failing to endorse socially acceptable liberal policies and candidates. Worse still was Swift’s refusal to celebrate Hillary Clinton.
I am indifferent to Taylor Swift (that said, she is very easy on the eyes and I do have a soft spot for driven successful people), but oh.my.god… I loath people who demand everything be about frigging politics. So if Swiftie really doesn’t give a flying fuck about the whole political dog-and-pony show, I must say that, rather than the music, does make me rather warm to her.
Swiftie sez take yer politics and shove it where the sun don’t shine
I have a whole list of her attributes that make me rather warm to her. (I always loved her early music. Plus that other stuff.) Her lack of disclosure of her politics would likely be a cooling factor – no matter which path she follows – and she is a marketing genius in her own right and recognizes this. Hail TS!
Rule 1: Women who look like her can do and say whatever they please and our male response shall be “I love you”.
Aren’t the people who cluck angrily that Taylor isn’t declaring loudly enough against Trump, the same ones who would howl if their spawn were made to recite the Pledge of Allegiance at school?
Swift’s obvious reply (though just ignoring these whiners might be wiser still) would be to state that she objected to the praise of – and meetings with – Harvey, Bill and similar that “everyone knew” came (in more ways than one) with the politics.
“Swiftie”?
It’s Tay, Tay-Tay, or T-Swizzle.
Swifties are the fans. Sheesh.
It’s not that she’s wise enough to avoid pitfalls, it’s that she’s so daft, she knows nothing about the political sphere. I met her before she was famous. Granted, she was a kid then in highshool, but she didn’t seem particularly bright.
No one in high school or its equivalent has a clue about anything, I know I sure didn’t.
I would marry her were she only to say “Why are you asking me about politics, I’m only a singer…”
Moreover, really she is smart to be apolitical, as would be every performer, because by being political you automatically risk alienating half your audience, and for what end? A narcissistic self indulgence? To be successful in that business you have to work very hard. I’m sure she gets her butt to the gym every day, and declines that bagel and cream cheese. I’m sure she spends hours practicing her vocals, and weeks straining over her latest song lyrics. And to piss away half of that just for the self indulgence of ranting about Trump or whatever other political lizard there is? Foolish. Do it in private.
I suppose there is a balance though, you have to care about your fans but have to balance that against the people controlling the levers of power in your business. So negotiating a course might be tricky, and the “why are you asking me, I’m only a singer…” seems delightfully self deprecating, and least annoying to everyone.
@Thailover, she might not have been smart in school, but she seems pretty smart to me now.
This certainly looks smart. If you look at the demographics- who is buying her stuff? Mostly white girls- and their parents are very likely to have voted for Trump. So- this girl is instantly smarter than most Republican politicians- as well as Gary Johnson, for that matter. She is not alienating the people most likely to buy her stuff. Plus she actually delivers a product they like.
I pretty much see her the way Fraser and August do.
She might be just smart enough to have reliable, intelligent advisors within her management team, and possess sufficient wisdom to follow their advice.
A virtue seemingly lacking in most of her peers.
Bod, no truly smart person would have that particular attribute lacking in their general characterization.
Swift has always struck me as a smart cookie.
How smart can she be? She hung around with Lena Dunham and her coven for ages until, in true leftist style, they turned on her.
Smart people stay away from people like Lena Dunham / Lilly Allen / Owen Jones / Roger Waters etc etc.
Jaded, no one claimed she was a genius either – plus, you hang out with people you know through your line of work. And, nobody’s perfect.
Alisa, in terms of life mistakes, being friends with Lena Dunham probably falls somewhere between accidentally killing your neighbour’s dog and getting “Extra Spicy Noodles” tattooed on your body in Mandarin because you think it says something profound.
As far as mistakes go, it’s a doozy.
😆
Seriously though, you and I have no idea who she is/was friends with and to what extent. Wait till you read what the papers might say about you one day 😛
It would be mildy interesting to learn at what time they were ‘friends’
Because the same calculations could apply. Before Dunham went out of her way to piss off America, and back when she had a popular show, it may have been a good idea, from a marketing perspective, to be ‘friends.’
Her market being what it is and all…
She’s the epitome of what leftist ideologists hate, she’s not a say-er, shes a do-er
Quite so Perry.
Taylor Swift, at this time, does not want to be involved in politics – on any side. This choice should be respected the personal is NOT the political – but the “liberals” (in that odd American inversion of this word) are totalitarians who insist that everything is political and no one is allowed to be outside politics.
Such a totalitarian view is older than Karl Marx – one can see it, for example, in Rousseau. It is the spirit of the French Revolution not just the Russian Revolution.
Denying the publicity factory a story is a crime there. Her punishment is having a story made out of her not telling strangers something that is legally secret.