Generally speaking, life is pretty good for musician Taylor Swift. Having sold over 40 million albums, Swift has amassed a fortune of nearly $300 million in her young career. At only 27 years old, one can only imagine how much she will eventually earn in her lifetime.
Of course, with fame and fortune also comes public scrutiny. As one of the biggest stars in the country, Swift has her fair share of critics. However, unlike many celebrities, she attempts to keep her private life out of the public eye. Similarly, while many of her peers are lecturing audiences on how to vote, Swift has mostly kept a tight lip when it comes to her political persuasion as well.While most people understand a person’s political beliefs are a private matter, others believe Swift’s silence unacceptable. In fact, according to one writer at the Daily Beast, Swift has an obligation to tell us who she voted for. And by the way, it better not have been Donald Trump.
From Bizpac Review:To her eternal credit, pop superstar Taylor Swift has so far declined to step into the political arena and do what virtually all her musical counterparts have done – join the #Resistance against President Trump.
Last year, Swift tweeted a picture of herself voting, but noticeably failed to mention who she was voting for.Which prompted The Daily Beast’s Kevin Fallon to pen an entire article castigating Swift for her supposedly tacit approval of then-candidate Trump.
Because all the cool pop stars support Hilly!
“Well, look who finally acknowledged that there’s an election,” Fallon wrote. “Yep, Beyoncé gave her #ImWithHer speech. Madonna performed her last-minute Hillary concert in New York’s Washington Square Park. J. Lo brought Clinton onstage at a concert. Lady Gaga donned the Michael Jackson jacket to make her final pleas, the Boss rocked his rallies, and Katy Perry basically hasn’t stopped singing. All of the music industry’s biggest stars have spent the last week in a veritable musical blitz for Hillary Clinton. But all anyone wants to know is who Taylor Swift voted for.”With Swift set to release her new album, she is again being attacked for not speaking out against Trump:
Oh.
My.
God.@ahzimm, seek help. it's going to be okhttps://t.co/eMupIpSfNr pic.twitter.com/1CgG8uTAwf— David Rutz (@DavidRutz) August 25, 2017
Predictably, Twitter didn’t react well to the criticism:
The New McCarthyites are out in force. "Have you ever voted for a Republican?!?"
— Steve Kirby (@Skinny_Steve_A1) August 25, 2017
Good lord what a lunatic
— Greg (@crowbro19) August 25, 2017
— Eric Johnson #ORPUW (@Ejbocfan) August 25, 2017
Wow this is nuts
— ME (@otheredtoo) August 25, 2017
Here’s a thought: maybe Taylor Swift doesn’t find it wise to alienate a large portion of her fan base. After all, it’s statistically likely that at least half of Swift’s following supported President Trump’s candidacy. Perhaps she finds that more important than the opinion of the liberal geniuses at the Daily Beast.
In reality, Swift’s silence on politics is a refreshing change of pace. Every facet of American life, from late-night comedy, Hollywood, and music, to ESPN and boxing, has been tainted by canned liberal talking points. For once, at least one musician understands that we don’t need to hear her about her political affiliation. Preferably, Taylor Swift should keep it that way.
[Note: This post was authored by Michael Lee. Follow him on Twitter @UAMichaelLee]
