Tuesday, October 9, 2018

A Heroine Unlooked For

It's been a while since I've mentioned Taylor Swift on this blog. I have long been on the record saying that, while I'd rather jab a fork into my thigh than to listen to any of her songs, I have no animus against her. I actually met her right before she became a household name, and I never would have guessed that she was a celebrity, because she was so low-key and unassuming. She also seems to be very devoted to her fans.

I was surprised when she wrote a detailed Instagram post about her reasons for voting against Tennessee Republican Marsha Blackburn and urged her fans to educate themselves about political candidates and vote for those that represent their values. Predictably, the anime Nazi crowd lost their shit about this. Since Ms Swift has such a vast following of mostly-young, mostly-female fans, her coming out as a Democratic voter has terrified Republican politicians... indeed, after her endorsement, voter registrations have spiked. It looks like a sleeping giant has been awakened, and it's not going to take any BS from regressive men. Taylor Swift is a survivor of a sexual assault, so it's tempting to infer that the Kavanaugh hearings, and the Republican attacks against a survivor, forced her hand. At any rate, the long-reticent Swift has revealed herself as an advocate for civil rights, and the GOP just isn't aligning with her values.

If I were given a thousand guesses, I never would have guessed that Taylor Swift would be this year's 'October Surprise', but it seems as if she's The Chosen One who will lead her legions of fans to turn this country, indeed this society, around... and I can say that I met her 'back then'.

5 comments:

  1. I do hope it makes some small difference. I know she'd been getting a lot of heat about not speaking out on politics before. In a way, I can understand - she came from a country music background, and I'm sure there are people burning the CDs they bought in 2010 right now.

    But it's a rare person who hasn't been pushed to speak out about something these past few years...

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  2. I think she waited until she was Too Big to Fail, HH. She’s not going to be Dixie Chicked, not at this stage of her career.

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  3. i too hope she's not gonna be dixie chicked - at this stage of her career i hope she has enough stashed away to live comfortably* the rest of her life assuming she's willing to take a more middle way with respect to the moolah - *four star hotel suites, not five star presidential suites - first class airplane tickets, not private jets

    i got into an argument with the staff at my dentist back then about the dixie chicks but now we generally avoid sensitive areas although in the last year or so the delta hygienist who sees me expressed her dislike of trump even though she is a republican in general

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  4. I don't think she can be Dixie Chicked- she's a lot bigger than they ever were, and her fanbase will listen online, so terrestrial radio stations don't wield much power over her- I don't think a Cletus Boycott could effect her at this stage of her career.

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