Taylor Swift isn’t Donald Trump, but they both appeal to the same alt-right white supremacist fans, suggests Meghan Herning in a now-famous PopFront post.
“The idea that Taylor Swift is an icon of white supremacist, nationalists, and other fringe groups, seems to finally be getting mainstream attention,” Herning wrote.
“It is hard to believe that Taylor had no idea that the lyrics of her latest single read like a defense of white privilege and white anger — specifically, white people who feel that they are being left behind as other races and groups start to receive dignity and legally recognized rights.”
Unlike Trump, Swift threatened the blogger with legal action.
“It turns out this move was probably a foolish one to make, both from a legal standpoint and in terms of how it could draw more attention to one of those ideas that has long circulated in the pop culture zeitgeist,” said the East Bay Times, which added that Swift “doesn’t speak out more on politics because she supposedly doesn’t want to alienate fans who voted for Donald Trump or those who ally themselves with alt-right and white nationalist views.”
The Northern California ACLU came to the blogger’s defense as well, arguing that Swift is a public figure.
“Anyone suing for defamation on behalf of a public figure must prove both that the writer published false information and was aware beforehand it was false and published it anyway,” the paper noted.
“In its letter to Swift’s attorney, the ACLU gets just a little cheeky in its rebuke, alluding to one of the singer’s most famous songs and the title of her new album, ‘Reputation’: ‘Criticism is never pleasant, but a celebrity has to shake it off, even if the critique may damage her reputation.’”
Also cheeky were some fans and critics:
Taylor Swift is considered Alt-Right because she doesn’t regurgitate the mindless Left-wing script that most ppl like her do.
— jake miller (@northlandtaz) November 7, 2017
Remember when Breitbart tweeted the lyrics to Taylor Swift’s Look What You Made Me Do and the alt-right started fawning over her as a joke
— Ira Madison III (@ira) November 6, 2017
@MrLovettKnowles can’t NO ONE tell me Taylor Swift is not racist, she could have just denounce white supremacists and alt-right
— ????♐Skin of Becky♐???? (@IKilledBecky) November 6, 2017
Taylor Swift’s lawyers denounce that she has anything to do with white supremacy and the alt-right in the full letter. pic.twitter.com/j43zFiZpTi
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) November 7, 2017
So, to be a member of the alt-right, you have to enjoy Papa John’s cardboard pizza and listen to Taylor Swift? I’ll pass, thanks.
— Andrew Miesem (@afroninja) November 7, 2017
ACLU is still mum on Harvey Weinstein & Kevin Spacey. Yet Taylor Swift May have depicted Hitler. Liberalism is sad. https://t.co/vFRpNNj1t1
— LoDuv???????????? (@LoDuv) November 7, 2017
the lengths some ppl will go to not just… publicly denounce the white supremacists who love them is sickhttps://t.co/kRIDVM4TYL
— Jill Mapes (@jumonsmapes) November 6, 2017