Taylor Swift Moves Towards Maga

[SamuelTheThird]

I know she has a lot of very devoted fans here, but she didn't make a peep about ICE using her songs in videos. All these other artists who were similiarly used spoke out adamantly against it.

With her bf she was trying to get a new market segment including MAGA. If she's anything she's extremely calculated.

Here she is all chummy with Trumpers-

https://www.reddit.com/r/travisandtaylor/comments/1nk8ljg/taylors_affiliations_with_maga_in_one_thread/

And let me add- billionaires need to be taxed out of existence!

[mahatmakanejeeves]

1. If you can't believe what you read in a rando post at reddit, what can you believe? NT

[SamuelTheThird]

2. If you can't dispute what's presented with facts, make a snarky response

What is presented is documented

[jmbar2]

3. Be careful about stirring up the Mahatmakanejeeves

A snarky force to be reckoned with.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

5. I think the weather is getting to me. It's been cold and damp and dreary, with no end in sight.

But getting back to the topic at hand, the thread at reddit ST3 linked to was locked. Possibly that was because the post was all about the people in the vicinity of Taylor Swift, and not Taylor Swift herself. I guess. I gave up pretty quickly.

I could easily find a post at reddit claiming that being vaccinated will give me cancer and that taking ivermectin will cure me of COVID-19.

Well, ST3, why should I believe a reddit post about Taylor Swift the people in the vicinity of Taylor Swift any more than I would believe one dispensing medical advice?

Happy holidays and happy new year, both of you.

[SamuelTheThird]

7. It's locked because it's from 3 months ago, nothing to do with content

The poster gives names, anyone can go check up on them. You're being disingenuous. This isn't a subjective claim of medical results

[Lifeafter70]

10. There is an article in The Guardian addressing this

Even tho she is not maga her silence speaks volumes. I tried to include a link but not sure how to do it. It's from last November. Not all of her fans are children and some have questioned why she has not spoken out about this. She has done so in the past when both political parties have used her music.

[FarPoint]

21. Hahahahaha

Keep on cruising.

[JI7]

4. I see nothing showing she is becoming MAGA

So she hangs out with wife/girlfriend of someone that works with her husband and that means she is MAGA ?

She doesn't need to always speak out. She is a pop singer. Most of her fans are young girls including children.

We already know where she stands politically and she had recieved a bunch of hate for it. She doesn't respond to that either.

Let her do what she does instead of forcing her to perform for internet warriors.

[SamuelTheThird]

6. She has no integrity

She only speaks out when she thinks it can benefit her career.

People with a lot less power than her speak out.

https://www.newsweek.com/full-list-singers-ice-music-11199783

If some Gestapo was using MY music in its propaganda, I sure as hell would feel obligated to speak out.

[FascismIsDeath]

12. She doesn't need to do anything to benefit her career. She is the biggest pop star on the planet.

[SamuelTheThird]

49. You're right, she doesn't HAVE to

But yet she does.

[FascismIsDeath]

54. No, she doesn't. She never had to endorse anyone for President. She didn't have to endorse Phil Bredesen either.

That didn't do shit for her career, if anything it caused her a lot of drama.

You've provided zero proof for your claims or anything that actually adds a drop of validity to your criticism. There is a reason this thread isn't going well for you.

[JI7]

14. This is bs. There were little girls in the UK killed at a Taylor Swift event

She isn't running for political office.

Internet warriors have no integrity.

[Polybius]

59. What's wrong with celebs staying silent?

I like it better when they don't mix politics in with everything.

[angrychair]

110. Protesting (frozen water) from using your songs

Without permission isn't political, it's business.

If they are using her songs without permission and she says nothing then that is absolutely approval of its use because she is allowing them to use it without permission or compensation.

I will also add that speaking out against the overtly illegal detainment of innocent people also isn't political, it's the clear difference between right and wrong.

[MorbidButterflyTat]

8. So?

So what if it's true, which I don't believe it is. What's it to you? What kind of responses are you hoping for? Why so mad at Taylor?

[SamuelTheThird]

9. What's it to me?

lol What's it to you why I post something? We can do a recursive loop with that sort of query.

Anyway, I see people 'glazing' a calculating billionaire, I am going to comment on it. Sorry if that bothers you.

[Iggo]

22. Okay, that's enough.

[betsuni]

50. Caricature of liberals mindlessly worshipping elite wealthy celebrities: we're supposed to get REAL MAD.

[MorbidButterflyTat]

52. Oh is that what it is?

I thought maybe someone was worshipping the unattainable Taylor Swift and getting REAL MAD.

[FascismIsDeath]

11. She has been getting hate messages and death threats from groyper's and other alt right groups.

She doesn't owe anyone more political action than she feels like taking. If she wants to lay low on that front, thats is her business. I know she has needed bullet proof shielding at some of the games she has been attending. The woman is settling down and starting a family so I imagine that is on her mind too.

There is no indication she has changed views on LGBT rights or women's rights. She is still constantly giving huge dollar amounts to food banks and worthwhile charities. She has fed more hungry people than you or I ever will.

That reddit thread looks about as dumb as the right wing BS I see when people are trying to piece together an idiotic conspiracy theory. I know I feel much dumber after having read it.

[mopinko]

24. yup. i'd keep my head down if i were her, too.

that’s a lot of stress, for what?

[SamuelTheThird]

47. Regular everyday people get death threats too. ALL THE TIME.

Somehow all the other artists spoke out against ICE using their music, but she doesn't want controversy for career reasons. She can afford the best security in the world

[FascismIsDeath]

55. And? Regular everyday people get cancer scares all the... wait excuse me... ALL THE TIME.

That doesn't make it any less scary just because it happens all the... wait, gotta do it again... ALL THE TIME.

Charlie Kirk could afford the best security in the world... what is he up to these days I wonder?

She has a lot of reasons to keep her head down and focus on her personal life. She owes you nothing.

You've not made a single valid point in this entire thread.

Your criticism is off base. Any arguments you were hoping to make, you lost them.

You should just delete this thread, it belong in the trash.

[SamuelTheThird]

87. She's a billionaire, she owes everyone a lot

She got obscenely wealthy within a particular system and society. Saying she can just do what she wants without looking at broader societal implications is actually a pretty right wing sort of notion.

She's a narcissist who pumps a lot of CO2 into the atmosphere with her private plane usage, fyi.

And fascism = death means silence = complicity. So her remaining silent (unlike many other artists) when ICE uses her song in a propaganda video is worth noting. And you don't see the irony here, given your name?

[FascismIsDeath]

90. Literally everyone that knows her and has worked with her would outright deny she is a narcissist.

You don't know her. You can only go from her public persona and what people who do know her have to say about her. She has a reputation for being very down to earth and not egotistical... the exact opposite really. You've created this fantasy straw man version of her that you can punch at because it makes you feel good or something. Its rather sick really. Stop acting like you know things that you don't know.

Yea, yea, she is rich. And? I judge individuals on an individual basis. I'm not one of these people that automatically says "oh she has a billion dollars, she is EVIL". Thats called prejudice. Thats called bigotry. Its a right wing mindset coming from a left wing position but the mindset is still wrong. Do a lot of billionaires piss me off? Yes. Is she one of them? No. She gives away a lot of her money, she has done more for others than you ever will. You know that right? You'll never feed as many people as she has, unless you become wealthy yourself. But considering your foaming at the mouth hatred towards her for having money, I don't see how you'd reconcile having that kind of money.

The fact is, she has supported candidates that support raising her taxes. She doesn't have an issue with that. She donates a lot to charity. She'll likely be one of those people that ends up giving most of her money away before she dies because thats the reputation she has, the kind of person she seems to be.

I don't even like her music, its not made for me. I'm a middle aged white dude who grew up on 90s grunge and classic rock. But this irrational hatred you have is a bad look.

Again, you can ignore the fact that she has spoken out about a lot of things in the past. You can ignore the fact that she has had a lot of reasons to fear for her safety over the past year. You can ignore the fact that she is a big target of right wing hate groups. No one can stop you from ignoring all that. But you have and will continue to be called out on it.

She will never owe you a damn thing. No matter how many times you insist otherwise, that will never change. She has NO obligation to speak about politics EVER AGAIN if she doesn't want to. None. Zero.

Go find someone who deserves to be attack to attack. Attacking someone who has been a clear ally for years does nothing for us... its just more attempts to divide the left and the center left, trying to convince us to eat our own. And I truly believe thats your agenda. I think you are disingenuous. I don't believe there is a shred of authenticity in what you are trying to accomplish with this thread. And obviously I'm not the only one because you are being eaten alive and your little side quest to rile DUers up against Taylor Swift has FAILED. Accept it.

[SamuelTheThird]

91. Its gotten worse since this article was posted

edited-wrong piece, but you can look up her huge emissions behavior yourself. I notice you didn't say a word about that

Sorry, this alone makes someone a shitty person. How you think this behavior isn't narcissistic is beyond me. How would you characterize it? She is well aware of what she is doing, she can't claim ignorance.

You can believe what you want about me, but I think this celeb worshipping/billionaire culture is the problem, not someone critiquing it.

[FascismIsDeath]

92. You obviously have no idea what "narcissism" is. You're just dropping buzz words at this point.

And again, you can only go off what people who actually KNOW the person have to say and she no reputation for being egotistical or selfish or lacking empathy or trying to control the people in her life. Even her ex-boyfriends all mostly have nice things to say about her on those fronts and thats typically where you'd hear anything close to that. The people that work for her describe her as being a kind and caring person to work for. You should stop using words you don't know the meaning of.

If you want to get into the emissions thing, then you might as well pick a fight with all of Hollywood and a huge chunk of elected Democrats because they all use jets to make long trips. And while you are at it, don't ever drive another gas powered car. Don't ever use electricity that is connected to fossil fuels in any way, shape or form. Don't ever order anything that has to be delivered by mail. Don't ever buy anything that involves the production of cement or steel because manufacturing those materials are enormous contributors to carbon emissions. And make sure you become vegan, because the production of livestock is also one of the biggest contributors... and if you do become vegan, make sure you check every vegan alternative you buy because the process for those things is pretty terrible for the cause of keeping down carbon as well. If you don't do all of the above, you are a hypocrite.

I don't worship anyone or anything. But unless there is some dark secret we don't know about, then Taylor Swift is a good person who does good things with the fruits of her success.

[SamuelTheThird]

93. Argumentum ad absurdum

Her emissions (flying back and forth in a private jet to see her bf) vastly eclipse(d) what an ordinary person uses. Thats why she's been criticized by climate scientists.

It sounds like you don't think climate change is a problem, and you're using a ridiculous argument to ignore the fact that emissions are vastly disproportionate relative to wealth

I don't even own a car, so I feel reasonably comfortably with my CO2 footprint. What else you got?

[FascismIsDeath]

94. Climate change is obviously an apocalyptic problem and the fact is, we fucked up already and its likely too late.

But the carbon emissions problem wasn't created by Taylor Swift. It was created by DECADES of collective use of fossil fuel based power by ordinary people. All of us who are on fossil fuel based grids, who utilize fossil fuel based transportation, directly or indirectly, who buy products that consume fossil fuels to produce and those of us who consume livestock as part of our diet, you put a few billion of us together on one planet and have us all doing that everyday, THAT is why we have this problem. Taylor Swift jetting around is a drop of water in a whole ocean full of contributions that created this catastrophe and governments all around the world, bought and paid for by big fossil fuel interests sat on their hands and refused to take action that would mitigate the damage. THAT is where the blame lies. And you're just lying to yourself if you actually believe you haven't participated in that with most of the rest of the planet. Anyone who has embraced the modern world has.

If Taylor Swift never even existed and the US and Canada and a few western allies did everything right for the last 20 years, we'd still have a climate catastrophe on our hands if you don't get India and China and the rest of the world on board. Its called GLOBAL warming for a reason. Taylor Swift not using a jet would never have made an iota of a difference.

You're just nitpicking for anything you can find to hysterically and irrationally criticize a woman you don't like. And I would bet most of us see right through it, which is why you continue to get absolutely nowhere with your arguments.

[SamuelTheThird]

95. Wrongo

A new study published in Nature Climate Change quantifies the climate outcomes of these inequalities. It finds that the world's wealthiest 10% are responsible for two thirds of observed global warming since 1990

[FascismIsDeath]

96. You should've actually read the study (that you didn't even bother linking to)

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41558-025-02325-x#Sec5

Here is a sentence in the "Discussion" section of the study that essentially summarizes everything I said..

"Wealth-based emissions comprise private consumption and investment in capital formation across production sectors that supply goods and services consumed by society. Recognizing the associated unequal warming contributions can inform policy interventions."

And a few paragraphs later...

"Similarly, the warming attributable to the investments of the wealthy underscores the need to realign financial flows to meet global climate goals32. This is particularly relevant for the wealthiest 1% and 0.1%, whose transboundary contributions to worsening local extremes arise primarily through investments, rather than consumption."

In other words, its EXACTLY what I said, governments bought and paid for by big money interests... they are saying the exact same thing in this study. The wealthy invested in big fossil fuels and big agriculture and big transportation and manufacturing technologies and they also used their wealth to buy off governments from standing in the way of them profiting from those investments which, as the study says "supply goods and services consumed by society", in other words.... all of us, continuing to buy their shit, mostly because we don't have another choice if we want to continue existing in the modern world.

[Ellipsis]

99. A fond welcome to DU.

[FascismIsDeath]

100. Thanks... I've been a faithful lurker for many years though.

DU is the best repository for news, I've probably been lurking since the 2004 election.

[orangecrush]

13. Bovine excrement

[betsuni]

15. These pretzels are making me thirsty.

[Captain Zero]

16. When you get a poke, you take a peep.

You don't go staring at the Sun!!

[xmas74]

17. That's been discussed and shown as mostly false

The rumors were recently proven to have been started by overseas troll farms. I think it was The Guardian who stated it. As to her music-she's told them in the past to stop and they don't. She's always been a big target of Trump's.
Also, the other thing always mentioned is that supposedly Kelce is MAGA. He was the first white guy in the NFL to take a knee in support of his black teammates. He advertised for Pfizer and the covid vaccine during the pandemic. He and his brother Jason both made it clear during their careers that they not only support the LGBTQIA community but that if a gay player were playing on their team they'd support and befriend him. Jason's wife stated that they weren't allowed to discuss politics due to their contracts but that the entire family has always voted Democratic.

I'm not a Swiftie. I don't really listen to her music but in live in the KC area and have heard the crap said about her. It's pretty nasty at times. As to running around with Mahomes- sports wives. She's learning the game, learning the area and what to expect, though I honestly think Travis is about done. I fully expect him to retire at the end of the season.

[Oneironaut]

76. Thank you for a level-headed, non-toxic takedown of the OP's post.

[BlueTsunami2018]

18. She doesn't need to be MAGA to not be on your side.

She’s a billionaire pop star and very brand conscious. She’s not going to do anything risky in that area. After all, none of this has any effect on her whatsoever. There’s no reason for her to care.

[DoBW]

19. nice try

[Ellipsis]

20. I call bullshit. Naive fuckin' bullshit.

[Takket]

23. she literally endorsed Harris..........

and you'll forgive me if I say the OP reeks of a right-wing trolling attempt

[FascismIsDeath]

25. And Biden before that. And Phil Bredesen (Dem who ran against Blackburn) before that.

And I agree with your suspicions on the OP.

[Coolgoober]

26. I'm With You Takket

[niyad]

28. Some people like to stir excrement. They hope we don't have long memories.

[GP6971]

40. Oh, but we do have long memories!

[niyad]

41. Yes, we do!

[demmiblue]

60. +1

This one has been on my sus radar for awhile. 🧐

[niyad]

72. "I have a little list. . ."

[Coolgoober]

31. Not To Mention

All you have to do is listen to her (Swift), she's not a hater!

[Maru Kitteh]

39. Nailed it. nt

[SamuelTheThird]

48. Yes, Im right wing because I think she should fucking criticize ICE for using her music

Makes sense.

[ms liberty]

65. So you demand she produce art that complies with your specifications, because well, YOU want it

Yea, art doesn't really work like that, and neither do artists.

You want a song about ICE on demand? Write, record, produce and release one yourself. Without AI.

[SamuelTheThird]

85. I said nothing about creating a song

I said she should criticize ICE, ie releasing a statement like other artists have.

There's a saying silence is complicity, when referring to fascism.

[demmiblue]

61. +1

[niyad]

27. Oh my, are we bored this evening?

[oasis]

29. No MAGA stench on Taylor. Take it from me I

can smell a MAGAt a mile away. 😉

[NBachers]

30. Have you read anything about her sending money to MS13?

[Prairie Gates]

32. This is a deeply manipulative and false post

Readers would be best to ignore this nonsense.

[niyad]

42. But I can always use something to sharpen my claws!

[True Dough]

33. Taylor Swift hasn't donated every cent of her wealth to Democratic causes

Therefore she is failing the left!

I am doing it right, OP?

[H2O Man]

34. THE SKY IS FALLING!

A crisis in faith!

If the OP is serious, I'd put it just below the Marx brothers for comic genius.

[ZDU]

35. Powerful women will always be attacked...

Oh hell, let's simply face it.... people will always be attacked simply for being feminine or presenting feminine traits. Powerful women threaten some people.
(Don't attempt to engage me. I'm not in an argumentative space.)
Peace

[Coolgoober]

36. NICE ZDU

[ZDU]

38. TY CG

[SamuelTheThird]

45. This is a discussion forum last I checked

You don't get to just throw an accusation of misogyny and not expect a response. lol

I think criticizing a calculating billionaire is fair game. Imputing some sort of "hatred of women' to me is laughable, particularly since I previously praised (in contrast to Swift) Billie Eilish for actually criticizing billionaires like zuckerburg to their faces.

[rubbersole]

58. As a discussion forum...

..can we discuss the water temperature in the shallow end of the kiddie pool?

[MarineCombatEngineer]

74. Or one's smarts at the shallow end of the Gene Pool.

[ZDU]

78. Ohhhhh... so comfy!

[flvegan]

37. Taylor Swift needed a "new market segment" in MAGA? Doubtful.

I don't think I've ever heard a word or chord of her music, nor could I care less about her dating escapades. However, even I know she's the most popular music person on the planet (or something like that). I doubt she's wanting for what one might consider an untapped market segment.

For all anyone knows, she's been quietly funneling millions of dollars to democrats. Just because someone isn't taking credit or blathering endlessly about it on social media doesn't mean it didn't happen.

I'm not defending anyone nor their billionaire status. I just think this is a bad take.

[SamuelTheThird]

46. 'For all anyone knows, she's been quietly funneling millions of dollars to democrats'

You mean Swift is involved in dark money contributions? Because otherwise it is public record

[flvegan]

56. LOL. Yup, I'm done here.

Some discussions aren't worth the effort.

[SamuelTheThird]

89. I mean you said something demonstrably wrong

Donations to candidates are public information

[Dear_Prudence]

43. She's avoiding the Streisand effect? nt

[BigMin28]

44. Perhaps

Ms.Swift let her attorneys speak for her. She is a smart woman.

[Doodley]

51. This is a right-wing talking point. Complete and utter BS.

[MorbidButterflyTat]

53. Yes.

I remember Piggy's enlightening and riveting post on his plagiarized twitter:

"I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT!"

So mature and presidential!

MAGAts just hate successful, talented, beautiful women they can't buy or control. Boo hoo.

[SamuelTheThird]

88. It's a right wing talking point that she should criticize ICE?

Link me to some right wingers who want her criticizing ICE. I'll wait.

[Doodley]

102. It's a right wing talking point to suggest TS is in any way MAGA or supportive of MAGA. Trump did it first

then other MAGAs followed.

[Melon]

57. They wish this would happen.

[demmiblue]

62. You Need To Calm Down

[ms liberty]

66. Excellent reply choice!

And includes DU's most favorite sign ever, lol!

[ThreeNoSeep]

63. I question the motivation of this post

Ignore is my next move.

[DoBW]

64. smell that? ..that maga sh*t smell?

smell it?

[Oneironaut]

70. The OP likely just saw disinformation, which we all need to make conscious effort to avoid.

It isn’t always easy unfortunately. Reddit especially is full of complete bs that people make up on a whim. I don’t think the OP has ulterior motives, but, the source of this information might have.

[ThreeNoSeep]

75. Possibly.

I find most people know exactly what they are doing when it comes to these sorts of "mistakes".

Then again, if someone showed up at a potluck with a big pile of steaming feces in a casserole dish, it's possible they did so by mistake, but I still wouldn't invite them to the next gathering.

[JI7]

97. Right, the way they are referring to her as billionaire

and tryng to lump her in with certain types shows this agenda.

[SocialDemocrat61]

68. This Taylor Swift?

[Oneironaut]

69. I really don't think so and hope not, but, I hope you continue to post.

Also I agree with your last line.

[MarineCombatEngineer]

71. Yeeaahh, I'm sending this one to where it belongs,

the Trash Bin.

[MarineCombatEngineer]

73. Before I send this to the deserved garbage bin,

you should really delete that shit, as you can see by the comments, it went over like a lead balloon, that should tell you something.

Stop doubling down on this nonsense and hit the delete this thread button.
Jus' sayin'.

[Torchlight]

77. Sounds serious

Good luck.

[KLK1972]

79. Haters gonna hate, hate, hate

Hope she shakes it off.

[MineralMan]

80. LOL! Don't think so.

But, then, I don't look to Reddit for factual information. Nope.

Now, I have another source not to bother with.

[Samael13]

81. Im not gonna argue if she is or isn't

Truth is none of us know her personal beliefs just her public ones. But as for the different people associated with football being around her. She is dating a football player and that means she's gonna be around people from players to sports podcasters both liberal and conservative but people pay attention to the conservative ones. Kelce probably is around her music industry friends also but we don't see that cause he isn't as big of a pop culture phenomenon. I don't care for her music and dislike billionaires in general but I can't stand unsubstantiated accusations.

[Rebl2]

82. FFS

Leave her alone

[Quiet Em]

83. Good grief. If Taylor Swift is your biggest concern

then things must be going quite well in your life.

Unreal.

[SamuelTheThird]

86. Bringing up something doesn't mean it's one's biggest concern

But celeb culture did help trump get elected, so it isn't exactly irrelevant.

You can look at my journal and see I bring up economic issues, climate change, epstein and other things as well

[BannonsLiver]

84. LOL how silly.

Reminds me of the jump to conclusions game from Office Space.

[Skittles]

101. so tired of hearing about Taylor Swift and her boyfriend

WHY is she always in the news?

[walkingman]

103. You know why....because she is a very popular public figure with a huge fan-base and following.

I view her the same way I viewed the Beatles in my day. Everyone paid attention to everything one of the Beatles said or did. They were the definition of celebrity.

Im the case of Taylor Swift - I couldn't tell you a single song she sings and yet I know about her and her boyfriend simply because she is a HUGE celebrity. More than likely you might be the same.

Another example for me is Matthew McConaughey - I live in Texas, he is from Texas, he recently spoke of becoming a political figure....many people think of him as a viable candidate....and yet he would not declare if he was a Repub or Dem...that told me he was simply being a politician who didn't want to alienate anyone from supporting him....not the kind of politician I would support.

[Aussie105]

104. One of the biggest failings in American society.

Is to assume someone in the limelight for any reason is also noteworthy on a topic outside that person's range of talent.

Conan the Barbarian (Arnold Schwarzenegger) as politician nor 'The Apprentice' guy (Trump) as politician bring any magic talent to those roles because they are well known in other areas.

Taylor's opinion on politics, if so stated, is no more worthy of being more valuable and of note than that of anyone else.

Think better, people!

[sir pball]

105. While I certainly don't think she has any MAGA leanings at all

She is (understandably) a brand-first person, and her brand is meant to be as uncontroversial and wide-reaching as possible. She does good works, and says good things, but isn't super front-and-center vocal about it…

…in other words, she ain't no Lady Gaga.

[NoMoreRepugs]

106. Amazing how bullshit posts stir things up here at DU - have to love the passion displayed here.

[sheshe2]

107. Yeah, right.

She is a real MAGA isn't she.


Taylor Swift Gives Big Bonuses to Her Eras Tour Staff

Taylor Swift is sharing the success of her historic Eras Tour with the people who helped bring it to life.

As the global tour continued through 2025, the pop superstar awarded substantial bonuses to members of her touring crew, including six-figure payouts to some staffers. The gesture quickly drew praise from fans and industry insiders alike, further cementing Swift’s reputation for looking out for the people behind the scenes of her massive productions.

According to CNN Business, Swift directed $100,000 bonuses to truck drivers who spent months transporting the tour’s elaborate stage setups across cities and countries. The drivers’ demanding schedules often kept them on the road for extended stretches, making the payouts especially notable in an industry where contract labor is the norm and bonuses of that size are rare.

https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/music/articles/taylor-swift-gives-big-bonuses-172411091.html

Taylor Swift surprises Arrowhead Stadium employee with hefty Christmas tip

An employee at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri, revealed on a Taylor Swift fan Facebook group on Sunday that she encountered Swift, Travis Kelce and his mom, Donna Kelce, during her shift at the Chiefs' Christmas Day game, and was surprised when Swift handed her an extremely unexpected tip.

The employee, Robyn Gentry, wrote of Swift, "She was running around telling everyone merry Christmas and came towards me, saying thank you so much for working on Christmas, please take this, Merry Christmas. My mind just froze. Of course I said Merry Christmas and thank you so much."

"Travis and her were smiling so big and just kept saying merry Christmas, thank you for working Christmas," Gentry continued. "But then they were gone and I stopped to look at what was in my hand.... $600. My whole paycheck for two weeks. I had just dropped that much for Christmas for 8 kids. I immediately started crying."

https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/celebrity/articles/taylor-swift-surprises-arrowhead-stadium-204325564.html

So much evil out there in MAGA Land and we have to diss Swift now? She is no MAGA and the posters on Reddit? They can bite me.

[Emrys]

109. Taylor Swift gives over $2 million to various charities in holiday donation spree

The American Heart Association, Feeding America, ACM Lifting Lives and MusiCares all thanked the pop superstar for opening her purse strings this Christmas.

https://www.nbcnews.com/pop-culture/pop-culture-news/taylor-swift-gives-2-million-various-charities-holiday-donation-spree-rcna250812

She also ensured that food banks at every location she visited during her Eras tour benefited handsomely, some saying that her donations had ensured their survival for another year.

But some bozo on the internet has a bee in his pants about her and feels in need of attention, so she's obviously evil incarnate.

[mzmolly]

108. Sounds like a bunch of unsubstantiated

gossip to me.

Just because she's not spending every moment criticizing MAGA, doesn't mean she's 'moving towards' them.

https://www.businessinsider.com/taylor-swift-politics-endorsements-timeline

[Emrys]

111. Taylor Swift's Last Album Sparked Bizarre Accusations of Nazism. It Was a Coordinated Attack

Data analysis of social media posts painting the singer as a Trump supporter or white supremacist revealed a network of inauthentic accounts

...
Soon, online discussion of the [The Life of a Showgirl] album turned extreme in ways that many found bewildering. There were social media posts accusing Swift of implicitly endorsing the MAGA movement, trad-wife gender norms, and even white supremacy with dogwhistle references. While the far-right have been known to claim the singer as an icon of “Aryan” greatness despite her record of championing Democrats and liberal values — and President Trump himself has blithely and disingenuously shared AI-generated imagery depicting her as a supporter — this was a noticeably divergent trend, an apparent attempt to cancel Swift for those presumed affiliations. The attacks largely focused on specific word choices (her use of the term “savage” on the song “Eldest Daughter” was interpreted as racist) and symbols (a necklace for sale on her website stirred up Nazi comparisons because its lightning bolt charms bore a passing resemblance to the bolt pattern worn by the SS).

These ridiculous charges led Swifties to bemoan the current political climate, admonishing left-leaning commentators for going overboard in their attempts to identify signs of cryptofascism in Swift’s work. “It’s depressing because reactions like these end up making everyone who genuinely cares about social progress look ridiculous,” wrote one fan on Reddit. “The more exaggerated the discourse becomes, the more it plays directly into the right’s narrative that liberals are hysterical, moralizing, and incapable of nuance.”

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What Swift’s defenders didn’t realize, however, was that they were pushing back against a false narrative that had been seeded and amplified by a small network of inauthentic social accounts. Worse, they were helping to disseminate those bad-faith allegations by earnestly engaging with them.

That’s according to new research from GUDEA, a behavioral intelligence startup that tracks how such reputation-damaging claims emerge and go viral on the internet. In a white paper examining more than 24,000 posts and 18,000 accounts across 14 digital platforms between Oct. 4 (the day after The Life of a Showgirl came out) and Oct. 18, shared first with Rolling Stone, the firm concluded that just 3.77 percent of accounts drove 28 percent of the conversation around Swift and the album during that period. This cluster of evidently coordinated accounts pushed the most inflammatory Swift content, including conspiracy theories about her supposed Nazi allusions, callouts for her theoretical MAGA ties, and posts that framed her relationship with fiancé Travis Kelce as inherently conservative or “trad,” with all of this framed as leftist critique.

Once the provocations were injected into the Swift discourse — often they appeared in edgier online forums like 4chan or KiwiFarms before migrating to popular social apps — they were organically sustained by the people challenging them on mainstream platforms. This, in turn, algorithmically reinforced their visibility. “The false narrative that Taylor Swift was using Nazi symbolism did not remain confined to fringe conspiratorial spaces; it successfully pulled typical users into comparisons between Swift and Kanye West,” the researchers wrote. “This demonstrates how a strategically seeded falsehood can convert into widespread authentic discourse, reshaping public perception even when most users do not believe the origin

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/taylor-swifts-social-media-campaign-life-of-a-showgirl-1235480646/

I might have made this reply an OP, but enough already.