Taylor Swift vs Kanye West, the Ultimate Political Paradox?

Today I'm going to have a look at the recent political drama surrounding Taylor Swift, now presumed by many to be left-leaning, and her long-time critic Kanye West, now known to be a proud supporter of President Donald Trump.

Taylor the Progressive vs Kanye the Conservative? Surprise, Surprise!

We need to put this all in context. Just this time last year, Kanye West was a favourite among self-described progressives, who have seen Kanye as one of them ever since he criticised President Bush back in 2005. When Kanye started to proclaim his support for President Trump earlier this year, it disappointed many progressives. Some have even asked themselves if they should still like his music. Which is absurd, because his music has nothing to do with politics. On the other hand, Taylor Swift was often considered to be probably conservative by many people. Over the years, I have read many articles and casual comments from progressives, saying that Taylor Swift was the musical equaivalent of John McCain, whatever that meant; that she wasn't a good feminist, whatever that meant; and even that she probably didn't support gay marriage, which has been of course proven wrong last week. Conservatives also seemed to think that Taylor was likely one of their own, heaping praise on her family friendly style as far back as her second album in 2009. Needless to say, Taylor coming out to endorse two Democrats was taken as a very pleasant surprise by progressives, while conservatives have generally been disappointed. When President Trump now says he likes Taylor 25% less, I think many conservatives can't help but share his sentiment there.

But should we really have been surprised?

But let's look at all this from a cool-headed, centrist perspective, because that's what we always do here on this show. By the way, if you have any further thoughts you want to provide, please drop me a comment so we can continue this interesting conversation. From what I have observed, the fact is, we actually didn't know much about Taylor or Kanye's politics until this year. Quite a few people have assumed Taylor to be right-leaning, or Kanye to be left-leaning, based on their own prejudices, nothing more. It was always an assumption based on prejudice, based on stereotyping. The fact that Taylor did country music and presented a more traditional lifestyle didn't mean she was conservative politically, and the fact that Kanye criticised President Bush didn't mean he was necessarily left-leaning. In recent years, both progressives and conservatives have been too easily swayed by the aesthetics of personalities and ideas, and this has affected our ability to think rationally. Perhaps the twin political surprises of Taylor and Kanye are just what we need most, right now. The fact that people are surprised by Taylor and Kanye's politics says a lot about how prejudiced and irrational people have become, more than anything else.

Let's start treating Individuals as Individuals

So how can we become more rational? We need to start treating individuals as individuals, rather than stereotypes. We need to respect that individuals are unique in all sorts of ways, and that can be a good thing. This is one of the biggest themes of my work. Real freedom is based on respect for individual differences. We need to accept that the people we like aren't always going to be exactly like ourselves, because everyone is unique. For a start, progressives need to be able to respect Kanye's right to his political views without feeling differently about his music; and conservatives need to do the same about Taylor Swift. Right now, many conservatives may feel like liking Taylor 25% less, but there's really no reason to do so, because Taylor Swift is a musician, not a politician. Her politics do not matter. Furthermore, conservatives who can't agree with Taylor's politics can still praise her relatively family friendly style, like they did back in 2009. Nothing has changed in that regard. Similarly, there's no reason for progressives to stop listening to Kanye's music, if they were previously into that. His music hasn't changed.

Hello by Adele for 2016 MTV VMAs! (And please don't let it be Famous by Kanye)

The nomination for this year's MTV Video Music Awards are in, and they are...

Hello by Adele
Formation by Beyonce
Hotline Bling by Drake
Sorry by Justin Bieber
Famous by Kanye West

You know, I love Hello. Here it is:


And I even made a cover (or parody) about the supposed 'other side of the story':



So Hello is definitely my choice.

I wouldn't be disappointed if Beyonce, Justin Bieber or Drake win though. On the other hand, I believe we should all protest loudly if that misogynist piece of crap called Famous wins. I believe, at least, all the Swifties out there would agree with me. It would be, among other things, the ultimate put down of Taylor Swift.

Taylor Swift vs Kanye West and Kim Kardashian: Is it Really #TaylorSwiftOverParty or Not?

Ever since Kim Kardashian's release of those SnapChat coversations between Taylor Swift and Kanye West, there has been polarised discussion, not only regarding whether the Kimye version was a true reflection of events, but also regarding whether Taylor Swift is 'fake and calculating', as some commentators have put it. Some anti-Taylor commentators have even (perhaps prematurely) said that Taylor's image is coming apart, that fans will now desert her.

TaraElla: So like all stories, there are now two version of events. And I am inclined to back Taylor's, on the overall evidence. It was stupid for Kanye to come up with his idea anyway, of revisiting those events in 2009. Taylor has been the victim of bullying in this event, and in anything relating to this event, I believe Taylor deserves to be believed more than Kanye. (A potential 'conflict of interest' declaration here: I was a major supporter of Taylor Swift's claim to those awards back in 2009, as readers of my blog and column may remember.)

Katie: But doesn't this all go back to the long-standing accusation that Taylor Swift has been fake all along? I mean, would the real Taylor Swift please stand up? It's almost like in the You Belong With Me music video, except that there has been more than two of her. For example, there's country princess Taylor, there's the Taylor from the Begin Again video, there's the Taylor we see now, and I think there have been more Taylors in between. All these seem like different people to me. In the beginning, when I only saw one single Taylor Swift, I quite liked her. But now? I really don't know if I like her, because, I don't really like ALL the Taylors I have seen. If she doesn't address this problem soon enough, it will eventually be #TaylorSwiftOverParty whether involving Kimye or not.

Jess: I'm with Katie here. If so many people think that Taylor is fake, and she cannot prove otherwise, then her authenticity deserves to be doubted. This is not to say Kim and Kanye are to be trusted either. I don't think Taylor's career is over or anything like that however. People like her, and don't care whether she's fake or not. I even read an article somewhere saying that Taylor Swift is a brilliant popstar because she is fake.

TaraElla: I guess people can change over time. That doesn't necessarily prove that they are fake. I've heard it all before, but I've yet to see evidence that Taylor Swift is indeed fake in any way.

Katie: But take, for example, her attitude on feminism. It was not long ago that she said it was not about 'boys vs girls'. Now she's soooooo feminist. It doesn't look believable to me.

Jess: Maybe she's just been 'educated'? I don't know, I'm just saying it's possible. Some people may do this. Still, with Taylor Swift, I don't have the confidence that she is acting real.

TaraElla: I guess you two may have a point about Taylor, at least that she may have 'confused' many people with her rapid personality changes. Maybe she should address this. Still, I tend to see this as an extension of 2009, Kanye as the bully and Taylor as the victim. You have to remember that it was a Kanye song that started it all, too.

From Yeezus to Sheezus

Lily Allen will release a new album later this year, and now it has a name. One that we never would have imagined.

Lily has apparently named the new album Sheezus, like Kanye West's 2013 album Yeezus but with the first letter changed.

"It's a confident title choice - and a little nod to Kanye West," she told The Graham Norton Show.

What a surprise!

Anyway, here's one of our favourite Lily Allen hits ever:

A Baby Named North West

It has been reported that Kanye West and Kim Kardashian have named their baby North West.

Is that even a name? I have been asking this question, and so have many people. I have to say it's a decision I really don't agree with. Some have even called for names like these to be banned.

However, I recognise that everyone has the right to do what they think is right. Therefore, we'll just have to accept the parents' choice. Or else, we will turn out like Sweden, where all baby names have to be government approved. I'd prefer our present system any day.

By TaraElla (News, Website)