The problem with Taylor Swift’s endorsement of Tennessee Democratic Senate candidate Phil Bredesen heading into Election Day isn’t that she spoke out. Civic engagement is vital, especially among the many young people who adore Swift’s music, and freedom of speech is a bedrock American principle.
Swift came out vocal to state her political sides and the side she felt she is affiliated. During her big night in the America Music Awards which she carried the event scooping four awards entering her name in the books of history, decided to join the likes of Janelle Monae who once stood out and publicly stated her political position and even criticized Trump’s administration.
he real problem with Swift’s Instagram post was that she missed the bigger picture. It’s a myopia typical of many young people, largely cultivated by insular reasoning prevalent in high schools and on college campuses, who focus on narrow wedge social issues without looking at broader macro conditions or grappling seriously with complex issues.
Taylor Swifts comments on political matters was deemed immature and misplaced which is the similar case with most young people who are always ready to complain rather join hands in forging forward for a solution.Most people who criticized her pinned her down on using emotions to speak out rather than going for facts and the real situation.
This is another common problem among young people — expressing anger and fear against a system rather than proactively seeking to change it. It’s not unusual for some young people to miss the difference between expressive and persuasive communication, and while it’s easy to sympathize with the impulse to express oneself, in a democracy failing to grasp this distinction can be a fatal flaw.
Swift also risks a backlash from everyday Tennessee voters who believe she’s lecturing them rather than trying to understand them — the classic story of a hero who forgets her roots. Swift’s hyperbolic wording, saying that Republican Senate candidate Rep. Marsha Blackburn’s voting record in public service “appalls and terrifies me,” and associating Blackburn with “systemic racism we still see in this country towards people of color” is one example of why our country is so divided right now.
Swift says she “cannot vote for someone who will not be willing to right for dignity for ALL Americans,” but doesn’t mention how under Republican leadership (with Blackburn’s support) we are seeing increased black, Latino and female economic empowerment, including record unemployment rates among African Americans. Does Swift realize there is dignity in work, in allowing more people to determine the economic course of their lives?
Swift’s post also says that she has “in the past and would like to continue voting for women,” but attacks Blackburn for voting “against equal pay for women…and the Re-authorization of the Violence Against Women Act.
Swift, and other young people, risk driving anti-LGBT people further into their entrenched positions through extreme rhetoric.
Singer Taylor Swift
The way to move past heated situations is through dialogue, not misrepresenting facts.On the issue of reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act, Swift ignores the complicated part, reported by political facts, that Blackburn did vote against the re-authorization but voted in favor of a GOP alternative that still protected women.
Swift would rather accuse Blackburn of failing “to protect women from domestic violence, stalking, and date rape,” than understand or post about any of the specific concerns that Blackburn had with the legislation and engage in a rational conversation.
In her post and in her acceptance speech at the AMA’s urging fans to vote, Swift also didn’t examine foreign policies that affect vulnerable groups she cares about, including how the Trump administration (with Blackburn’s support) has gotten tougher on a homophobic and anti-Semitic Iranian regime — a regime that was enriched and empowered by Democrats and the Obama administration. Swift doesn’t mention how Republican leadership is also pushing our NATO allies to contribute more to shared global security — which helps protect human rights, including for women and minorities.
