But look what you made me do
Men profess to be lovers of music, but for the most part they give no evidence in their opinions and lives that they have heard it.
Henry David Thoreau
I’ve been hearing about Swifties for a while, and the word even made it into the Oxford Dictionary last year. Apparently, it’s something of a phenomenon, but it has barely held my attention. It must be age, taste, indifference, or all three.
I’m sure Taylor Swift is an incredible person… for a billionaire. It seems she’s into all the good stuff, you know, the kind that liberals insist makes you a decent human being. But that’s neither here nor there in these dystopian times, what with some of the most ardent liberals we know actively either promoting or sponsoring an enfolding genocide. I’ve noticed in the news the mad hysteria she generates when attending football matches to cheer one of the players with whom she has a romantic relationship. However, Americans’ puerile fascination for celebrities and their obsessive indulgence in celebrity worship is only of philosophical interest to me.
Until a few hours ago, I had not heard a single Taylor Swift song, and I’m an aspiring audiophile. Recently, something in the news about Swift caught my firm attention. The hysteria, for once, was not emanating from her Swifties fanbase but from right-wing lunatics who were accusing her of witchcraft.
Wait, what?
Finally, something about Taylor Swift struck a chord with me. No, I’m not into witchcraft. That’s a fantasy dreamed up by religious fanatics. Besides, from what little I know about her, she doesn’t appear to have an evil bone in her body, maybe one or two. But I now had a reason to check out her music.
And boy, was I disappointed?
Well, I was not so disappointed as vindicated in not having previously bothered to listen to her sing. It’s precisely the kind of drivel mediocrity I was expecting. It’s perfect for this TikTok generation, but mushy pop does not do it for me. Sorry, Taylor, you would have made a fantastic witch, was that actually a thing. I could worship that.
lenny unencumbered 