i legit saw something that said, "the world's first ethical billionaire!" and, i just started wondering when we, as a society, forgot basic critical thinking.
i am tired of swifties jumping at everyone calling her out for this and making excuses for her. there are no excuses, no one should be a billionaire, no one should be a millionaire either, it's unethical, it's bad, no one should have that amount of money, no one deserves to have that amount of money.
@@sateliteschinos How can you "not deserve it" if you in a free and open market provided a billion dollars worth of value to hundreds of millions of fans who FREELY CHOSE to spend their money on your products and services? Should like, VISA and BANKS say "Oh I'm sorry, you've sold too many records, you have to stop now... no one is ALLOWED to have this much success!" WTF seriously your logic is non existent
Let’s give her a minute to see how she spends it. First her talent earned this. She gave large donations to food banks at every city she played on Eras first leg. No other big act has ever done this ever!!!!! The Rolling Stones never gave away anything, but Taylor who has invented giving her crew life changing bonus amounts is a bad guy???? After a year tour none of the other big acts gave their crews anything like the $100,000 bonus each that Taylor gave. She has a huge fortune. Let’s see what she does with it. In the meantime let’s hear about what has Elton John given away? Mick Jagger? Rhianna? Beyoncé and jay Z have given some of their wealth away But not much.
@@bonnieflynn4798 No other? The delusion is real... Bey supports 27 different charities, Riri raised $5 million fundraising for a ball and supports other charity program, Elton John donated $38 million in 2016 alone, Bruno Mars donated $1 million throughout his 24K Magic world tour, and you can't compare anyone with how much MJ donated which even break Guinness world record with over $500 million
@taniasatyavati8960 Have these people not heard of Dolly Parton? An article reported she could be a billionaire, but she donates so much of her money to causes that she stays a millionaire. Taylor could do the same.
A billionaire has no right to be selling "Too soft for all of it" tshirts. You don't become a billionaire by shutting your eyes and hiding, it takes active, tactile and ice cold decision making.
“no right” wtf is this 😭😭😭she has the freedom of speech imagine telling someone who is poor that they couldn’t say something that would rile everyone’s tail feathers
Almost all merch is made or even the fashion industry itself thrives on making a lot of money by using underpaid workers working for extremely long hours mostly belonging to developing nations were they get a lot of cheap labour plus which has a relatives high unemployment rate and most of or if all celebrities know this so exploitation does not mean it's not bad if it's not targeted at the fans when you'll indirectly supporting a system that thrives on exploitation and Taylor swift is also not a expection from this logic with just the sheer amount of merch she pumps out with each album release
"You are not a progressive person if you have a billion dollars and you are doing nothing to redistribute it. That is aggressive capitalist behaviour." SCREAM THIS LOUDER.
@MsLittlewords that I agree. Her being a billionaire includes her music catalogue, properties etc. It’s so much more than pure cash. I do blame the over consumption and how she pushes it
@MsLittlewords Fans consumerism aside, TS could be slowing her carbon footprint, start programs, make donations that benefit underprivileged, sell better, sustainable merch.
@MsLittlewords I don't buy merch either or albums, but I would never hassle anyone who has the money to. Everyone has the right to spend their money the way they wish. It's helped the economy, so be it.
If you made $1 every second, it would take you 31 years to become a billionaire. It would take 12.5 days to become a millionaire. Good way to conceptualize how much money a billion dollars really is
It’s hard for our brains to conceptualize big numbers Someone who is a million seconds old is an 11 day old baby. A newborn. Less than two weeks old. A million seconds. A *million,* reduced down to a tiny scale. Someone who is a billion seconds old is a 31.5 year old tax paying adult A billion is a giant number. It’s inconceivable.
Literally. People who go well Rihanna is a billionaire poc with Beyonce 🤭🤪🤪 and it's like... We shouldn't be proud of them. Because the large majority of POC in the West live in poverty.
I don't approve of billionaires and of Taylor's hypocrisy towards this topic but just to point out, a billion dollar valuation doesn't mean you have 1b in cash, it has to do with how much you and all your assets are worth, if you were to sell everything right now. It's like having a stock with your name on it
Why should she?? The next generations can inherit her wealth.. She doesn’t owe anyone giving away her money.. I believe in targeted charity rather than thoughtlessly donating it left and right.. All of these 3rd world countries are poor because all of their governments and institutions are highly corrupted and couldn’t care less abou their people ... (speaking someone who grew up in several of those) To think celebrities are to blame for it is a pleasant but extremely dangerous delusion…
The merch point is so interesting. She could be such a role model developing thoughtful merch, made ethically in the US. Also, making fewer but better pieces. A lot of her merch is pretty unattractive.
I think a lot of people forget that you've literally been to her house, met Andrea and Scott, like met Taylor multiple times--absurd that people still come for you. You're a real one for this video and I love your journalistic style. Realistic Swifties unite ✊
Did you forget that he got into her house by LYING to Andrea.... ? And that Taylor Swfit would be horrified by this passive-agressive trash channel run by a parasite exploiting her hard work and fame? Imagine knowing millions of devoted fans would give anything to have one-on-one time with Taylor at her house, to have a personal conversation and photo with her.... and this is how he repays her kindness and attention. Digusting.... now I know what she means when she says "EVERYONE WILL BETRAY YOU."
Journalism😂 try opinion piece. And they’re all wrong. Destined for the landfill? How bout that shirt you’re wearing and that swiftie cup and ALL the other merch u own destined for the landfill. How do you spell hypocrisy again?
@@ChandlerDoyle it eventually will end up in a landfill. from it getting old and too small and you throwing it in the bin or what they do if something doesn’t sell and there is leftover garments- throw it in the bin!!!
She didn’t need to take 50% royalties on that Olivia rodrigo song that didn’t even sound like the same at all, that was so weird. Bad optics for a 1) billionaire who 2) supports other women
She didn't need to release physical albums of her remastered remade TV albums either. Wasn't the point to redo it to own rights for future licencing to ads, soundtracks and to switch all her streaming platforms with her version of the albums? She didn't need to make physical albums for sale, and yet she did, right? (Or were they all digit albums only? Google makes it seem like she made physical albums). And not only her fandom is loyal but her victim narrative against Scooter, just to spite him propelled how many albums sales amassing those 4 albums?? I wouldn't be surprised if she earned a hefty profit with that shtick. Sometimes I wonder if reselling 4 albums gave her more revenue than the eras tour.
@@LovelyLittleLillies The whole master debacle is actually unnecessary because she got offered before anyone else, but her greed knows buying old albums would gain little (slow sales since almost her fans already have those) for her. So instead she makes another victim narrative, which generates a totally new sales for old songs, rejuvenate her relevancy while releasing new albums to boost her career image. The sudden commercial success and clout she never really had before prompt her to ride the wave and launch another tour, followed by another album, it's like she's starve for acknowledgement and attention and so anxious to become irrelevant as she got older (her own words in one of the documentary iirc) It's like she never really grow up, it became more apparent when she accepts Olivia 50% credit while stays silent about it, letting her fans shred Olivia 💀
As a BIG Rihanna fan, I have the same criticisms of her. Her Fenty Savage line is awful for the environment and the sweatshop workers she uses. It’s more important as fans of creators to not look over our favourite artists faults and to hold them accountable. Yes I stream Riri, and yes I know she’s done A LOT of good too, but I refuse to partake in her damaging brands.
The difference between TSwift and Rihanna though is that TSwift has strategically targeted middle- and upper-income white women. The biggest consumers in the world. It was way more obvious during 2006 to 2016 (also the time when I was a Swiftie) and it was a big reason why the KKK were fans of TSwift up until she started realizing it was hurting her brand and she then started posting political posts around 2016 while superficially also hiring a more diverse team. I say superficially because the structure of her brand still targets privileged white women which is a long discussion for another day. Part of my graduate research was originally on using her as an example as how celebrities should do altruism, only for me to now use her as what not to be/do. There have been several black activists who have spoken out about her but were bullied so badly by white swifties a lot of them have removed their papers/articles and likely too scared to speak out. That can't exist with Rihanna's brand do to her fan base demographics.
My dad worked with her Dad during the 90s before they moved to TN...When asked he always says the same thing - Mr Swift is a SHARK in the boardroom. He is a brilliant businessman and has passed that down to his daugther who has beaten him at his own game. She had the best mentor when it comes to business. She knows what she is doing. Everything you have said in this video is 1000% on par.
Her father still is working with her. I'm sure most of her most successful business moves, including the masters' debacle, came from her father. He's a shareholder, he knows the numbers and can see how much less they would made if they bought the masters. So they went the rerecording route, which catapulted her relevancy to its peak. Mix his savviness with Taylor's usual victim card, ultra-protective and blinded cult, and we have the perfect recipe for 'success'. No wonder Taylor is and always will be insecure about her career and success, it's because deep down she knows it's not because of her writing or music no matter how hard she keeps telling herself that.
@@Lunearienyou nailed it with the last paragraph. Taylor is a stellar businesswoman. She's a meh vocalist and I doubt that she's the best writer - she isn't. Her mark on history should be directed to her PR, negotiation and business. I like about half of her songs so I meet a lot of fans who insist on perfect personality and music
@@Lunearien ok but that last statement is dumb. No artist gets to the top spot without great business moves. Passion and talent is only a percentage of success, you need intelligence, knowledge and connections. By your logic, every artists at her level should be "insecure".
@@valeriab4100 Did you see other artists disputing and having drama again and again and again just to get everything as they wanted at that level? Accepting 50% credit from a new artist, or went against their label decision just to promote their new album? Cause I don't see Rihanna or Bey or Miley or whatever fighting right and left publicly like that. They did the deeds and move on, not caring about the results cause they're secure of who they are and their abilities. The insecurity part is what she said in documentary/interview, how she react to criticism, or different opinions, or comics in awards shows - too easily offended and quick to label people as sexist or not girl's girl, accepting credit from Olivia, vehemently staying in the spotlight fearing the inevitable of the fading fame (which is natural and not necessarily a bad thing), among other things IS what I perceived as insecure. And I already mentioned the business savy part above, as it is obvious that she's not that talented and sellable like MJ or Britney Spears at their peak. Her success is the result of many things, but not talent only like a lot of her fans blinded beliefs.
We also like have to realize she is a grown woman in her 30's like I feel like she tries to give off clueless naivety but she's been at this for almost 2 decades
One of my main frustrations about Taylor swift’s controversy with her carbon emissions is that she decided to respond by purchasing carbon credits for the eras tour. They are a neo liberal climate solution that not only has a very dubious positive impact, but is also predicted to perpetuate poverty and disparity in low income countries, while financially benefiting the rich. As a long time fan, it frustrates me that her response was just to take the easy way out without properly researching the complexities of the issue, especially as her endorsement will likely help carbon credits become more widespread.
Exactly! And people don’t realize that the amount of money she donated means NOTHING TO HER. Litterly she could buy a house like I buy a bag of chips. Like damn. Doesn’t make her a good person
All Taylor has ever cared about is being famous. She had this need since she was kid to be worshipped and idolized to fill her narcissistic need for attention. She grew up wealthy and being catered. An average to below vocalist who knew she wasn’t a great singer but had songwriting skill….all though her songwriting is lost on me because as a 47 year old metal musician, I don’t find her message relatable lol
As a Brazilian swiftie, I lost A LOT of respect for her in the last few years. For starters we didn’t get a refund for the lover fest tickets and while this was a decision made by the local ticket seller, she has SO MUCH money and power, surely she could have negotiated a better deal for her fans, specially considering she worked with this specific company again for the eras tour in Brazil. The way she handled Rio’s shows was also a complete disaster. Everyone was scared of the heat bc the news had already been announcing a heat wave for WEEKS. Again, yes, everything that happened was the local company’s fault, but again she is a BILLIONAIRE, girl, pay the fine if you have to, but don’t put yourself and your fans in danger by playing a show while it’s 40 degrees Celsius. And then not to offer to pay for Ana’s funeral? Like, wtf? Even Travis Scott offered to pay for astroworld victims funeral. The way she just posted an insta stories about the situation and pretended like nothing happened after was also VERY bizarre. I understand the show must go on, but it was almost dystopian how she didn’t address the situation at all at the next concert. She could’ve at least done a moment of silence for Ana. So yeah I don’t buy that she loves her fans all that much anymore.
Personally I think that it is because even though she loves her fans, she views them as a crowd in general but never as individuals which shows why she has some neglect for certain fans because she couldn't care less about their personal lives.
Tysm for this comment. LIKE THANK YOU. Taylor Swift IS a privileged billionaire and people need to realize that lol. She could easily get away with this now (proof many fans don't see it as bad behaviour). If some small artist did this people would be coming for them at lightening speed.
I’m fairly certain she did in fact pay for Ana’s funeral and spoke with them in private. They attended the show and met with her the next opportunity..
@@audreyinok she absolutely did not pay for the funeral, Ana's mom was interviewed 2 days after the incident by Fantástico (brazilian news program) and said she didn't have the money for it, so the fans organized a gofundme and donated. I can send you the links to all of that if you want, but everything is in portuguese, of course.
I wholeheartedly believe that people who say people should be allowed to be billionaires genuinely don’t understand how much money a billion dollars is. Either that or they’re already wealthy beyond comprehension and the brainrot has set in. Just yesterday I was talking with a friend about how concerning it is that people are starting to be almost hesitant to criticize Taylor Swift. I find it scary, nobody is above reproach and ESPECIALLY not billionaires and the uber-wealthy. I told her that the lack of philanthropy was odd (even tho in an ideal world, we wouldn’t need philanthropy but I digress) for someone as well known as her. She sent me your video and I’m glad to see we agree on so much and that’s there’s fans willing to be critical of someone whose artistry they love. Great video!
Also, one of the worst copes I’ve seen is people on twitter saying we shouldn’t expect anything from her and point to the lyrics in Antihero and say “well, see! she already told us she wasn’t a good person!” And that’s such a horrible excuse bc I can make an acknowledgment that sometimes I’m kind of a shitty person but that doesn’t mean I shouldn’t try to be a better one as I keep living
Well progressives made it hard to criticize Taylor Swift. 1.if you're a man of any race = automatically you are a bigot, anti feminist, hate all women, jealous of successful women, weird, creep, weak man.... Etc 2. If you are a white woman = jealous, weak traditional dependent woman, poor talentless, ciswoman who prey on other women.... Etc Taylor Swift became a symbol of "winning against mens fragile egos" that y'all forget to make her accountable the same way you do other people.
Seriously people struggle to conceptualise how much money a billion dollars is. A million seconds in a lifetime is 11.6 days, A billion seconds in 31.7 YEARS. So comparatively a million is a new born baby compared to a fully grown adult. Considering that the average amount of money sitting in a saving's account is only $8,000 this is an astronomical difference, as 8000 seconds is 2.2 hours. And in an entire lifetime the average American will only make 1.7 Million dollars most of which will be spent on food, rent, taxes and education. So the comparison of the average person over an entire lifetime compared to what Taylor has made in the 19 years she has been a singer is comparative: 19.7 days to 34.8 years.
I was, admittedly, one of the aforementioned “brain dead” swifties. I came across this channel over a year ago and felt more than a little offended by the critique towards Taylor. But I was so compelled by Zach’s opinions, I kept going and I ended up binging every video on his channel. This, along with EOAS, have helped me get to a place of being a proud, yet humble, swiftie. Zach, I appreciate you and all the work you put into this channel and keeping me grounded. Please keep it up, the girls need help.
sameeee, zach really knows how to lure people in. he said one time that the people who hate on him care too much about his comments, that for them his opinions "move mountains" because they're too important not to fight. i say they move mountains in a different, more positive way. they convert people into having sanity again and break down the pedestal the fans put taylor on haha.
I don’t think some swifties realize that you can be a fan of someone and their music and like them as a person while simultaneously critiquing them on unethical practices. No one is perfect, and people need to realize that. She’s not some super-human, as much as I adore and look up to her. Edit: I am 100% a style TV defender, though😭
i agree, at first i was a bit defensive because im a fairly new swiftie and i love her, but i learned a lot through this video and we definitely shouldn't put her on a pedestal just because we're fans. she can and SHOULD be called out when needed and she will be absolutely fine 😭
@urfriendg0o but she wouldn't be a billionaire if you just stop supporting her. Same with all billionaires. Just make all you own things and no one will be billionaire.
“The Malala of the pop industry” took me out 💀 I love Taylor but I’m a firm believer in critiquing our idols. No one is above criticism. Even our pop queen.
Let's all remember she left Buenos Aires on Sunday, went to NYC and then went back to latin america on Wednesday. That was CRAZY. I love her and her music, but she needs to do better
I remember the day it was announced she was a billionaire, all the posts I saw were saying shit like “slay she deserves this so much” it feels very dystopian tbh
Parasocial blindness, but I expect this mostly from normie fluff pieces and more so from people who seem to live vicariously through her, who think that her success is part of their own, or that their own self-esteem is dependent on her success or something and I feel like her people have found a way to profit off of the parasocial marketing she has.
I looove how the pro-taylor article first lists "friends" in the list of people shes helped. Babes, her lending her private jet & mansion to her rich friends for fun ecsapades is not the same as philanthropy. (& I was typing this as you made this same point in your video, great minds think alike lmao)
In november 2023, Taylor made come shows in Brazil and before the first one, a fan, called Ana Benevides, died in the venue due to the extreme heat at that moment. The only thing Taylor "did" about it was posting an Instagram story saying she's "sorry" about the situation, postpone the second show to another night and sing Bigger than the Whole Sky as one of the surprise songs on that night. She did not care about effectively helping her family and did not give any proper condolences whatsoever. My appreciation for her dropped significantly since that day and I am kinda mad that there are still some brazilian fans that wholeheartedly love her and already forgot what happened. I'm not saying she's the worst person alive, but we need to start thinking more critically about the celebrities we love and support.
I am Brazilian and the whole country were expecting something from her, but she didn't say absolutely anything. What happened to her fan wasn't her fault... It was only the company that organized the show, but the fact that her team just put on the news "she is devasted" wans't enough. To be honest with you, it seemed more calculated to the situation doesn't destroy her brand than really for showing empathy. We needed something from her. It could be me or a friend of mine. So, yes. I stopped admiring her that day. I still love her songs, but not her personality that much.
love this!! I think it also should be noted that all of Taylor’s generosity (i.e. cancer research, kesha) is something that she has had personal investment in. She has faced sexual assault, one of her loved ones has gone through cancer. of course that doesn’t make these donations bad, but it does say a lot about how far her generosity goes. Even her description and idea of feminism falls into this. I’d love to see her involve herself in causes that don’t have relation to her and educate herself and use her platform to help educate others as she promotes and pioneers change
I’ve always felt the deciding factor for what she does and supports is wether it benefits her career. Like you said, she only really brings up feminism when people say things that paint her in a negative light, she did 3 seconds of “activism” because people where getting turned off by her being so apolitical and she for sure knew the huge bonus for her crew would make good press. And there is nothing inherently wrong with it since the effects were good but I personally find the insincerity quite off putting at times
I agree with you, but have you heard about her giving 100,000 bonuses to all of her drivers? Also, she has surprised many young fans in the hospital, without it being broadcast to the world. And her song Ronan, is about an everyday little boy who had cancer, and it came out before her mom got the cancer, and she donated to his foundation also. There were probably numerous times Taylor has donated to other causes not related to her, but maybe we just didn't hear about it. English is not my first language so sorry if you can't read this
What message is that? Only MEN are allowed to be billionaire artists? Only MEN can fly in private jets? I don't see a video blasting Jay-Z or George Lucas for their wealth.... The hypocrisy amongst so called "feminist" fans is insane.... smh
@@AA-zq1sx did you watch the video? lol. NO ONE SHOULD BE A BILLIONAIRE. perhaps you should look up the definition of hypocrisy and/or just re read what i said as I at no point said it’s okay for men to be billionaires. Get a grip
i don’t understand why people chastise bill gates or elon musk for being a billionaire but praise taylor…. they’re cut from the same cloth. people can’t handle that though. thank you zach for this video
@@skitterly Another factor is feminism. She has dressed up her capitalism as "women's empowerment". There are very delulu feminist fans of hers (unfortunately, often the same ones who frame all critique of her as sexism) who argue it's good that a woman has become so powerful. And ... I think they need to realize capitalsim and feminism are incompatible.
@@embarrassingkid5078 exactly, theres actually a phenomena in social pshycology where people will attribute positive traits onto people they find attractive. It's called the halo effect.
A great woman Taylor can learn from in the area of philanthropy is Dolly Parton! I’ve always admired Dolly because she is so generous with her wealth. Everyone knows Dolly isn’t a billionaire because she gives so much of her wealth away through the Imagination Library, scholarships, relief efforts, etc. and that’s how it should be. I hope Taylor is able to find causes she is passionate about and set up foundations to make real contributions. I’ve always thought of her as a generous person, but she has the opportunity to make a real change. Great job on your thoughtful reporting, Zack!
Please show me one piece of evidence of Dolly being an Almost billionaire. She’s always admired to staying neutral on all political issues so she doesn’t upset right wing fans which is not ethical
it's one thing to appreciate taylor's work and love her despite her being a billionaire, and it's another thing to excuse/celebrate it. all day on twitter it's "she's the first ethical billionaire!!!" and the same people will be like. ugh her merch quality suckssss its so expensiveeee. LIKE WAKE UP LMAO
@@MoMo-rx4zrmy closet is filled with Etsy fan made merch. The only official things is what I bought actually at the tour. I’m not a fan of her website for many reasons lol
I’m 50 and I can tell you, 100 million dollars is PLENTY of money to never be concerned for your finances again. The interest you earn on that amount of money is in the millions. I’d say anyone who hoards more than that is evil and selfish.
The part about how she doesn't love her fans as much in recent years is TRUTH BEING SPOKEN and one wonders what does she invest the money in, other than private property which we know of because she has 100 different homes? Because if you put money in anything in the stock market that grows every year, it's BOUND to be fossil fuels or tech giants. She doesn't seem to be investing in clean energy or educational programs
I feel like for the past year, every move she made was pure money hungry, and she just keeps doing because a big part of the fandom eats it up with out a word. To me it started to feel wrong when she release the pre-sale of the midnights cd/vinyl just for her to release an extended version that same night, it felt like a big screw you to those people. The latest one is the whole renting of the eras tour movie, when she could just release it for streaming. Like she already released it in theaters and now you have to rent it? And the fact that so many people are actually going to give her the money for it is crazy
I say this as a full feminist, and as someone who completely acknowledges that yes, Taylor Swift faces sexism: not everybody who criticizes her is being sexist. Not every criticism of Taylor Swift stems from the fact that she is a woman. I recently saw somebody comment "If I was a man, then I'd be the man" under a post talking about her carbon emissions. People calling TS out for the damage she is doing is not sexist. Stop weaponizing feminism.
As a person from a third world country i'm so thankful for this video. I will still appreciate her work but I don't want people getting away with pretending there's no issue with this. Billionaires cannot exist without this stuff, their wealth is built from modern day slave labour in countries most people aren't even bothered to look up on a map Ps: done with liberal gringos that "hate the rich" until the "rich ate"... ok ?
Yes! As someone from the global south, the billionaires/ultra-rich of the global north accumulate their wealth at the back of our labor! So this contradiction of being a Taylor Swift fan and criticizing her for being a billionaire must be struggled.
THANK YOU. People turn a blind eye to her. She’s not perfect and the fact that people attacked you for holding her accountable is sickening. We are allowed to give criticism. It’s not hate. She’s not immune to critiques just because we love her. In fact, not blindingly following someone shows you have a mind of your own…
@@Bav92 I'm afraid that is not the point. The point is that billionaires, and their very existence, is inherently unethical. That so few can have that much money, while so many more are struggling to make ends meet. Wages have increased only slightly, while the cost of living has dramatically increased over the last decade +. It's gotten out of control and unattainable for the vast majority of people.
why does it become unethical at 1billion and not 100K, why not 50K? You're one of the richest people on earth as well. maybe you're unethical then too@@vanessabutera4385
something i think about very often (because I WAS THERE!!!! i literally SAW IT LIVE at that concert) is how she changed the bttws lyrics to “every single thing I touch has turned to ashes” after ana benevides died the night before. that was literally the most incosiderate thing she could do + with the "i can't even talk about it on stage" note that was clearly legally required language tryibg to cater fans to make her feel pity. it just makes me so mad
As always, you’re the voice of reason we seem to desperately need in this community. I don’t understand why so many Swifties can’t seem to separate the ideas that ‘yes, she deserves her success and should get to enjoy the fruits of her labor’ but also, ‘No one should ever sit on a horde of wealth greater than they’ll ever be able to spend in a lifetime, while millions and millions around the world lack food and clean drinking water.’ I think she genuinely is a kind and wonderful person, but there’s definitely room for her to do more. Hell, there’s probably room for all of us to do more. Pointing that out doesn’t make us “haters”
I'm brazilian and the tragedy that happened on the Eras Tour in Rio is directly connected to climate change. Of course there are other reasons for what happened but it has never been so hot here and Taylor is contributing a lot to make this situation worse.
you are seriously the only TS-focused channel that has individual opinions & smart, constructive criticism, and is not afraid to talk about them. I tried to watch a couple of 1989 TV reaction videos from other channels and I couldn't because they were so goddamn bland and boot-licking, could never imagine saying anything remotely negative about Taylor, not even daring to suggest some songs on TV weren't that well done, let alone have actual well-constructed thoughts on her otherwise. simply so bland and boring. you are so smart and entertaining, and I completely agree with you on this video.
++++ totally agree with this, I don't want to call out specific creators but there is one notable example of a swiftie channel who licks the boot on every video :/
I love style TV over Style OG it is a top notch.. a pop perfection.. and the whole 1989 TV is a chefs kiss.. but i agree on what he said in this video.. salute to the swiftology.. 👏
@@ninaninafishgirl I'm not sure who exactly this person was talking about, but Chats and Reacts is one I really dislike - I made it a minute and a half into one of their videos before I just couldn't take it
Yes~ and yes~~~ Why be ordinary if life is full of mediocrity? She is a survivor in the Entertainment Industry and deserves all the blessing on her way.
your intro about "obviously i HATE her" was hilarious lmao, that's literally how swifties treat literally every fan who doesn't think she's perfect 😭 swiftie brainrot is very real, THANK YOU. also that was a great explanation on why billionaires are bad and how that relates to taylor
I have to say it: Swifties that hate criticizing TS comes from the fact she herself hates criticism even if constructive, and usually ignores it (see her interviews), or she considers it as “not nice behaviour”. Well, reality fact check for all of us: Sometimes, Truth is not nice.
I think Taylor doesn't take criticism or rejection well. She usually frames herself as a victim of abuse or even misogyny, even in the face of justified criticism.
I think it’s interesting to note how when she sings “If I Were a Man”, her main complaint is that she isn’t acknowledged as the ruler of her industry. She wants to be a “king” and collecting as much wealth and power possible is her top priority. She’s been telling this to us for years so we shouldn’t be surprised about all of this.
I understand your point of view, however, I heard she wrote that song for all of the women of the industry and also everyday people going through a struggle with sexism, not just herself. She pretty much said that she wrote it to be very dramatic and to help people better understand what being a women in the entertainment industry is like.
@@ellalynntaylor I have incredibly mixed feelings about the activism of the Lover era in general. I don’t think Taylor is disingenuous about confronting sexism in that song but I can’t help but notice the fact that she has aimed to be the top dog of the music business. Taylor in her music videos often lives in huge mansions or paints herself as a women of elite (maybe high-privileged status is the better word) status. Midnights to me is her confession that she almost settled down but loved the spotlight and wanted to claim the GOAT crown. The Bejeweled to me reveals all this. I bet being Time’s person of the year was on her bucket list. She wants the world’s eyes on her. She wants everyone to call her the best. I am not condemning her for being ambitious, I admire that about her. However, it also reveals that Taylor sees herself as the 1% and revels in that status. She wears her crown in pride and will dismiss a lot of criticism as illegitimate.
@@JRbro100take the name Taylor Swift out of that comment and one would easily classify that person as a narcissist. “My covert narcissism” may be more than just a lyric? I don’t know how she could come out the other side of all of this without becoming one anyway.. it’s hard to stay grounded when you live in a castle on a cloud.
@@fromthedepths_podcast do me a favor and watch a couple of t swift interviews and search up her charity donations. narcissists have no care for others, and its pretty clear that she is not a narcissist (I mean she wrote a song for a mom who's 4 year old died of cancer) she has given countless gifts to fans, and I can bet you've never heard of her being unpleasant to fans or anyone in general. people tend to take one thing (aka lyrics of her song the man) and multiply it by a thousand and jump to conclusions. she simply made one song about sexism (and songs need to have a dramatic feel to them) and everyone attacks her
I’m SO glad someone is finally talking about her response to the whole Ticketmaster debacle. It has from the start sat wrong with me how she handled it and make me look at her in a completely different way. She’s Taylor freaking swift. She could have done more and she knows it.
Glad I'm not the only one who was disappointed with how Taylor handled this. When you actually have the power to take down the Ticketmaster monopoly and do nothing. It really pisses me off.
I had thought that an artist could put a cap on tickets? It's insane to me, that with such a range in age for a fan base, that tickets would be sold for thousands of dollars - and I don't mean from scalpers.
thinking about how much power she has over artists owning their music like when she took her music off spotify and the impact of that. the question is not if she could have made a change to ticket sales, because she 100% would have made a huge difference in the face of this Ticketmaster issue.
Brazilian fans got sooooo much heat for being disappointed at Taylor about her statement after a fan died at her show. She posted this (although useless) really heartfelt message about American fans not being able to purchase tickets, but when a girl died at her show in Brazil she posted an ig story that was 2 sentences long claiming the girl fainted BEFORE her show… and she never came back to correct that. By the time that statement was posted it was already all over Brazilian national news outlets that the girl fainted during Cruel Summer. It felt really dishonest. On the next day twitter went CRAZY calling out Brazilian fans for being angry that she waited the whole entire day to postpone the show, after all 60 thousand ppl had been boiling in the sun all day, throwing up and passing out. It was very obvious that morning that the show needed to be postponed, but she waited until 15min before Sabrina was supposed to start playing to cancel it. That day it was clear to me that she cares way more about her “personal victory” of being able to perform under extreme conditions than she does about the wellbeing of fans. The same thing happened in Argentina, where fans were getting sick with hypothermia and she waited to postpone the show an hour before. The fact is that she could’ve done more, and in my opinion she absolutely SHOULD’VE done more. Her entire strategy after the tragedy was detachment. And now it feels like this whole episode was forgotten about. Just to be clear I’m not at all blaming Taylor for the tragedy of a fan dying, but the way she proceeded as if nothing happened the next day was baffling. That was not the attitude of someone that deeply cares. It was selfish and dangerous behavior. I still am deeply disheartened by the lack of solidarity and support international Swifties showed Brazilians. It’s like, how far can we go to defend Taylor when she’s wrong? Should we all forget our morals to defend the supreme leader?? It’s insane Edit: since I’m already ranting I’ll continue. If anyone wants to know how HOT it was that Saturday, everything inside our freezers melted even with the lowest temperature on. People went to the beach to try to be inside the ocean, but had to leave due to massive drownings caused by heatstrokes. And I KNOW miss Taylor didn’t care enough about the fans wellbeing, because my little sister was on the stadium to see her that day, and I spend the entire day with a knot in my stomach. I was worried SICK about her and her friend. We were all following the news about the girl dying the night before, and seeing the videos of Taylor struggling to breathe and over 1000 fans passing out. When she cancelled the show I thought “thank god”, but that almost instantly turned into “why the fuck are you doing that only now??”. She wanted the show to go on!! When you have someone you care about in that situation it becomes CLEAR that to Taylor’s team and the organizers they’re just a number. My heart and soul was there in that stadium that day. If it was anyone Taylor REALLY cared about, she would never put them into that situation. Are we supposed to believe that Justin Bieber can cancel shows when his tummy hurts but Taylor Billionaire Swift can’t postpone a show in the morning to preserve the health of her young fans? I dont buy it
I think the fact is that a lot of her fans treat her like a cult leader who you can’t criticize if you’re a “real” fan. It’s like they’re trying to create a social hierarchy within the fandom because they want to be above others
I’ve had a few conversations with swifties that didn’t like me criticizing her being a billionaire and their only reason being “she earned it” and anyone that hates on her being rich is jealous and a hater
I would argue this point in that I think a lot of people would genuinely struggle to grasp how much money a billion dollars is and thus why it's too much for one person to have, as someone who basically never takes leave from work and doesn't have the money to travel anywhere at all much less be taking a private jet somewhere every other day 😂 I also have a tendency to try to figure out the reasons behind people's actions and basically make excuses for them, but I do think Taylor needs to make some changes. I'm cool with her being rich, looking after herself and her loved ones first and I'm cool with her taking her time with said changes as long as they do eventually happen 😅
honestly i think they are just like the rest of us, poor enough to not be able to comprehend the sheer amount of money that is and its ramifications. i can’t comprehend a billion dollars. but as a bit of a socialist, i know its enough to be wrong
@@imawakemymindisalive13 if this helps: one million seconds = 11 days, while one billion seconds = *31 YEARS*. Once I had that comparison made to me, it became a lot easier to comprehend what a billion actually is
“She can’t fly commercial” Yes, but that’s not an excuse to fly all across the world just to see your boyfriend play in the superbowl and fly back across the Pacific Ocean for another concert. To put y’all into perspective, a Tokyo-Vegas flight is 5984 miles and a Vegas-Melbourne flight is 8162 miles. That’s 14146 miles in a private jet just to see the Superbowl, while staying in Tokyo for a little longer and then flying directly to Melbourne would’ve been a 5086 mile flight. I’m a big ass Swiftie but I can’t possibly support her flying across continents for dates with her boyfriend, or her boyfriend flying from Kansas City to Buenos Aires for ONE NIGHT just to see her perform and fly back to KC (that round trip is 11178 miles, which Kelce most likely flew in a private jet)
Not to mention 1st class flights go *out of their way* to make sure that its guests are secluded from the general population, let alone if they're made aware that Taylor bloody Swift is flying. Their terminals are separated from business and economy class and there are entire airports in LA and Alanta that cater spefically for celebraties(they literally wil private drive you to your plane so that no one sees you and have seperate lounges that you can have *to yourself* ) So her privacy being a concern is not an excuse either 🤷🏾...
All I can say is taylor doesnt take responsability for the consequences of her own actions... When on tour in brazil a fan died due to the lack of proper conditions inside the stadium and yes, it wasnt directly her fault, but the girl cant even admit shes also responsible for the places se performs and its conditions... after all, they are paying to see her and she became a part of a huge music industry issue, that being the 3rd party contracts and labour...
I am Brazilian and the whole country were expecting something from her, but she didn't say absolutely anything. What happened to her fan wasn't her fault. It was only the company that organized the show, but the fact that her team just put on the news "she is devasted" wans't enough. To be honest with you, it seemed more calculated to the situation doesn't destroy her brand than really for showing empathy. We needed something from her. It could be me or a friend of mine. So, I stopped admiring her that day...
I've always loved Taylor, but lately, I've been more and more embarrassed to be a part of this fanbase. Swifties overhype everything she says and does like it's God's gift to mankind, justify her hyper-capitalist tendencies and enabling it, refuse to engage meaningfully in any sort of criticism, celebrate her becoming a billionaire, and overall, they're just cringe and obnoxious. And this extends to my own issues with Taylor as a person. As much as people don't want to admit it, and as much legitimate adversity Taylor has had to overcome, she does play the victim card/underdog narrative a lot for someone who is now the most successful woman in the music industry. For example, she and her fans always act like the 2016 "Kimye" debacle nearly "ruined" her career and destroyed her reputation, but did it? Did it really? At worst, that backlash was only on Stan Twitter. The general public, from what I remember, didn't really know about any of this. The only reputation that was tarnished was that people got the slightest indication that Taylor might not be a perfect, honest person all the time (even if she was later vindicated in that specific incident, fuck Kanye West). I was there in 2007 when Britney Spears was going through the worst moments of her life on the public stage. I've seen what a ruined reputation looks like. Taylor Swift, thankfully, has never had to endure anything to that magnitude. She grew up in a well-off and stable family that didn't exploit her, and she's had massive amounts of success since her first album as a teenager. Again, there are legitimate snags and obstacles that she's had to overcome, but overall, her entire career has been nothing but highs. I can't really vouch for this narrative her fanbase constantly spins of her being this misunderstood underdog. And while I've always stood by my view that a lot of the hate Taylor Swift has received from the general public over the years is either overblown, unwarranted, or even heavily misogynistic at times, more and more lately, I've been becoming more comfortable with criticizing Taylor when it is warranted because she is a billionaire approaching her mid-30s now. I am not treating her with kid gloves anymore. I have to hold her and her fanbase accountable, no matter how much I find her charming as a person; no matter how much I love her music and admire her musical craftmanship. I love that she seems like a genuinely kind person and that she treats the people she works with so well. I love that she's philanthropic and the fact that she gave her crew huge bonuses a few months ago. I love her music. But she still shouldn't allowed to be a billionaire. Period. And nobody gets to billionaire status without doing some ethically dubious things - or at the very least, without looking the other way when other people do ethically dubious things when something stands to financially benefit said billionaire.
It's the perpetual adolescence for me. With being recognised as the most powerful woman in the industry it feels counter intuitive for fans to infantilize her and come to her defense as if she is not more powerful than most men and women in the music industry. I think there have been moments where her narrative has been destabilised but for the most part she has always been a rock. You don't become Time's Person of The Year by being weak. You get there by being yes talented but also strategic, dare I say 'calculated'. Knowing the power she has, the expectations for her must be higher imo.
@@fairypenguinss Thank you! You're so right about the Kimye era. I'm a big fan but it bothers me when people act like she was ruined and no one wanted anything to do with her. That just wasn't the case. She broke records on that tour. The ticket queue was very much a thing during rep era. I remember playing her music video and other promo videos every day how ever many times I was allowed to earn enough points to get boosted in the queue. And even back then she gave extra boosts based whether or not the email address you used to register for the verified fan sale purchased merch. Her feelings may have been hurt but to pretend she wasn't wildly successful and didn't have millions of fans is delusional. I do appreciate that she has become a bit more self-aware of her constant need for validation in recent years and I hope she continues to do so and starts to make changes that more positively impact her fans. She can afford to do things more ethically. I really hope she sees this video and thinks about it. She has so much power.
Im a 43 yr old man with daughters who like Taylor swift but not crazy about her. They showed me a video of fans crowding around a wedding venue that Taylor Swift was a guest in. My daughters, good bless them, found it so weird these fans would stand outside a venue for hours while Taylor swift was inside for a friends wedding. They were just standing around waiting for her. These people rare unhinged.
Thank you! This is why I could never get behind You're On Your Own, Kid and even Anti-hero, to some extent. Bitch, you were never on your own. I'm not downplaying her merits and hard work when it comes to her success, but let's not forget that her father bought her way into a record deal (can't remember the details right now). Also, I'm not downplaying the heavy toll of the fame on one's psyche, but she wants it. As we saw while she was dating Joe, she could live a much lower profile life if she wanted to, she simply doesn't want to.
CONFESSION TIME: I actually stopped calling myself a swiftie because it got too toxic for me. I love Taylor and her music, and that has been the case since day one. I've been with her, so to speak, since the very beginning and NEVER left, and honestly don't think I ever will unless she does something extremely psychotic, like murder another person or whatever. With that being said, the fandom is getting more and more toxic with each passing day (and Taylor isn't helping to be fair). This whole vibe of being in a cult and you can't say anything against a leader cause if you do you're gonna be viewed as a traitor and kicked out, the numerous double standards, the bullying of other fans, people in the industry, etc, the hypocrisy - it's all too much. This became my safe place where I can go and actually be a swiftie with other like-minded and actually sane people for a change, so thank you for that. I've been one of the weird people watching your videos without subscribing but I subscribed just now! Thank you for being the voice of reason, God knows the whole fucking fandom needs it. Too bad half of them (if not more) won't be able to understand that you're right.
Personally I find that a lot of people on the EOAS discord are also cult-like swifties, or at the very least display this obsessive behaviour. The conversation isn't as diverse as one would hope
To be fair, it depends on what spaces you are at, heavily. I have always used just Reddit and it’s one of the most balanced spaces imo. The problem I have with calling myself a Swiftie is that makes me part of a monolith for many. But we are not a monolith. Truth is being a Swiftie just means you are a fan and it ends there. But especially in online spaces, it’s “Swifties this, Swifties that”…. We are not a cult, a political party and we don’t have the same rules, opinions, thoughts.
I feel the exact same way … these new TikTok / social media Swifties (most of them, obviously not every single one of them is as bad as most) are ruining so much of the fandom experience …
This was so needed. I also think that truly respecting Taylor as a human being should mean expecting MORE from her. She has immense power and has used it for both good and evil over her career. I expect her to do better because she is perfectly capable.
13:49 She can donate money to plant 2 to 3 million trees, and that will wipe out her carbon footprint. It will be a tax write-off for her and good PR. Next issue.
@@penelopebunce Again, this is all for optics. It's not going to make a dent regardless because global industries keep polluting the environment at a much faster rate than all of the sustainability initiatives are being put in place. The trees will provide benefits beyond CO2 capture.
This whole video is inarguably valid. Ethically, the status of individual billionaire is not achievable. Period. And one mini-tangent that was not included is that when it comes to Taylor's physical media and her albums and vinyls that are released, there is no real reason to have several versions of one album that are different by just one track or one art design. That is such a capitalist tactic that preys on fans who want to collect every version of her album. And I don't mean the differences in her re-releases. I mean, like how the Midnights albums had four different vinyl pockets that combined into a clock/the vinyl themselves were colored different. Or how her new album will have different versions that have one exclusive track. Either release it all on one, or not. The exclusivity of it all is just a capitalist ploy and it makes me feel like it's just a greedy move because she knows the fans are going to want to get all the versions.
Love that last article you read. The line about how she is in a position to set a new standard is exactly it. She has such opportunity that would be a much stronger legacy than any record breaking album she releases
👏THE ONLY TAYLOR SWIFT REPORTER WE NEED!👏 Magnificent video. Thank you for drawing a line of hypocrisy from fan reactions about Matty Healy to fan reactions about her billionaire status. All of this was beautifully executed, especially for a twitch stream video!
This video made me respect you even more. This is valid and needed criticism. You cannot be ethical while being a billionaire, period. I'm so glad to hear you discuss this in a deep, investigative way. Blindly loving an influential person of any kind leads to misuse of power. We cannot let the parasocial aspect of fan culture prevent us from critiquing people in these positions; it can almost be a gross shield from any criticism. As soon as you reach a certain level of rich where your needs and wants are more than met, you have a much larger responsibility to the world (in addition to already needing to obtain the money ethically). Wealth hoarding is not a victimless crime, and it isn't a cute hobby. And 'I'm not like other billionaires, I'm cool and chic' is vile and disgusting rhetoric that we can't let happen. Fantastic ideas & arguments, and great solutions you shared. I hope to support you and your independent journalism on Patreon one day!
As a progressive leftist that is also a swiftie, I think this video was so well done!!!! I think a lot of folks struggle to see artist as what they are: corporations. That isn't to say we can't enjoy them or their art, but I do feel with mega singers (i.e; Taylor Swift, Beyonce, Drake, etc.) it's important that consumers not only understand what they're purchasing, but also understand what they're sometimes *unknowingly* buying into..
Taylor needs to go the Dolly Parton route. It’s a guaranteed way to escape criticism for the rest of your life. They’ve erected statues of dolly in TN.
After how a lot of swifties treated brazilians swifties, going as far as being xenophobic, because some of us were criticizing Taylor for good reason it was a point of no return for me. The brain rot really did go too far
There is a weird aspect of the Taylor Swift fandom, where they might not be racist day-to-day but they will act like its a measure they have to take, to defend Taylor from people they see criticize her who happen to not be white, which I think is ridiculous and going too far just to defend her from criticism. Let alone not even hearing out the position people have. I don't like people who weaponize bigotry.
The death of the poor girl was beyond the limit honestly, I don't think it could get worse than that but seeing how poor the situation was handled and then forgotten (in top of the rac1st war) was mind-blowing
finally the moment where my socialist and swifty identities collide. Chefs Kiss to you for this magic. Can we also just acknowledge how this woman doesn't even have a charitable foundation. Not even a bad half arsed one. She could hire a team to manage everything and attend 1 board meeting a year- easily. I will love Taylor until I die- but this is SO bad.
@Swiftologist I hope your content is objective and covers all aspects. I suppose you’ll offer alternatives, what you would do if you if it were you? You’re a journalist, that’s what “most” expect. ✅ Please address these comments if not in the upcoming video, maybe the next? “No charitable?? Really? Here we go again, since it’s not publicized it doesn’t exist???
@@anigoel6189 I don’t agree! She donated to the states she toured, yet there’s no “trail”, only one mentioned it briefly only stating it being very generous without stating details. I don’t understand why it can’t be specific.
I was a diehard ARMY and spent so much money on a BTS concert because of how much that meant to me during my hard times. But recently with the genocide in Gaza, and growing up (I just turned 21), I have felt betrayed. I guess that's my fault for being in a parasocial relationship, but these people were extremely important to me. I also hold the belief that there is no ethical billionaire. It's a hard truth, but no matter how much you love an artist, that does not excuse inaction. If they only support causes that benefit them ALONE, it's not excusable. I also hold the belief that if you have a track record of supporting certain causes, then you have taken on the responsibility of using your platform for good. Thank you for making this video. I've had people argue with me basically infantilizing Taylor and saying she "isn't educated" on certain issues when she has SO MANY RESOURCES at her disposal. She is actively ignoring things. Again, not excusable. I don't like Taylor myself but we are 2 sides of the same coin.
100% with you on being an ARMY rn. I had to take leave from fandom socials because ppl refuse to understand this and attack you over and over. The company is on the wrong side. Their artists (who have governance positions too) are spokespeople. Same with Taylor, silence is acceptance and compliance. And then ppl just like us get hurt. It’s very disappointing.
As a person of color who understands that clothing affects the whole world and not just the USA, You slayed so hard with this video. I love how you stick to your morals and don’t let what the majority says sway you, the north korea stan twitter analogy was so true, thank you for opening my eyes.Thats why I subscribed to you!!
FINALLY someone says it. This has been bothering me for years. I love Taylor, but it really wouldn’t hurt her in any way to think about our planet every once in a while. Thank you for your analysis!
I am currently doing a phd in management and strategy track focusing on sustainability, and the only thing I want to say to you is SLAY! we need more of a people like you, not only understand the concept, brilliant analytical approach and detailed research; but also being able to explain these concepts to the people, especially youth. LOVED the video! 🎉
I’m glad these comments are mostly good-I was expecting everyone to crucify you. I think Taylor should’ve been thinking about how to be serious as a philanthropist before this point. After all, you don’t have to hit 1 billion to be insanely rich. It is my hope that her getting to the billionaire status will open her eyes and I hope she is planning big things and will soon be setting them in motion in the philanthropy field. If you’re wildly wealthy there is no excuse for failing to be wildly generous on every front.
Swiftologist “Im not scared”. 👏👏👏You’re a master class in critical thinking, centered around pop culture. Thank you for being a refreshing voice of reason.
I've watched a few of your videos now, but this is the one that got me to subscribe. I was feeling conflicted about her being a billionaire and I think you did such an amazing job at addressing this conflict in a very data driven, journalistic way. Thanks for all the effort you've put in producing this one
I love Taylor. As a mid 40’s woman, her recent albums have really resonated with me. She hasn’t gotten a penny from me other than what she gets in views on RUclips or whatever Apple gives her for me to play her music. My daughter and l want to see The Era’s tour so badly but we refuse to pay $1700 each for crappy seats. If we’re still eating the rich, Taylor Alison Swift is #1 on the list. I’m so ready for this video!
@jessie6600 It is the middle class throwing around meaningless buzzwords so they can think of themselves as so superior while also saying they’re “powerless” and putting all the responsibility for change on celebrities, not even politicians or major corporations because they want the attention
Thank you for this video! Ive become so disillusioned with Taylor lately. Her billionaire status, the overpriced merch and tons of versions of albums, her silence on Gaza, the situation with Ana in Brazil...shes so far removed from who she was years ago and clearly is preoccupied with her celebrity status and image. Its unfortunate. I thought she had come a long way after Miss Americana but i guess not.
Why does every celeb have to make a statement on current political matters? Majority of them are ignorant on them and you’re just going to get the response that gets them the most positive attention and not their true feelings. You essentially want performative action from her rather than silence. Cmon that is so ridiculous. Listen to experts who have been studying this conflict for years and make your stance. You don’t need Taylor swift, or anyone else, to make a stance on a political matter. This is out of hand, how crazy people are online with wanting every single person to address every little thing. It’s literally chronically online behavior I’m sorry…
@@scarlettsativa2960 yikes bc I don’t care for performative action? Celebs will speak on matters they care about. If they don’t care about it, you probably don’t wanna hear their uneducated opinion on world matters. Stop looking to artists for political messages…. It’s annoying
No matter what Taylor says/doesn’t say, people are going to be upset. She has an incredibly powerful voice - now, why tf would she speak on GLOBAL POLITICS. Honestly, I would be worried that her lending her voice to the Israel/Hamas conflict would cause additional harm.
@@littlebydigital people know where she is going to be every eras date there could be threats on concerts and venues she plays it’s not worth the risk for her or her fans, on top of idolizing celebrities that often don’t educate themselves and simply make statements I would rather she not for her and her fans safety
I'm only 17 so I'm not sure if it has something to do with my brain development, but I have a very difficult time not seeings things as black and white. Often whenever I support someone, I will immediately stop supporting them upon seeing that they are unethical or vice versa. Being a swiftie has really exercised the part of my brain that can view things as simultaneously right and wrong, and I will say, this is certainly one of those times where she is completely wrong. When she started dating matty healy, I was particularly bothered by it, not because I give much of a rats ass who she dates, but because her dating him directly contradicted her support for poc, women, and the gays, after she had heavily capatalized off of that, since she was actively supporting someone who has made damaging/derogatory statements about them and further oppressed them due to that. This situation feels so incredibly similar, as I cannot help but wonder how someone can hoard hundreds upon hundreds of millions of dollars and damage the environment while claiming/appearing to be harmless. I adore her and her content is incredible, but this video and your amazing analysis really proved that there is no such thing as an ethical billionare. How she is choosing to spend her money is reckless and the amout the she is hoarding is damaging, mother truly needs to get it together and it is disappointing that people are no longer holding billionares to the standard that they need to be held at or calling them out simply because they like their content or have a strong parasocial relationship. At the end of the day, people are starving and struggling to make ends meet with minimum wage while she has multiple mansions she can fly to in her private jet. The average swiftie is not on her level and I feel like a lot of them really need to be reminded of that in order to hold her to the correct standard.
i'm the same age and in the same situation, especially with the whole matty healy thing. as much as i love the album lover, her white woman feminism was showing and i lowkey feel like she exploited the lgbt community, using activism as a an accessory and then dropping it when it no longer fit the asthetic. and then for her in ms. americana to talk about how she's such an amazing person and radical activist, but at best vaguely mentions some sort of political issue on her ig story highlighted just how contrived the documentary was. then with the matty healy thing, it felt so gross to see her dating (hooking up) with someone who had a track record of -ics and -isms, and totally contradicted everything she'd said about equality up until that point. the allegations were waaaay to many to be ignored or excused, and the way she used ice spice to combat the criticism by putting her on the karma remix was cowardly and manipulative.
As a non swiftie just trying to make sense of the current phenomenon happening with Taylor Swift fandom, I really appreciate the perspective shared in this video. I totally get being a fan of or admiring a celebrity for their work but I find the level of infatuation and emotional investment a lot of people have in Taylor kinda off putting and creepy. Also, as much as I don’t like making judgments about people I’ve never met, I just don’t get a great vibe from her as a person based on some of the interviews I’ve seen. She comes off a bit fake and egotistical to me. To be clear, I absolutely love a lot of music made by artists I know are either kinda dicks or outright bad people. I just think it’s healthy to recognize when that’s the case or at the very least give yourself a healthy degree of separation and perspective on the fact we don’t actually know these people. There is no way Taylor Swift is a down to earth person at this point.
The craze and hyper focus attention feels like the catalyst for her to finally face the criticism she deserves. Especially with the fossil fuel crisis. Pretty soon there will HAVE to be global changes implemented and guess who will be the last to make the change 🙄 people don’t understand what fossil fuels actually are and that they aren’t unlimited or manufactured. WE are about to be the new fossil fuels pretty soon 😅 2025 is about to be crazy.
You are one of the few Swifties willing to talk about these things and it's so refreshing. I'm also a Taylor fan, BUT I agree with you about so many of the things you discussed. I don't understand the cult like nature of the fandom and how they will never ever criticize anything she does.
Thank you for this. I had presumed that Taylor was very philanthropic. Clearly I was wrong. This critique demonstrates you as a true swiftie, wanting the best for the world, Taylor, and the fans.
I’ve said it before and I will say it again. I am a huge fan but have lost a ton of respect after I ordered the red ring and it had the quality of one of those quarter machine rings and not anywhere near good quality. You can’t be ethical screwing your fans that way. We buy expensive merch and get horrible quality
@kf5338 Yeah the merch hate is more new. I didn’t buy merch back then bc it was out of my budget but now I have money and I refuse from now on because the quality is beyond terrible. I did buy the all too well journal and that was fine but hard to screw up a notebook but also it was near $30 and small. But the rings were such a disappointment and so sad she made it seem she wanted ours to be like the one she had it’s like no you can’t wear that daily. It’s like shitty af. Atleast make it somewhat like a metal like aluminum or something. I get rings for $10 that last years and years and are like sterling metal or something metallic, I don’t know why she hasn’t changed up the quality of her merch. She needs to apologize and do better. It’s beyond unethical
39:50 Wish you mentioned one of the actual instances where journalists are evidently harassed by the fandom. Just so the actual harm is drilled into the heads of the deniers. There was a guy from Business Insider who wrote about Eras Tour and someone called the company he's working for and claimed he was a pedo, essentially threatening his livelihood, doxxed him, sent death threats, etc.
I COMPLETELY agree with you that no one person should have a billion plus dollars. It’s sickening when there are so many people struggling. And this billionaire claims that she gives a lot to charity.. yet is still able to afford six mega mansions, a private jet, a tour bus, cars, etc. You really can’t be donating too significant a portion of your ridiculous income
@@crypt1d550 no, but it does speak about a person's character and if they want to be well-liked by commoners, they need to share their money - it's a fair trade-off
it’s so nice and refreshing to see a video from a swiftie where she’s actually being criticised. nobody is perfect and i’m sick and tired of getting hated on for saying things like most of her merch sucks when it clearly does. and the people who hated on her for dating a bad person but didn’t hate on her RUINING THE PLANET genuinely scare me
I think a big aspect of why she is wealth-hoarding is that it offers her entry into the highly priviledged spaces that other billionaires occupy (and flit between on their PJs). It's a private club full of people with too much power.
This video actually blows my mind. It seems so put together, conducted unfathomably well, and really said what needed to be said. Thank you for diving into this problem ocean for us! You've done a seemingly wonderful job! Also, the article that used "Ours", "Mr. Perfectly Fine", "Shake It Off", etc. lyrics/references in it was mind-blowing. I cannot believe that was allowed to be published...if that was written by a journalist or something alike, I think they need to go back through our school system from the beginning.
I went to The Eras Tour here in Brazil and the only reason I got a shirt from her official merch is because all the merch sold here was made in Brazil. It was pretty expensive but at least people who made it were properly payed and the quality is something I’ve only seen in my Paramore shirt (that I also got in their merch store at their concert), that was also made in Brazil. So… My advice is to try your best to get things from an ethical source when it comes to merch specifically.
A video that speaks to my soul! Finally! Does Taylor work incredibly hard? Yes! Is she shrewd, smart, and works to make sure her legacy is protected, yes! Does ANYONE work so hard that they deserve this much more than literally everyone else? NO!
as a brazilian swiftie I feel like, at least on our little twitter bubble, this conversation usually goes down a lot better than between international fans... and yet hahaha I still have to keep saying the obvious every few days
The overconsumption in large music fandoms is so strange to me. I like some big artists but I usually don’t choose to spend my money on them as they have more than enough. I recently went to a small show (less than 200 attendees) and the artist explained that they hand tie-dyed every shirt and all the merch was made in America. It’s funny that small artists who sometimes even work a day job can be ethical and the biggest artists in the world cannot.
The thing about philanthropy is that it requires a wealthy class to exist- if we didn’t have extractionary capitalism, we wouldn’t need philanthropy to help those “less fortunate”. There would be less of a wealth gap if billionaires did not exploit others on their way to the top, and then turn around and “give back” to the people they exploited on the way up. (Not for nothing, but I’m Going to eras, have all her albums, etc etc BUT THIS IS ALL TRUE AT THE SAME TIME!)
I think one of the issues with people who has obtained that kind of caliber and wealth is that they start to lose touch with what it means to be a "normal person", even if they started off as a normal person without that kind of wealth, it is my opinion that it is possible that she did not realize the amount of damage that not prodding ticketmaster more before the concert ticket sales would cause (the resellers, the site crashing etc) I think sometimes that it doesn't help when you're at that level you will be surrounded by "yes men" who will not give any criticism.
40:50 this little segment just proves what you said a minute before, about being open to changing your mind. I don’t think I have seen your content before but you seem really well rounded and thoughtful, and engage critically with the things you love?!?! I’m sold. Great video.
Ugh I’m so happy to hear someone who loves Taylor Swift as an artist and a persona NOT try and defend being a billionaire “just because it’s her”. I don’t think she’s a bad person, but I also think viewing people as ‘bad’ and ‘good’ people blanketly is such a reductive and dangerous way to view the world. People are complex, and while bad things don’t cancel out the good things she’s done, good things she’s done ALSO DONT CANCEL OUT THE BAD THINGS! I really appreciate the thoughtful, clear, and critical but empathetic way you approached this topic (and all the topics you approach). I love Taylor and her music, but I absolutely cannot support her being a billionaire, and I believe that those things can co-exist!
Fantastic work! You've beautifully put into words a bunch of the ideas that have been rolling around in my mind. EVERY suggestion made in this video for how she could do better is on target. I hope Taylor hears these ideas and takes them seriously (for her own sake, as well as ours). I've been saying similar things in various social media comments and will continue to do so. I hope that swifties, in general, will acknowledge the wisdom of honest, thoughtful criticism on this topic. I love Taylor as an artist and I'm convinced that she is, indeed, a profoundly good person at heart. I fully agree with a general sentiment that I see floating around: "We made the right person rich." But swifties need to keep giving her these tough-love reality checks. This criticism isn't Taylor-hating; it is extremely uncomfortable for all of us, but it is also perhaps the most loving and supportive thing we can do for Taylor.
BTW: One suggestion that I will add: Although she realistically needs to finish the Era's Tour in it's current form, she could make plans to re-design the foundations of her future tours. She could do a 2-hour "acoustic set" and swifties would still fill stadiums - especially if she announced the new format in the context of making commitments to lower her environmental impact. But does she even need to fill stadiums anymore? She could arrange live-streaming in theaters for a series of smaller-venue shows. This would help theaters, vastly reduce environmental impact, and still provide swities with an opportunity to meet and freak out together.
I also like how every fan will defend her for charging so much, "It's not her fault the resellers make us pay so much", "She's trying to make tickets cheaper". She doesn't care about her fans. It's her goal to make money. Not for her fans to be happy. She lets resellers resell, because it's more money for her.
I have high respect to T's music and longevity; her intelligence in the commerce side of music; her marketing prowess; and the brand / image she's built for herself which keeps getting bigger and bigger as the years go by. But obviously... everything comes with a price... NOBODY becomes a billionaire SQUEAKY CLEAN. There are business practices we don't see/hear/know as fans that cross even the most saint artist's "moral code." And that's just reality... We can point out these questionnable practices, yes, while still consuming her music... I can't control how her company operates things but I can control how I react to the information (like being a billionaire) presented to us... I dont have the energy to call her out but I wont just be a blind follower either.
i legit saw something that said, "the world's first ethical billionaire!" and, i just started wondering when we, as a society, forgot basic critical thinking.
i am tired of swifties jumping at everyone calling her out for this and making excuses for her. there are no excuses, no one should be a billionaire, no one should be a millionaire either, it's unethical, it's bad, no one should have that amount of money, no one deserves to have that amount of money.
@@sateliteschinos How can you "not deserve it" if you in a free and open market provided a billion dollars worth of value to hundreds of millions of fans who FREELY CHOSE to spend their money on your products and services? Should like, VISA and BANKS say "Oh I'm sorry, you've sold too many records, you have to stop now... no one is ALLOWED to have this much success!" WTF seriously your logic is non existent
Let’s give her a minute to see how she spends it. First her talent earned this. She gave large donations to food banks at every city she played on Eras first leg. No other big act has ever done this ever!!!!! The Rolling Stones never gave away anything, but Taylor who has invented giving her crew life changing bonus amounts is a bad guy???? After a year tour none of the other big acts gave their crews anything like the $100,000 bonus each that Taylor gave. She has a huge fortune. Let’s see what she does with it. In the meantime let’s hear about what has Elton John given away? Mick Jagger? Rhianna? Beyoncé and jay Z have given some of their wealth away
But not much.
@@bonnieflynn4798 No other? The delusion is real...
Bey supports 27 different charities, Riri raised $5 million fundraising for a ball and supports other charity program, Elton John donated $38 million in 2016 alone, Bruno Mars donated $1 million throughout his 24K Magic world tour, and you can't compare anyone with how much MJ donated which even break Guinness world record with over $500 million
@taniasatyavati8960 Have these people not heard of Dolly Parton? An article reported she could be a billionaire, but she donates so much of her money to causes that she stays a millionaire. Taylor could do the same.
A billionaire has no right to be selling "Too soft for all of it" tshirts. You don't become a billionaire by shutting your eyes and hiding, it takes active, tactile and ice cold decision making.
“no right” wtf is this 😭😭😭she has the freedom of speech imagine telling someone who is poor that they couldn’t say something that would rile everyone’s tail feathers
👏👏👏👏👏👏
@@twothousandandchew Have u never used an exaggeration in your life??
Almost all merch is made or even the fashion industry itself thrives on making a lot of money by using underpaid workers working for extremely long hours mostly belonging to developing nations were they get a lot of cheap labour plus which has a relatives high unemployment rate and most of or if all celebrities know this so exploitation does not mean it's not bad if it's not targeted at the fans when you'll indirectly supporting a system that thrives on exploitation and Taylor swift is also not a expection from this logic with just the sheer amount of merch she pumps out with each album release
@@twothousandandchew average Swiftie IQ has to be in the lower 70s.
"You are not a progressive person if you have a billion dollars and you are doing nothing to redistribute it. That is aggressive capitalist behaviour." SCREAM THIS LOUDER.
Okay but she doesn’t have one billion sitting in her bank account though?
👏👏👏
@MsLittlewords that I agree. Her being a billionaire includes her music catalogue, properties etc. It’s so much more than pure cash. I do blame the over consumption and how she pushes it
@MsLittlewords Fans consumerism aside, TS could be slowing her carbon footprint, start programs, make donations that benefit underprivileged, sell better, sustainable merch.
@MsLittlewords I don't buy merch either or albums, but I would never hassle anyone who has the money to. Everyone has the right to spend their money the way they wish. It's helped the economy, so be it.
If you made $1 every second, it would take you 31 years to become a billionaire. It would take 12.5 days to become a millionaire. Good way to conceptualize how much money a billion dollars really is
That's so insane
@@jacquelinesisson8381 I don’t need any better example than “a billion dollars”! Kind of does it for me
@@loribrown9204 I hear you, but I have to think about it myself actually. The way I process a billion is to think of it as a thousand millions.
Holy crap. Numbers really are so abstract until you see them written out like that 😬
@@samsprague2846 good call!
It’s hard for our brains to conceptualize big numbers
Someone who is a million seconds old is an 11 day old baby. A newborn. Less than two weeks old. A million seconds. A *million,* reduced down to a tiny scale.
Someone who is a billion seconds old is a 31.5 year old tax paying adult
A billion is a giant number. It’s inconceivable.
You just opened my eyes. Thank you
ily
Literally. People who go well Rihanna is a billionaire poc with Beyonce 🤭🤪🤪 and it's like...
We shouldn't be proud of them. Because the large majority of POC in the West live in poverty.
Meritocracy is a lie.
Taylor could never spend all that money in her entire life, even if she tried. That's how much money it is!
I don't approve of billionaires and of Taylor's hypocrisy towards this topic but just to point out, a billion dollar valuation doesn't mean you have 1b in cash, it has to do with how much you and all your assets are worth, if you were to sell everything right now. It's like having a stock with your name on it
@@lfior Still, i don’t think she could ever spend all her money
I would love that..
Why should she?? The next generations can inherit her wealth.. She doesn’t owe anyone giving away her money.. I believe in targeted charity rather than thoughtlessly donating it left and right.. All of these 3rd world countries are poor because all of their governments and institutions are highly corrupted and couldn’t care less abou their people ... (speaking someone who grew up in several of those) To think celebrities are to blame for it is a pleasant but extremely dangerous delusion…
@@SN-bk5xj and yet the royals have how much extravagant things? Let's act like it's not possible
The merch point is so interesting. She could be such a role model developing thoughtful merch, made ethically in the US. Also, making fewer but better pieces. A lot of her merch is pretty unattractive.
I like the idea but then with fewer pieces, it’ll create more demand and again drive prices up.
@@kianna270 I don't mean less inventory, just fewer designs, and more meaningful designs.
She’s don’t care. She’s taking that money when so many are willing to give it away 🤷🏻♂️
@@kianna270same inventory, just fewer, more thought through, higher quality designs .
@@hanzib31 yeah I’d agree with that, she has way too much random shit on her website that is probably sitting around for ages. It’s a waste
just because i support a billionaires art does not mean i support the “art” of being a billionaire
seems critical thinking took a sick day today
I think a lot of people forget that you've literally been to her house, met Andrea and Scott, like met Taylor multiple times--absurd that people still come for you. You're a real one for this video and I love your journalistic style. Realistic Swifties unite ✊
Did you forget that he got into her house by LYING to Andrea.... ? And that Taylor Swfit would be horrified by this passive-agressive trash channel run by a parasite exploiting her hard work and fame? Imagine knowing millions of devoted fans would give anything to have one-on-one time with Taylor at her house, to have a personal conversation and photo with her.... and this is how he repays her kindness and attention. Digusting.... now I know what she means when she says "EVERYONE WILL BETRAY YOU."
Journalism😂 try opinion piece. And they’re all wrong. Destined for the landfill? How bout that shirt you’re wearing and that swiftie cup and ALL the other merch u own destined for the landfill. How do you spell hypocrisy again?
@@ChandlerDoyle You have brainrot.
@@ChandlerDoylebaby…do YOU even know what you’re saying???
@@ChandlerDoyle it eventually will end up in a landfill. from it getting old and too small and you throwing it in the bin or what they do if something doesn’t sell and there is leftover garments- throw it in the bin!!!
She didn’t need to take 50% royalties on that Olivia rodrigo song that didn’t even sound like the same at all, that was so weird. Bad optics for a 1) billionaire who 2) supports other women
Yea that was…a choice. Does the swiftologist have a video on this?
People need to reflect on her capitalist tendencies. 50% royalties is far higher than even the people on Shark Tank, ask for.
She didn't need to release physical albums of her remastered remade TV albums either. Wasn't the point to redo it to own rights for future licencing to ads, soundtracks and to switch all her streaming platforms with her version of the albums? She didn't need to make physical albums for sale, and yet she did, right? (Or were they all digit albums only? Google makes it seem like she made physical albums). And not only her fandom is loyal but her victim narrative against Scooter, just to spite him propelled how many albums sales amassing those 4 albums?? I wouldn't be surprised if she earned a hefty profit with that shtick. Sometimes I wonder if reselling 4 albums gave her more revenue than the eras tour.
@@LovelyLittleLillies The whole master debacle is actually unnecessary because she got offered before anyone else, but her greed knows buying old albums would gain little (slow sales since almost her fans already have those) for her. So instead she makes another victim narrative, which generates a totally new sales for old songs, rejuvenate her relevancy while releasing new albums to boost her career image. The sudden commercial success and clout she never really had before prompt her to ride the wave and launch another tour, followed by another album, it's like she's starve for acknowledgement and attention and so anxious to become irrelevant as she got older (her own words in one of the documentary iirc)
It's like she never really grow up, it became more apparent when she accepts Olivia 50% credit while stays silent about it, letting her fans shred Olivia 💀
but she didn’t ask for it at all actually olivia gave it to her before she said anything
As a BIG Rihanna fan, I have the same criticisms of her. Her Fenty Savage line is awful for the environment and the sweatshop workers she uses. It’s more important as fans of creators to not look over our favourite artists faults and to hold them accountable. Yes I stream Riri, and yes I know she’s done A LOT of good too, but I refuse to partake in her damaging brands.
The difference between TSwift and Rihanna though is that TSwift has strategically targeted middle- and upper-income white women. The biggest consumers in the world. It was way more obvious during 2006 to 2016 (also the time when I was a Swiftie) and it was a big reason why the KKK were fans of TSwift up until she started realizing it was hurting her brand and she then started posting political posts around 2016 while superficially also hiring a more diverse team. I say superficially because the structure of her brand still targets privileged white women which is a long discussion for another day. Part of my graduate research was originally on using her as an example as how celebrities should do altruism, only for me to now use her as what not to be/do. There have been several black activists who have spoken out about her but were bullied so badly by white swifties a lot of them have removed their papers/articles and likely too scared to speak out. That can't exist with Rihanna's brand do to her fan base demographics.
It's really the entire system, Rihanna is just an extension.
And recently she is doing business with Puma, a company that gives money to Israel
@@ChristaGeekCan you elaborate more on how she targets white women?
@@Bhargavix Go to any of her concerts. There's your evidence.
My dad worked with her Dad during the 90s before they moved to TN...When asked he always says the same thing - Mr Swift is a SHARK in the boardroom. He is a brilliant businessman and has passed that down to his daugther who has beaten him at his own game. She had the best mentor when it comes to business. She knows what she is doing. Everything you have said in this video is 1000% on par.
Her father still is working with her. I'm sure most of her most successful business moves, including the masters' debacle, came from her father. He's a shareholder, he knows the numbers and can see how much less they would made if they bought the masters. So they went the rerecording route, which catapulted her relevancy to its peak.
Mix his savviness with Taylor's usual victim card, ultra-protective and blinded cult, and we have the perfect recipe for 'success'.
No wonder Taylor is and always will be insecure about her career and success, it's because deep down she knows it's not because of her writing or music no matter how hard she keeps telling herself that.
@@Lunearienyou nailed it with the last paragraph. Taylor is a stellar businesswoman. She's a meh vocalist and I doubt that she's the best writer - she isn't. Her mark on history should be directed to her PR, negotiation and business. I like about half of her songs so I meet a lot of fans who insist on perfect personality and music
@@Lunearien ok but that last statement is dumb. No artist gets to the top spot without great business moves. Passion and talent is only a percentage of success, you need intelligence, knowledge and connections. By your logic, every artists at her level should be "insecure".
@@valeriab4100 Did you see other artists disputing and having drama again and again and again just to get everything as they wanted at that level? Accepting 50% credit from a new artist, or went against their label decision just to promote their new album? Cause I don't see Rihanna or Bey or Miley or whatever fighting right and left publicly like that. They did the deeds and move on, not caring about the results cause they're secure of who they are and their abilities.
The insecurity part is what she said in documentary/interview, how she react to criticism, or different opinions, or comics in awards shows - too easily offended and quick to label people as sexist or not girl's girl, accepting credit from Olivia, vehemently staying in the spotlight fearing the inevitable of the fading fame (which is natural and not necessarily a bad thing), among other things IS what I perceived as insecure.
And I already mentioned the business savy part above, as it is obvious that she's not that talented and sellable like MJ or Britney Spears at their peak. Her success is the result of many things, but not talent only like a lot of her fans blinded beliefs.
We also like have to realize she is a grown woman in her 30's like I feel like she tries to give off clueless naivety but she's been at this for almost 2 decades
One of my main frustrations about Taylor swift’s controversy with her carbon emissions is that she decided to respond by purchasing carbon credits for the eras tour. They are a neo liberal climate solution that not only has a very dubious positive impact, but is also predicted to perpetuate poverty and disparity in low income countries, while financially benefiting the rich. As a long time fan, it frustrates me that her response was just to take the easy way out without properly researching the complexities of the issue, especially as her endorsement will likely help carbon credits become more widespread.
Totally agreed!
I just want to ask, what is carbon credit ? @@nicolephocas6080
Her team is also threatening to take legal action against the tracking of her private jets usage
Exactly! And people don’t realize that the amount of money she donated means NOTHING TO HER. Litterly she could buy a house like I buy a bag of chips. Like damn. Doesn’t make her a good person
All Taylor has ever cared about is being famous. She had this need since she was kid to be worshipped and idolized to fill her narcissistic need for attention. She grew up wealthy and being catered. An average to below vocalist who knew she wasn’t a great singer but had songwriting skill….all though her songwriting is lost on me because as a 47 year old metal musician, I don’t find her message relatable lol
As a Brazilian swiftie, I lost A LOT of respect for her in the last few years. For starters we didn’t get a refund for the lover fest tickets and while this was a decision made by the local ticket seller, she has SO MUCH money and power, surely she could have negotiated a better deal for her fans, specially considering she worked with this specific company again for the eras tour in Brazil. The way she handled Rio’s shows was also a complete disaster. Everyone was scared of the heat bc the news had already been announcing a heat wave for WEEKS. Again, yes, everything that happened was the local company’s fault, but again she is a BILLIONAIRE, girl, pay the fine if you have to, but don’t put yourself and your fans in danger by playing a show while it’s 40 degrees Celsius. And then not to offer to pay for Ana’s funeral? Like, wtf? Even Travis Scott offered to pay for astroworld victims funeral. The way she just posted an insta stories about the situation and pretended like nothing happened after was also VERY bizarre. I understand the show must go on, but it was almost dystopian how she didn’t address the situation at all at the next concert. She could’ve at least done a moment of silence for Ana. So yeah I don’t buy that she loves her fans all that much anymore.
Goes by the same play book as Kim Kardashian. BTW they are all friends in private. Look at all of Taylor Swift's friends modeling SKIMS.
Personally I think that it is because even though she loves her fans, she views them as a crowd in general but never as individuals which shows why she has some neglect for certain fans because she couldn't care less about their personal lives.
Tysm for this comment. LIKE THANK YOU. Taylor Swift IS a privileged billionaire and people need to realize that lol. She could easily get away with this now (proof many fans don't see it as bad behaviour). If some small artist did this people would be coming for them at lightening speed.
I’m fairly certain she did in fact pay for Ana’s funeral and spoke with them in private. They attended the show and met with her the next opportunity..
@@audreyinok she absolutely did not pay for the funeral, Ana's mom was interviewed 2 days after the incident by Fantástico (brazilian news program) and said she didn't have the money for it, so the fans organized a gofundme and donated. I can send you the links to all of that if you want, but everything is in portuguese, of course.
I wholeheartedly believe that people who say people should be allowed to be billionaires genuinely don’t understand how much money a billion dollars is. Either that or they’re already wealthy beyond comprehension and the brainrot has set in. Just yesterday I was talking with a friend about how concerning it is that people are starting to be almost hesitant to criticize Taylor Swift. I find it scary, nobody is above reproach and ESPECIALLY not billionaires and the uber-wealthy. I told her that the lack of philanthropy was odd (even tho in an ideal world, we wouldn’t need philanthropy but I digress) for someone as well known as her. She sent me your video and I’m glad to see we agree on so much and that’s there’s fans willing to be critical of someone whose artistry they love. Great video!
Also, one of the worst copes I’ve seen is people on twitter saying we shouldn’t expect anything from her and point to the lyrics in Antihero and say “well, see! she already told us she wasn’t a good person!” And that’s such a horrible excuse bc I can make an acknowledgment that sometimes I’m kind of a shitty person but that doesn’t mean I shouldn’t try to be a better one as I keep living
Well progressives made it hard to criticize Taylor Swift.
1.if you're a man of any race = automatically you are a bigot, anti feminist, hate all women, jealous of successful women, weird, creep, weak man.... Etc
2. If you are a white woman = jealous, weak traditional dependent woman, poor talentless, ciswoman who prey on other women.... Etc
Taylor Swift became a symbol of "winning against mens fragile egos" that y'all forget to make her accountable the same way you do other people.
@@mystery1317 Reminds me of a Bojack Horseman quote, "Awareness isn't a redeeming trait."
Seriously people struggle to conceptualise how much money a billion dollars is. A million seconds in a lifetime is 11.6 days, A billion seconds in 31.7 YEARS. So comparatively a million is a new born baby compared to a fully grown adult. Considering that the average amount of money sitting in a saving's account is only $8,000 this is an astronomical difference, as 8000 seconds is 2.2 hours. And in an entire lifetime the average American will only make 1.7 Million dollars most of which will be spent on food, rent, taxes and education. So the comparison of the average person over an entire lifetime compared to what Taylor has made in the 19 years she has been a singer is comparative: 19.7 days to 34.8 years.
I was, admittedly, one of the aforementioned “brain dead” swifties. I came across this channel over a year ago and felt more than a little offended by the critique towards Taylor. But I was so compelled by Zach’s opinions, I kept going and I ended up binging every video on his channel. This, along with EOAS, have helped me get to a place of being a proud, yet humble, swiftie. Zach, I appreciate you and all the work you put into this channel and keeping me grounded. Please keep it up, the girls need help.
Hey we love character development!!!
Here for the character arc, congrats!
Edit: tbh I was in the exact same camp a year and a half ago 😅
sameeee, zach really knows how to lure people in. he said one time that the people who hate on him care too much about his comments, that for them his opinions "move mountains" because they're too important not to fight. i say they move mountains in a different, more positive way. they convert people into having sanity again and break down the pedestal the fans put taylor on haha.
What does EOAS mean? 👀
@@taroteverafter6406his podcast Evolution of a Snake 😉
I don’t think some swifties realize that you can be a fan of someone and their music and like them as a person while simultaneously critiquing them on unethical practices. No one is perfect, and people need to realize that. She’s not some super-human, as much as I adore and look up to her. Edit: I am 100% a style TV defender, though😭
So well said! I am a swiftie. I love her music, but I just can’t close my eyes to everything else…
This is not a Swifties thing. Nuances lacks in most spaces, especially political ones.
@@katherinepierce7948 very true! I’m just addressing this specific scenario :)
@@Maryb-j5k yes! People always bring up how much money she donates, which is absolutely incredible, but it does not cancel out anything else
i agree, at first i was a bit defensive because im a fairly new swiftie and i love her, but i learned a lot through this video and we definitely shouldn't put her on a pedestal just because we're fans. she can and SHOULD be called out when needed and she will be absolutely fine 😭
This is the video we’ve been needing. Idc how “nice” she is to the fans and how good the songs are, billionaires will always be wrong no matter what.
Aren't the majority of them just being facetious?
@@quantumwitcher9376capitalist bourgeoisie assholes destroying our earth is not just them being facetious
Your the reason she is a billionaire. Because we keep paying her money to be awesome. Can blame her because she is one 🙄
@@conmom1825 ok? i’m talking about all billionaires in general btw! also i’m not the one destroying our planet i’m not the one you should judge
@urfriendg0o but she wouldn't be a billionaire if you just stop supporting her. Same with all billionaires. Just make all you own things and no one will be billionaire.
“The Malala of the pop industry” took me out 💀 I love Taylor but I’m a firm believer in critiquing our idols. No one is above criticism. Even our pop queen.
"Pop queen" implies that she's on Whitney, Celine, Mariah, Madonna, Cher, and Britney's level 😭
"our pop queen" ok swifties can have their own little one, while the rest of the world has Madonna, Whitney
Yeah she's not my queen 😂
She`s not pop though!
I just wanna say that Taylor doesn’t deserve praise for paying her staff livable wages & bonuses- she’s the boss. That’s what she’s SUPPOSED to do.
u know it's serious when the swiftologist has to bring out the powerpoint presentation to educate ppl. Love this, as always
Let's all remember she left Buenos Aires on Sunday, went to NYC and then went back to latin america on Wednesday. That was CRAZY. I love her and her music, but she needs to do better
Didn't Travis fly to Argentina for the afternoon?
@@jessicahogan7248 I think he stayed for at least one night. But yeah, that's also insane
Or flying from Japan to the Super Bowl
Wonder what was so important that she just had to be in New York on that specific day.
I remember the day it was announced she was a billionaire, all the posts I saw were saying shit like “slay she deserves this so much” it feels very dystopian tbh
Parasocial blindness, but I expect this mostly from normie fluff pieces and more so from people who seem to live vicariously through her, who think that her success is part of their own, or that their own self-esteem is dependent on her success or something and I feel like her people have found a way to profit off of the parasocial marketing she has.
It’s giving hunger games
I looove how the pro-taylor article first lists "friends" in the list of people shes helped. Babes, her lending her private jet & mansion to her rich friends for fun ecsapades is not the same as philanthropy.
(& I was typing this as you made this same point in your video, great minds think alike lmao)
In november 2023, Taylor made come shows in Brazil and before the first one, a fan, called Ana Benevides, died in the venue due to the extreme heat at that moment. The only thing Taylor "did" about it was posting an Instagram story saying she's "sorry" about the situation, postpone the second show to another night and sing Bigger than the Whole Sky as one of the surprise songs on that night. She did not care about effectively helping her family and did not give any proper condolences whatsoever. My appreciation for her dropped significantly since that day and I am kinda mad that there are still some brazilian fans that wholeheartedly love her and already forgot what happened. I'm not saying she's the worst person alive, but we need to start thinking more critically about the celebrities we love and support.
I am Brazilian and the whole country were expecting something from her, but she didn't say absolutely anything.
What happened to her fan wasn't her fault... It was only the company that organized the show, but the fact that her team just put on the news "she is devasted" wans't enough. To be honest with you, it seemed more calculated to the situation doesn't destroy her brand than really for showing empathy.
We needed something from her. It could be me or a friend of mine.
So, yes. I stopped admiring her that day.
I still love her songs, but not her personality that much.
@@barbarabassin1297i agree a out the brazilian concerts. I am brazilian swiftie too
love this!! I think it also should be noted that all of Taylor’s generosity (i.e. cancer research, kesha) is something that she has had personal investment in. She has faced sexual assault, one of her loved ones has gone through cancer. of course that doesn’t make these donations bad, but it does say a lot about how far her generosity goes. Even her description and idea of feminism falls into this. I’d love to see her involve herself in causes that don’t have relation to her and educate herself and use her platform to help educate others as she promotes and pioneers change
+
I’ve always felt the deciding factor for what she does and supports is wether it benefits her career. Like you said, she only really brings up feminism when people say things that paint her in a negative light, she did 3 seconds of “activism” because people where getting turned off by her being so apolitical and she for sure knew the huge bonus for her crew would make good press. And there is nothing inherently wrong with it since the effects were good but I personally find the insincerity quite off putting at times
I agree with you, but have you heard about her giving 100,000 bonuses to all of her drivers? Also, she has surprised many young fans in the hospital, without it being broadcast to the world. And her song Ronan, is about an everyday little boy who had cancer, and it came out before her mom got the cancer, and she donated to his foundation also. There were probably numerous times Taylor has donated to other causes not related to her, but maybe we just didn't hear about it. English is not my first language so sorry if you can't read this
@ellalynntaylor fid you not just pay attention to anything in the video or even this person's comment? Brain rot is real
@@AC-ri2ph of course I did, did you?
I think people don’t realize that if you really do not want her to be cancelled again, you will want her to get this message.
What message is that? Only MEN are allowed to be billionaire artists? Only MEN can fly in private jets? I don't see a video blasting Jay-Z or George Lucas for their wealth.... The hypocrisy amongst so called "feminist" fans is insane.... smh
@@AA-zq1sx did you watch the video? lol. NO ONE SHOULD BE A BILLIONAIRE. perhaps you should look up the definition of hypocrisy and/or just re read what i said as I at no point said it’s okay for men to be billionaires. Get a grip
@@candacetirado2514👏👏
Canceled 😂😂😂
COMEON now. Who will cancel her? Go cancel Mark Zuckerberg
i don’t understand why people chastise bill gates or elon musk for being a billionaire but praise taylor…. they’re cut from the same cloth. people can’t handle that though. thank you zach for this video
It’s all in the PR. An aesthetic goes a long way
@@skitterlyand pretty privilege
@@skitterly Another factor is feminism. She has dressed up her capitalism as "women's empowerment". There are very delulu feminist fans of hers (unfortunately, often the same ones who frame all critique of her as sexism) who argue it's good that a woman has become so powerful. And ... I think they need to realize capitalsim and feminism are incompatible.
@@embarrassingkid5078 exactly, theres actually a phenomena in social pshycology where people will attribute positive traits onto people they find attractive. It's called the halo effect.
A great woman Taylor can learn from in the area of philanthropy is Dolly Parton! I’ve always admired Dolly because she is so generous with her wealth. Everyone knows Dolly isn’t a billionaire because she gives so much of her wealth away through the Imagination Library, scholarships, relief efforts, etc. and that’s how it should be. I hope Taylor is able to find causes she is passionate about and set up foundations to make real contributions. I’ve always thought of her as a generous person, but she has the opportunity to make a real change. Great job on your thoughtful reporting, Zack!
THISSSS
ik that this is not a good example bc jkr is awful but she did the same. donated until she was no longer a billionaire, i mean
Please show me one piece of evidence of Dolly being an Almost billionaire. She’s always admired to staying neutral on all political issues so she doesn’t upset right wing fans which is not ethical
@@everygoodhanldeistakenno, she’s still a billionaire now
@@ThePerksOfBeingSam oh sorry i heard that a long time ago :) then forget what i said
Well it does say a lot about her character . No ethical moral person becomes a billionaire. But she pretends to be moral and ethical
you commies are so weird with that narrative lolll y’all are just lazy
it's one thing to appreciate taylor's work and love her despite her being a billionaire, and it's another thing to excuse/celebrate it. all day on twitter it's "she's the first ethical billionaire!!!" and the same people will be like. ugh her merch quality suckssss its so expensiveeee. LIKE WAKE UP LMAO
The merch the fans make is so much better lmao.
@@Amandasbarros Sadly i have to agree. Like cmon girl do better!
The merch designs suck too. She needs to hire better graphic designers, actual clothing designers, like what.
@@MoMo-rx4zrmy closet is filled with Etsy fan made merch. The only official things is what I bought actually at the tour. I’m not a fan of her website for many reasons lol
@@ForestedPopHeadtbf she doesn’t create the merch
I’m 50 and I can tell you, 100 million dollars is PLENTY of money to never be concerned for your finances again. The interest you earn on that amount of money is in the millions. I’d say anyone who hoards more than that is evil and selfish.
depends, if you hoard more for your kids' future then it's not bad
but yes in this case, she doesn't have kids
The part about how she doesn't love her fans as much in recent years is TRUTH BEING SPOKEN and one wonders what does she invest the money in, other than private property which we know of because she has 100 different homes? Because if you put money in anything in the stock market that grows every year, it's BOUND to be fossil fuels or tech giants. She doesn't seem to be investing in clean energy or educational programs
I feel like for the past year, every move she made was pure money hungry, and she just keeps doing because a big part of the fandom eats it up with out a word. To me it started to feel wrong when she release the pre-sale of the midnights cd/vinyl just for her to release an extended version that same night, it felt like a big screw you to those people. The latest one is the whole renting of the eras tour movie, when she could just release it for streaming. Like she already released it in theaters and now you have to rent it? And the fact that so many people are actually going to give her the money for it is crazy
I say this as a full feminist, and as someone who completely acknowledges that yes, Taylor Swift faces sexism: not everybody who criticizes her is being sexist. Not every criticism of Taylor Swift stems from the fact that she is a woman. I recently saw somebody comment "If I was a man, then I'd be the man" under a post talking about her carbon emissions. People calling TS out for the damage she is doing is not sexist. Stop weaponizing feminism.
Her feminism is so yt lol.
As a person from a third world country i'm so thankful for this video. I will still appreciate her work but I don't want people getting away with pretending there's no issue with this. Billionaires cannot exist without this stuff, their wealth is built from modern day slave labour in countries most people aren't even bothered to look up on a map
Ps: done with liberal gringos that "hate the rich" until the "rich ate"... ok ?
That last sentence 👏🏼
Yes! As someone from the global south, the billionaires/ultra-rich of the global north accumulate their wealth at the back of our labor! So this contradiction of being a Taylor Swift fan and criticizing her for being a billionaire must be struggled.
To think your country is poor because of celebrities is delusional… It’s being decided on a much higher level…
What do you mean by "rich ate"?
@@ethancox9737 "ate" as in served, slayed, etc. aka doing or making something people like and therefore being above criticism
THANK YOU. People turn a blind eye to her. She’s not perfect and the fact that people attacked you for holding her accountable is sickening. We are allowed to give criticism. It’s not hate. She’s not immune to critiques just because we love her. In fact, not blindingly following someone shows you have a mind of your own…
I love Taylor, but let’s face it, she’s done and said some stupid shit. We all have. We’re human. It’s not a bad thing to call out bad behavior!!!
I hate when they use the your just a misogynist as a shield for her as well
Exactly this. Just because she may not be AS bad as, say, Jeff Bezos or Elon Musk, a capitalist is still a capitalist.
Throughout the midnights era especially, the capitalism was LOUD from Taylor Nation
I found hilarious when someone commented “Taylor Swift the White Capitalist Queen.”
She is not your friend. That woman is in it for herself.
So how much of her wealth exactly do you deserve? Name a number and reason please.
@@Bav92 I'm afraid that is not the point. The point is that billionaires, and their very existence, is inherently unethical. That so few can have that much money, while so many more are struggling to make ends meet. Wages have increased only slightly, while the cost of living has dramatically increased over the last decade +. It's gotten out of control and unattainable for the vast majority of people.
why does it become unethical at 1billion and not 100K, why not 50K? You're one of the richest people on earth as well. maybe you're unethical then too@@vanessabutera4385
something i think about very often (because I WAS THERE!!!! i literally SAW IT LIVE at that concert) is how she changed the bttws lyrics to “every single thing I touch has turned to ashes” after ana benevides died the night before. that was literally the most incosiderate thing she could do + with the "i can't even talk about it on stage" note that was clearly legally required language tryibg to cater fans to make her feel pity. it just makes me so mad
Exactly, why couldn’t she just say ‘I legally can’t talk about it’
@@tarathoughts13right??? these are also my thoughts on it. she's a full grown adult..
As always, you’re the voice of reason we seem to desperately need in this community. I don’t understand why so many Swifties can’t seem to separate the ideas that ‘yes, she deserves her success and should get to enjoy the fruits of her labor’ but also, ‘No one should ever sit on a horde of wealth greater than they’ll ever be able to spend in a lifetime, while millions and millions around the world lack food and clean drinking water.’ I think she genuinely is a kind and wonderful person, but there’s definitely room for her to do more. Hell, there’s probably room for all of us to do more. Pointing that out doesn’t make us “haters”
I'm brazilian and the tragedy that happened on the Eras Tour in Rio is directly connected to climate change. Of course there are other reasons for what happened but it has never been so hot here and Taylor is contributing a lot to make this situation worse.
Você parece o renato russo
@@Joannachin já ouvi isso várias vezes
EXACTLY! Thank you for mentioning this!
SIM!!!!!
This is not true, it was a heat wave that happens every couple of years. Stop blaming events that happen naturally on climate change.
you are seriously the only TS-focused channel that has individual opinions & smart, constructive criticism, and is not afraid to talk about them. I tried to watch a couple of 1989 TV reaction videos from other channels and I couldn't because they were so goddamn bland and boot-licking, could never imagine saying anything remotely negative about Taylor, not even daring to suggest some songs on TV weren't that well done, let alone have actual well-constructed thoughts on her otherwise. simply so bland and boring. you are so smart and entertaining, and I completely agree with you on this video.
++++ totally agree with this, I don't want to call out specific creators but there is one notable example of a swiftie channel who licks the boot on every video :/
@@lfiornah please spill i wanna know 😂
I love style TV over Style OG it is a top notch.. a pop perfection.. and the whole 1989 TV is a chefs kiss.. but i agree on what he said in this video.. salute to the swiftology.. 👏
@@ninaninafishgirl I'm not sure who exactly this person was talking about, but Chats and Reacts is one I really dislike - I made it a minute and a half into one of their videos before I just couldn't take it
Same. I used to like them but they are just blindly praising everything Taylor does and it's annoying.
does taylor swift deserve her success? yes. absolutely.
does taylor swift deserve to be a billionaire? no. absolutely not.
absolutely yes
no one deserves to be a billionaire. Our world is dying@@thejoeyjason
@@Joannachin ok?
Yes~ and yes~~~ Why be ordinary if life is full of mediocrity? She is a survivor in the Entertainment Industry and deserves all the blessing on her way.
no human deserves it
your intro about "obviously i HATE her" was hilarious lmao, that's literally how swifties treat literally every fan who doesn't think she's perfect 😭 swiftie brainrot is very real, THANK YOU. also that was a great explanation on why billionaires are bad and how that relates to taylor
I have to say it: Swifties that hate criticizing TS comes from the fact she herself hates criticism even if constructive, and usually ignores it (see her interviews), or she considers it as “not nice behaviour”. Well, reality fact check for all of us: Sometimes, Truth is not nice.
I think Taylor doesn't take criticism or rejection well. She usually frames herself as a victim of abuse or even misogyny, even in the face of justified criticism.
I think it’s interesting to note how when she sings “If I Were a Man”, her main complaint is that she isn’t acknowledged as the ruler of her industry. She wants to be a “king” and collecting as much wealth and power possible is her top priority. She’s been telling this to us for years so we shouldn’t be surprised about all of this.
I understand your point of view, however, I heard she wrote that song for all of the women of the industry and also everyday people going through a struggle with sexism, not just herself. She pretty much said that she wrote it to be very dramatic and to help people better understand what being a women in the entertainment industry is like.
@@ellalynntaylor
I have incredibly mixed feelings about the activism of the Lover era in general. I don’t think Taylor is disingenuous about confronting sexism in that song but I can’t help but notice the fact that she has aimed to be the top dog of the music business.
Taylor in her music videos often lives in huge mansions or paints herself as a women of elite (maybe high-privileged status is the better word) status. Midnights to me is her confession that she almost settled down but loved the spotlight and wanted to claim the GOAT crown. The Bejeweled to me reveals all this. I bet being Time’s person of the year was on her bucket list. She wants the world’s eyes on her. She wants everyone to call her the best.
I am not condemning her for being ambitious, I admire that about her. However, it also reveals that Taylor sees herself as the 1% and revels in that status. She wears her crown in pride and will dismiss a lot of criticism as illegitimate.
@@JRbro100take the name Taylor Swift out of that comment and one would easily classify that person as a narcissist. “My covert narcissism” may be more than just a lyric? I don’t know how she could come out the other side of all of this without becoming one anyway.. it’s hard to stay grounded when you live in a castle on a cloud.
@@fromthedepths_podcastthis.
@@fromthedepths_podcast do me a favor and watch a couple of t swift interviews and search up her charity donations. narcissists have no care for others, and its pretty clear that she is not a narcissist (I mean she wrote a song for a mom who's 4 year old died of cancer) she has given countless gifts to fans, and I can bet you've never heard of her being unpleasant to fans or anyone in general. people tend to take one thing (aka lyrics of her song the man) and multiply it by a thousand and jump to conclusions. she simply made one song about sexism (and songs need to have a dramatic feel to them) and everyone attacks her
I’m SO glad someone is finally talking about her response to the whole Ticketmaster debacle. It has from the start sat wrong with me how she handled it and make me look at her in a completely different way. She’s Taylor freaking swift. She could have done more and she knows it.
Agreed. If smaller bands can do things.. so can she.
Glad I'm not the only one who was disappointed with how Taylor handled this. When you actually have the power to take down the Ticketmaster monopoly and do nothing. It really pisses me off.
I had thought that an artist could put a cap on tickets? It's insane to me, that with such a range in age for a fan base, that tickets would be sold for thousands of dollars - and I don't mean from scalpers.
thinking about how much power she has over artists owning their music like when she took her music off spotify and the impact of that. the question is not if she could have made a change to ticket sales, because she 100% would have made a huge difference in the face of this Ticketmaster issue.
Brazilian fans got sooooo much heat for being disappointed at Taylor about her statement after a fan died at her show. She posted this (although useless) really heartfelt message about American fans not being able to purchase tickets, but when a girl died at her show in Brazil she posted an ig story that was 2 sentences long claiming the girl fainted BEFORE her show… and she never came back to correct that. By the time that statement was posted it was already all over Brazilian national news outlets that the girl fainted during Cruel Summer. It felt really dishonest. On the next day twitter went CRAZY calling out Brazilian fans for being angry that she waited the whole entire day to postpone the show, after all 60 thousand ppl had been boiling in the sun all day, throwing up and passing out. It was very obvious that morning that the show needed to be postponed, but she waited until 15min before Sabrina was supposed to start playing to cancel it. That day it was clear to me that she cares way more about her “personal victory” of being able to perform under extreme conditions than she does about the wellbeing of fans. The same thing happened in Argentina, where fans were getting sick with hypothermia and she waited to postpone the show an hour before. The fact is that she could’ve done more, and in my opinion she absolutely SHOULD’VE done more. Her entire strategy after the tragedy was detachment. And now it feels like this whole episode was forgotten about. Just to be clear I’m not at all blaming Taylor for the tragedy of a fan dying, but the way she proceeded as if nothing happened the next day was baffling. That was not the attitude of someone that deeply cares. It was selfish and dangerous behavior. I still am deeply disheartened by the lack of solidarity and support international Swifties showed Brazilians. It’s like, how far can we go to defend Taylor when she’s wrong? Should we all forget our morals to defend the supreme leader?? It’s insane
Edit: since I’m already ranting I’ll continue. If anyone wants to know how HOT it was that Saturday, everything inside our freezers melted even with the lowest temperature on. People went to the beach to try to be inside the ocean, but had to leave due to massive drownings caused by heatstrokes. And I KNOW miss Taylor didn’t care enough about the fans wellbeing, because my little sister was on the stadium to see her that day, and I spend the entire day with a knot in my stomach. I was worried SICK about her and her friend. We were all following the news about the girl dying the night before, and seeing the videos of Taylor struggling to breathe and over 1000 fans passing out. When she cancelled the show I thought “thank god”, but that almost instantly turned into “why the fuck are you doing that only now??”. She wanted the show to go on!! When you have someone you care about in that situation it becomes CLEAR that to Taylor’s team and the organizers they’re just a number. My heart and soul was there in that stadium that day. If it was anyone Taylor REALLY cared about, she would never put them into that situation. Are we supposed to believe that Justin Bieber can cancel shows when his tummy hurts but Taylor Billionaire Swift can’t postpone a show in the morning to preserve the health of her young fans? I dont buy it
I imagine most of the ppl defending her are on the wealthier side of suburban life where similar dynamics occur just on a micro level.
I think the fact is that a lot of her fans treat her like a cult leader who you can’t criticize if you’re a “real” fan. It’s like they’re trying to create a social hierarchy within the fandom because they want to be above others
I’ve had a few conversations with swifties that didn’t like me criticizing her being a billionaire and their only reason being “she earned it” and anyone that hates on her being rich is jealous and a hater
I would argue this point in that I think a lot of people would genuinely struggle to grasp how much money a billion dollars is and thus why it's too much for one person to have, as someone who basically never takes leave from work and doesn't have the money to travel anywhere at all much less be taking a private jet somewhere every other day 😂 I also have a tendency to try to figure out the reasons behind people's actions and basically make excuses for them, but I do think Taylor needs to make some changes. I'm cool with her being rich, looking after herself and her loved ones first and I'm cool with her taking her time with said changes as long as they do eventually happen 😅
honestly i think they are just like the rest of us, poor enough to not be able to comprehend the sheer amount of money that is and its ramifications. i can’t comprehend a billion dollars. but as a bit of a socialist, i know its enough to be wrong
@@imawakemymindisalive13 if this helps: one million seconds = 11 days, while one billion seconds = *31 YEARS*. Once I had that comparison made to me, it became a lot easier to comprehend what a billion actually is
“She can’t fly commercial”
Yes, but that’s not an excuse to fly all across the world just to see your boyfriend play in the superbowl and fly back across the Pacific Ocean for another concert. To put y’all into perspective, a Tokyo-Vegas flight is 5984 miles and a Vegas-Melbourne flight is 8162 miles. That’s 14146 miles in a private jet just to see the Superbowl, while staying in Tokyo for a little longer and then flying directly to Melbourne would’ve been a 5086 mile flight. I’m a big ass Swiftie but I can’t possibly support her flying across continents for dates with her boyfriend, or her boyfriend flying from Kansas City to Buenos Aires for ONE NIGHT just to see her perform and fly back to KC (that round trip is 11178 miles, which Kelce most likely flew in a private jet)
And, she CAN a fly commercial lol she just doesn’t WANT to fly commercial because she’s a greedy snob just like any other famous rat is 🤣
Not to mention 1st class flights go *out of their way* to make sure that its guests are secluded from the general population, let alone if they're made aware that Taylor bloody Swift is flying. Their terminals are separated from business and economy class and there are entire airports in LA and Alanta that cater spefically for celebraties(they literally wil private drive you to your plane so that no one sees you and have seperate lounges that you can have *to yourself* ) So her privacy being a concern is not an excuse either 🤷🏾...
He did use a private jet and I agree
All I can say is taylor doesnt take responsability for the consequences of her own actions... When on tour in brazil a fan died due to the lack of proper conditions inside the stadium and yes, it wasnt directly her fault, but the girl cant even admit shes also responsible for the places se performs and its conditions... after all, they are paying to see her and she became a part of a huge music industry issue, that being the 3rd party contracts and labour...
Of course most of US fans wouldnt know this, it prob doesnt look good for her image...
I am Brazilian and the whole country were expecting something from her, but she didn't say absolutely anything.
What happened to her fan wasn't her fault. It was only the company that organized the show, but the fact that her team just put on the news "she is devasted" wans't enough. To be honest with you, it seemed more calculated to the situation doesn't destroy her brand than really for showing empathy.
We needed something from her. It could be me or a friend of mine.
So, I stopped admiring her that day...
I've always loved Taylor, but lately, I've been more and more embarrassed to be a part of this fanbase. Swifties overhype everything she says and does like it's God's gift to mankind, justify her hyper-capitalist tendencies and enabling it, refuse to engage meaningfully in any sort of criticism, celebrate her becoming a billionaire, and overall, they're just cringe and obnoxious. And this extends to my own issues with Taylor as a person. As much as people don't want to admit it, and as much legitimate adversity Taylor has had to overcome, she does play the victim card/underdog narrative a lot for someone who is now the most successful woman in the music industry.
For example, she and her fans always act like the 2016 "Kimye" debacle nearly "ruined" her career and destroyed her reputation, but did it? Did it really? At worst, that backlash was only on Stan Twitter. The general public, from what I remember, didn't really know about any of this. The only reputation that was tarnished was that people got the slightest indication that Taylor might not be a perfect, honest person all the time (even if she was later vindicated in that specific incident, fuck Kanye West).
I was there in 2007 when Britney Spears was going through the worst moments of her life on the public stage. I've seen what a ruined reputation looks like. Taylor Swift, thankfully, has never had to endure anything to that magnitude. She grew up in a well-off and stable family that didn't exploit her, and she's had massive amounts of success since her first album as a teenager. Again, there are legitimate snags and obstacles that she's had to overcome, but overall, her entire career has been nothing but highs. I can't really vouch for this narrative her fanbase constantly spins of her being this misunderstood underdog.
And while I've always stood by my view that a lot of the hate Taylor Swift has received from the general public over the years is either overblown, unwarranted, or even heavily misogynistic at times, more and more lately, I've been becoming more comfortable with criticizing Taylor when it is warranted because she is a billionaire approaching her mid-30s now. I am not treating her with kid gloves anymore. I have to hold her and her fanbase accountable, no matter how much I find her charming as a person; no matter how much I love her music and admire her musical craftmanship.
I love that she seems like a genuinely kind person and that she treats the people she works with so well. I love that she's philanthropic and the fact that she gave her crew huge bonuses a few months ago. I love her music. But she still shouldn't allowed to be a billionaire. Period. And nobody gets to billionaire status without doing some ethically dubious things - or at the very least, without looking the other way when other people do ethically dubious things when something stands to financially benefit said billionaire.
It's the perpetual adolescence for me. With being recognised as the most powerful woman in the industry it feels counter intuitive for fans to infantilize her and come to her defense as if she is not more powerful than most men and women in the music industry. I think there have been moments where her narrative has been destabilised but for the most part she has always been a rock. You don't become Time's Person of The Year by being weak. You get there by being yes talented but also strategic, dare I say 'calculated'. Knowing the power she has, the expectations for her must be higher imo.
@@fairypenguinss Thank you! You're so right about the Kimye era. I'm a big fan but it bothers me when people act like she was ruined and no one wanted anything to do with her. That just wasn't the case. She broke records on that tour. The ticket queue was very much a thing during rep era. I remember playing her music video and other promo videos every day how ever many times I was allowed to earn enough points to get boosted in the queue. And even back then she gave extra boosts based whether or not the email address you used to register for the verified fan sale purchased merch. Her feelings may have been hurt but to pretend she wasn't wildly successful and didn't have millions of fans is delusional.
I do appreciate that she has become a bit more self-aware of her constant need for validation in recent years and I hope she continues to do so and starts to make changes that more positively impact her fans. She can afford to do things more ethically. I really hope she sees this video and thinks about it. She has so much power.
Well written.
Im a 43 yr old man with daughters who like Taylor swift but not crazy about her.
They showed me a video of fans crowding around a wedding venue that Taylor Swift was a guest in.
My daughters, good bless them, found it so weird these fans would stand outside a venue for hours while Taylor swift was inside for a friends wedding.
They were just standing around waiting for her.
These people rare unhinged.
Thank you! This is why I could never get behind You're On Your Own, Kid and even Anti-hero, to some extent. Bitch, you were never on your own. I'm not downplaying her merits and hard work when it comes to her success, but let's not forget that her father bought her way into a record deal (can't remember the details right now). Also, I'm not downplaying the heavy toll of the fame on one's psyche, but she wants it. As we saw while she was dating Joe, she could live a much lower profile life if she wanted to, she simply doesn't want to.
CONFESSION TIME: I actually stopped calling myself a swiftie because it got too toxic for me. I love Taylor and her music, and that has been the case since day one. I've been with her, so to speak, since the very beginning and NEVER left, and honestly don't think I ever will unless she does something extremely psychotic, like murder another person or whatever. With that being said, the fandom is getting more and more toxic with each passing day (and Taylor isn't helping to be fair). This whole vibe of being in a cult and you can't say anything against a leader cause if you do you're gonna be viewed as a traitor and kicked out, the numerous double standards, the bullying of other fans, people in the industry, etc, the hypocrisy - it's all too much. This became my safe place where I can go and actually be a swiftie with other like-minded and actually sane people for a change, so thank you for that. I've been one of the weird people watching your videos without subscribing but I subscribed just now! Thank you for being the voice of reason, God knows the whole fucking fandom needs it. Too bad half of them (if not more) won't be able to understand that you're right.
Just don't use Twitter and then don't feel bad to call yourself Swiftie
Twitter fandoms are on some different level of toxicity
Personally I find that a lot of people on the EOAS discord are also cult-like swifties, or at the very least display this obsessive behaviour. The conversation isn't as diverse as one would hope
Fr like I swear some swifties have a heart attack if you listen to a stolen version of a song it’s so annoying!
To be fair, it depends on what spaces you are at, heavily. I have always used just Reddit and it’s one of the most balanced spaces imo.
The problem I have with calling myself a Swiftie is that makes me part of a monolith for many. But we are not a monolith. Truth is being a Swiftie just means you are a fan and it ends there. But especially in online spaces, it’s “Swifties this, Swifties that”…. We are not a cult, a political party and we don’t have the same rules, opinions, thoughts.
I feel the exact same way … these new TikTok / social media Swifties (most of them, obviously not every single one of them is as bad as most) are ruining so much of the fandom experience …
This was so needed. I also think that truly respecting Taylor as a human being should mean expecting MORE from her. She has immense power and has used it for both good and evil over her career. I expect her to do better because she is perfectly capable.
13:49 She can donate money to plant 2 to 3 million trees, and that will wipe out her carbon footprint. It will be a tax write-off for her and good PR. Next issue.
Planting trees has been proven to not actually work, because they don’t grow fast enough for all the flying happening
@@penelopebunce Again, this is all for optics. It's not going to make a dent regardless because global industries keep polluting the environment at a much faster rate than all of the sustainability initiatives are being put in place. The trees will provide benefits beyond CO2 capture.
This whole video is inarguably valid. Ethically, the status of individual billionaire is not achievable. Period.
And one mini-tangent that was not included is that when it comes to Taylor's physical media and her albums and vinyls that are released, there is no real reason to have several versions of one album that are different by just one track or one art design. That is such a capitalist tactic that preys on fans who want to collect every version of her album. And I don't mean the differences in her re-releases. I mean, like how the Midnights albums had four different vinyl pockets that combined into a clock/the vinyl themselves were colored different. Or how her new album will have different versions that have one exclusive track. Either release it all on one, or not. The exclusivity of it all is just a capitalist ploy and it makes me feel like it's just a greedy move because she knows the fans are going to want to get all the versions.
but isn't collectibles also a huge business? fans who bought different colored versions could sell them later
Love that last article you read. The line about how she is in a position to set a new standard is exactly it. She has such opportunity that would be a much stronger legacy than any record breaking album she releases
👏THE ONLY TAYLOR SWIFT REPORTER WE NEED!👏
Magnificent video. Thank you for drawing a line of hypocrisy from fan reactions about Matty Healy to fan reactions about her billionaire status. All of this was beautifully executed, especially for a twitch stream video!
I get your comment but the phrase "you're the only __ we need" is very authoritarian-coded and I think it needs to be retired from casual vocabulary.
This video made me respect you even more. This is valid and needed criticism. You cannot be ethical while being a billionaire, period. I'm so glad to hear you discuss this in a deep, investigative way. Blindly loving an influential person of any kind leads to misuse of power. We cannot let the parasocial aspect of fan culture prevent us from critiquing people in these positions; it can almost be a gross shield from any criticism.
As soon as you reach a certain level of rich where your needs and wants are more than met, you have a much larger responsibility to the world (in addition to already needing to obtain the money ethically). Wealth hoarding is not a victimless crime, and it isn't a cute hobby. And 'I'm not like other billionaires, I'm cool and chic' is vile and disgusting rhetoric that we can't let happen. Fantastic ideas & arguments, and great solutions you shared. I hope to support you and your independent journalism on Patreon one day!
As a progressive leftist that is also a swiftie, I think this video was so well done!!!! I think a lot of folks struggle to see artist as what they are: corporations. That isn't to say we can't enjoy them or their art, but I do feel with mega singers (i.e; Taylor Swift, Beyonce, Drake, etc.) it's important that consumers not only understand what they're purchasing, but also understand what they're sometimes *unknowingly* buying into..
I'm finding it impossible to be someone that cares for the environment AND a swiftie. Those two just don't go hand in hand. I'm getting tired of her 😔
Taylor needs to go the Dolly Parton route. It’s a guaranteed way to escape criticism for the rest of your life. They’ve erected statues of dolly in TN.
But at the same time - in all seriousness - why bother if you're a billionaire? Sadly
After how a lot of swifties treated brazilians swifties, going as far as being xenophobic, because some of us were criticizing Taylor for good reason it was a point of no return for me. The brain rot really did go too far
That is so sad to me and says a lot about her and her fanbase.
@@LowSlungBadBitchIt does sadly. I still love her music but i dont want to participate in the fandom anymore.
There is a weird aspect of the Taylor Swift fandom, where they might not be racist day-to-day but they will act like its a measure they have to take, to defend Taylor from people they see criticize her who happen to not be white, which I think is ridiculous and going too far just to defend her from criticism. Let alone not even hearing out the position people have. I don't like people who weaponize bigotry.
The death of the poor girl was beyond the limit honestly, I don't think it could get worse than that but seeing how poor the situation was handled and then forgotten (in top of the rac1st war) was mind-blowing
finally the moment where my socialist and swifty identities collide. Chefs Kiss to you for this magic. Can we also just acknowledge how this woman doesn't even have a charitable foundation. Not even a bad half arsed one. She could hire a team to manage everything and attend 1 board meeting a year- easily. I will love Taylor until I die- but this is SO bad.
@Swiftologist I hope your content is objective and covers all aspects. I suppose you’ll offer alternatives, what you would do if you if it were you? You’re a journalist, that’s what “most” expect. ✅
Please address these comments if not in the upcoming video, maybe the next? “No charitable?? Really? Here we go again, since it’s not publicized it doesn’t exist???
Finally! I knew I was not alone.
@@belmoon8711 we would know if taylor was doing something behind the scenes lol. theres always a paper trail left
@@belmoon8711 we would know if taylor was doing something behind the scenes lol. theres always a paper trail left
@@anigoel6189 I don’t agree! She donated to the states she toured, yet there’s no “trail”, only one mentioned it briefly only stating it being very generous without stating details. I don’t understand why it can’t be specific.
I was a diehard ARMY and spent so much money on a BTS concert because of how much that meant to me during my hard times. But recently with the genocide in Gaza, and growing up (I just turned 21), I have felt betrayed. I guess that's my fault for being in a parasocial relationship, but these people were extremely important to me. I also hold the belief that there is no ethical billionaire. It's a hard truth, but no matter how much you love an artist, that does not excuse inaction. If they only support causes that benefit them ALONE, it's not excusable. I also hold the belief that if you have a track record of supporting certain causes, then you have taken on the responsibility of using your platform for good.
Thank you for making this video. I've had people argue with me basically infantilizing Taylor and saying she "isn't educated" on certain issues when she has SO MANY RESOURCES at her disposal. She is actively ignoring things. Again, not excusable. I don't like Taylor myself but we are 2 sides of the same coin.
100% with you on being an ARMY rn. I had to take leave from fandom socials because ppl refuse to understand this and attack you over and over.
The company is on the wrong side. Their artists (who have governance positions too) are spokespeople. Same with Taylor, silence is acceptance and compliance. And then ppl just like us get hurt. It’s very disappointing.
As a person of color who understands that clothing affects the whole world and not just the USA, You slayed so hard with this video. I love how you stick to your morals and don’t let what the majority says sway you, the north korea stan twitter analogy was so true, thank you for opening my eyes.Thats why I subscribed to you!!
FINALLY someone says it. This has been bothering me for years. I love Taylor, but it really wouldn’t hurt her in any way to think about our planet every once in a while.
Thank you for your analysis!
I am currently doing a phd in management and strategy track focusing on sustainability, and the only thing I want to say to you is SLAY! we need more of a people like you, not only understand the concept, brilliant analytical approach and detailed research; but also being able to explain these concepts to the people, especially youth. LOVED the video! 🎉
I’m glad these comments are mostly good-I was expecting everyone to crucify you.
I think Taylor should’ve been thinking about how to be serious as a philanthropist before this point. After all, you don’t have to hit 1 billion to be insanely rich. It is my hope that her getting to the billionaire status will open her eyes and I hope she is planning big things and will soon be setting them in motion in the philanthropy field. If you’re wildly wealthy there is no excuse for failing to be wildly generous on every front.
Swiftologist “Im not scared”. 👏👏👏You’re a master class in critical thinking, centered around pop culture. Thank you for being a refreshing voice of reason.
I've watched a few of your videos now, but this is the one that got me to subscribe. I was feeling conflicted about her being a billionaire and I think you did such an amazing job at addressing this conflict in a very data driven, journalistic way. Thanks for all the effort you've put in producing this one
I love Taylor. As a mid 40’s woman, her recent albums have really resonated with me. She hasn’t gotten a penny from me other than what she gets in views on RUclips or whatever Apple gives her for me to play her music. My daughter and l want to see The Era’s tour so badly but we refuse to pay $1700 each for crappy seats. If we’re still eating the rich, Taylor Alison Swift is #1 on the list. I’m so ready for this video!
I agree but #1 on the list is a bit dramatic
@jessie6600it means nothing in any scenario lol
@jessie660004:03 l was being funny lol
@jessie6600 It is the middle class throwing around meaningless buzzwords so they can think of themselves as so superior while also saying they’re “powerless” and putting all the responsibility for change on celebrities, not even politicians or major corporations because they want the attention
@jessie6600the fact you think being rich like that comes from hard work and being frugal 😂 empty head, no thoughts
Thank you for this video! Ive become so disillusioned with Taylor lately. Her billionaire status, the overpriced merch and tons of versions of albums, her silence on Gaza, the situation with Ana in Brazil...shes so far removed from who she was years ago and clearly is preoccupied with her celebrity status and image. Its unfortunate. I thought she had come a long way after Miss Americana but i guess not.
Why does every celeb have to make a statement on current political matters? Majority of them are ignorant on them and you’re just going to get the response that gets them the most positive attention and not their true feelings. You essentially want performative action from her rather than silence. Cmon that is so ridiculous. Listen to experts who have been studying this conflict for years and make your stance. You don’t need Taylor swift, or anyone else, to make a stance on a political matter. This is out of hand, how crazy people are online with wanting every single person to address every little thing. It’s literally chronically online behavior I’m sorry…
@@kianna270yikes 😬
@@scarlettsativa2960 yikes bc I don’t care for performative action? Celebs will speak on matters they care about. If they don’t care about it, you probably don’t wanna hear their uneducated opinion on world matters. Stop looking to artists for political messages…. It’s annoying
No matter what Taylor says/doesn’t say, people are going to be upset.
She has an incredibly powerful voice - now, why tf would she speak on GLOBAL POLITICS. Honestly, I would be worried that her lending her voice to the Israel/Hamas conflict would cause additional harm.
@@littlebydigital people know where she is going to be every eras date there could be threats on concerts and venues she plays it’s not worth the risk for her or her fans, on top of idolizing celebrities that often don’t educate themselves and simply make statements I would rather she not for her and her fans safety
I'm only 17 so I'm not sure if it has something to do with my brain development, but I have a very difficult time not seeings things as black and white. Often whenever I support someone, I will immediately stop supporting them upon seeing that they are unethical or vice versa. Being a swiftie has really exercised the part of my brain that can view things as simultaneously right and wrong, and I will say, this is certainly one of those times where she is completely wrong. When she started dating matty healy, I was particularly bothered by it, not because I give much of a rats ass who she dates, but because her dating him directly contradicted her support for poc, women, and the gays, after she had heavily capatalized off of that, since she was actively supporting someone who has made damaging/derogatory statements about them and further oppressed them due to that. This situation feels so incredibly similar, as I cannot help but wonder how someone can hoard hundreds upon hundreds of millions of dollars and damage the environment while claiming/appearing to be harmless. I adore her and her content is incredible, but this video and your amazing analysis really proved that there is no such thing as an ethical billionare. How she is choosing to spend her money is reckless and the amout the she is hoarding is damaging, mother truly needs to get it together and it is disappointing that people are no longer holding billionares to the standard that they need to be held at or calling them out simply because they like their content or have a strong parasocial relationship. At the end of the day, people are starving and struggling to make ends meet with minimum wage while she has multiple mansions she can fly to in her private jet. The average swiftie is not on her level and I feel like a lot of them really need to be reminded of that in order to hold her to the correct standard.
i'm the same age and in the same situation, especially with the whole matty healy thing. as much as i love the album lover, her white woman feminism was showing and i lowkey feel like she exploited the lgbt community, using activism as a an accessory and then dropping it when it no longer fit the asthetic. and then for her in ms. americana to talk about how she's such an amazing person and radical activist, but at best vaguely mentions some sort of political issue on her ig story highlighted just how contrived the documentary was.
then with the matty healy thing, it felt so gross to see her dating (hooking up) with someone who had a track record of -ics and -isms, and totally contradicted everything she'd said about equality up until that point. the allegations were waaaay to many to be ignored or excused, and the way she used ice spice to combat the criticism by putting her on the karma remix was cowardly and manipulative.
As a non swiftie just trying to make sense of the current phenomenon happening with Taylor Swift fandom, I really appreciate the perspective shared in this video. I totally get being a fan of or admiring a celebrity for their work but I find the level of infatuation and emotional investment a lot of people have in Taylor kinda off putting and creepy.
Also, as much as I don’t like making judgments about people I’ve never met, I just don’t get a great vibe from her as a person based on some of the interviews I’ve seen. She comes off a bit fake and egotistical to me. To be clear, I absolutely love a lot of music made by artists I know are either kinda dicks or outright bad people. I just think it’s healthy to recognize when that’s the case or at the very least give yourself a healthy degree of separation and perspective on the fact we don’t actually know these people. There is no way Taylor Swift is a down to earth person at this point.
The craze and hyper focus attention feels like the catalyst for her to finally face the criticism she deserves. Especially with the fossil fuel crisis. Pretty soon there will HAVE to be global changes implemented and guess who will be the last to make the change 🙄 people don’t understand what fossil fuels actually are and that they aren’t unlimited or manufactured. WE are about to be the new fossil fuels pretty soon 😅 2025 is about to be crazy.
You are one of the few Swifties willing to talk about these things and it's so refreshing. I'm also a Taylor fan, BUT I agree with you about so many of the things you discussed. I don't understand the cult like nature of the fandom and how they will never ever criticize anything she does.
Thank you for this. I had presumed that Taylor was very philanthropic. Clearly I was wrong. This critique demonstrates you as a true swiftie, wanting the best for the world, Taylor, and the fans.
She has always been performative. Love her music but she has said it herself, she’s not a North Star
People never really want to question how she actually is, when she doesn't really do anything.
I’ve said it before and I will say it again. I am a huge fan but have lost a ton of respect after I ordered the red ring and it had the quality of one of those quarter machine rings and not anywhere near good quality. You can’t be ethical screwing your fans that way. We buy expensive merch and get horrible quality
@kf5338
Yeah the merch hate is more new. I didn’t buy merch back then bc it was out of my budget but now I have money and I refuse from now on because the quality is beyond terrible. I did buy the all too well journal and that was fine but hard to screw up a notebook but also it was near $30 and small. But the rings were such a disappointment and so sad she made it seem she wanted ours to be like the one she had it’s like no you can’t wear that daily. It’s like shitty af. Atleast make it somewhat like a metal like aluminum or something. I get rings for $10 that last years and years and are like sterling metal or something metallic, I don’t know why she hasn’t changed up the quality of her merch. She needs to apologize and do better. It’s beyond unethical
"no one deserves to be a billionaire" 👏👏👏 sing it
39:50 Wish you mentioned one of the actual instances where journalists are evidently harassed by the fandom. Just so the actual harm is drilled into the heads of the deniers.
There was a guy from Business Insider who wrote about Eras Tour and someone called the company he's working for and claimed he was a pedo, essentially threatening his livelihood, doxxed him, sent death threats, etc.
I COMPLETELY agree with you that no one person should have a billion plus dollars. It’s sickening when there are so many people struggling. And this billionaire claims that she gives a lot to charity.. yet is still able to afford six mega mansions, a private jet, a tour bus, cars, etc. You really can’t be donating too significant a portion of your ridiculous income
They earned it, it's their money. No one owes you or anyone else sh!t
@@crypt1d550But one still doesn't need that much money.
@crypt1d550 the issue is not whether she earned it, it's how willing she is to give back.
@@crypt1d550 no, but it does speak about a person's character and if they want to be well-liked by commoners, they need to share their money - it's a fair trade-off
it’s so nice and refreshing to see a video from a swiftie where she’s actually being criticised. nobody is perfect and i’m sick and tired of getting hated on for saying things like most of her merch sucks when it clearly does. and the people who hated on her for dating a bad person but didn’t hate on her RUINING THE PLANET genuinely scare me
we appreciate you for going against the grain and that’s why we watch you. im so sick of youtubers with blinders on for TS and cant think critically!
I think a big aspect of why she is wealth-hoarding is that it offers her entry into the highly priviledged spaces that other billionaires occupy (and flit between on their PJs). It's a private club full of people with too much power.
This video actually blows my mind. It seems so put together, conducted unfathomably well, and really said what needed to be said. Thank you for diving into this problem ocean for us! You've done a seemingly wonderful job!
Also, the article that used "Ours", "Mr. Perfectly Fine", "Shake It Off", etc. lyrics/references in it was mind-blowing. I cannot believe that was allowed to be published...if that was written by a journalist or something alike, I think they need to go back through our school system from the beginning.
Thanks for your thoughtful, critical lens!
Thank you for supporting Erin!
I went to The Eras Tour here in Brazil and the only reason I got a shirt from her official merch is because all the merch sold here was made in Brazil. It was pretty expensive but at least people who made it were properly payed and the quality is something I’ve only seen in my Paramore shirt (that I also got in their merch store at their concert), that was also made in Brazil.
So… My advice is to try your best to get things from an ethical source when it comes to merch specifically.
A video that speaks to my soul! Finally! Does Taylor work incredibly hard? Yes! Is she shrewd, smart, and works to make sure her legacy is protected, yes! Does ANYONE work so hard that they deserve this much more than literally everyone else? NO!
as a brazilian swiftie I feel like, at least on our little twitter bubble, this conversation usually goes down a lot better than between international fans... and yet hahaha I still have to keep saying the obvious every few days
An important video thank you. Question has Taylor ever spoken out against the genocide and occupation of Palestinian?
@@annascott-hinkle2367Not that I've seen
The overconsumption in large music fandoms is so strange to me. I like some big artists but I usually don’t choose to spend my money on them as they have more than enough. I recently went to a small show (less than 200 attendees) and the artist explained that they hand tie-dyed every shirt and all the merch was made in America. It’s funny that small artists who sometimes even work a day job can be ethical and the biggest artists in the world cannot.
The thing about philanthropy is that it requires a wealthy class to exist- if we didn’t have extractionary capitalism, we wouldn’t need philanthropy to help those “less fortunate”. There would be less of a wealth gap if billionaires did not exploit others on their way to the top, and then turn around and “give back” to the people they exploited on the way up. (Not for nothing, but I’m Going to eras, have all her albums, etc etc BUT THIS IS ALL TRUE AT THE SAME TIME!)
it’s the unfortunate reality
This video needed to be made. Thank you! There are no ethical billionaires
Zachary, you're awesome. nobody's talking about this, sure you will articulate this perfectly.
THANK YOU there’s been so much discourse and defense of her being a billionaire on Twitter and I am LOSING IT
I think one of the issues with people who has obtained that kind of caliber and wealth is that they start to lose touch with what it means to be a "normal person", even if they started off as a normal person without that kind of wealth, it is my opinion that it is possible that she did not realize the amount of damage that not prodding ticketmaster more before the concert ticket sales would cause (the resellers, the site crashing etc) I think sometimes that it doesn't help when you're at that level you will be surrounded by "yes men" who will not give any criticism.
40:50 this little segment just proves what you said a minute before, about being open to changing your mind. I don’t think I have seen your content before but you seem really well rounded and thoughtful, and engage critically with the things you love?!?! I’m sold. Great video.
Say what you want about JK Rowling, but at least she literally lost her billionaire status due to her donating to various charities.
JK Rowling is actively harming a vulnerable group of people with her hate campaign. Do not think the comparison is worth the mental gymnastics
Exactly! And all of Taylors activism is totally performative
Ugh I’m so happy to hear someone who loves Taylor Swift as an artist and a persona NOT try and defend being a billionaire “just because it’s her”. I don’t think she’s a bad person, but I also think viewing people as ‘bad’ and ‘good’ people blanketly is such a reductive and dangerous way to view the world. People are complex, and while bad things don’t cancel out the good things she’s done, good things she’s done ALSO DONT CANCEL OUT THE BAD THINGS!
I really appreciate the thoughtful, clear, and critical but empathetic way you approached this topic (and all the topics you approach). I love Taylor and her music, but I absolutely cannot support her being a billionaire, and I believe that those things can co-exist!
Fantastic work! You've beautifully put into words a bunch of the ideas that have been rolling around in my mind. EVERY suggestion made in this video for how she could do better is on target. I hope Taylor hears these ideas and takes them seriously (for her own sake, as well as ours). I've been saying similar things in various social media comments and will continue to do so. I hope that swifties, in general, will acknowledge the wisdom of honest, thoughtful criticism on this topic. I love Taylor as an artist and I'm convinced that she is, indeed, a profoundly good person at heart. I fully agree with a general sentiment that I see floating around: "We made the right person rich." But swifties need to keep giving her these tough-love reality checks. This criticism isn't Taylor-hating; it is extremely uncomfortable for all of us, but it is also perhaps the most loving and supportive thing we can do for Taylor.
BTW: One suggestion that I will add: Although she realistically needs to finish the Era's Tour in it's current form, she could make plans to re-design the foundations of her future tours. She could do a 2-hour "acoustic set" and swifties would still fill stadiums - especially if she announced the new format in the context of making commitments to lower her environmental impact. But does she even need to fill stadiums anymore? She could arrange live-streaming in theaters for a series of smaller-venue shows. This would help theaters, vastly reduce environmental impact, and still provide swities with an opportunity to meet and freak out together.
I also like how every fan will defend her for charging so much, "It's not her fault the resellers make us pay so much", "She's trying to make tickets cheaper". She doesn't care about her fans. It's her goal to make money. Not for her fans to be happy. She lets resellers resell, because it's more money for her.
I have high respect to T's music and longevity; her intelligence in the commerce side of music; her marketing prowess; and the brand / image she's built for herself which keeps getting bigger and bigger as the years go by.
But obviously... everything comes with a price... NOBODY becomes a billionaire SQUEAKY CLEAN.
There are business practices we don't see/hear/know as fans that cross even the most saint artist's "moral code." And that's just reality...
We can point out these questionnable practices, yes, while still consuming her music...
I can't control how her company operates things but I can control how I react to the information (like being a billionaire) presented to us...
I dont have the energy to call her out but I wont just be a blind follower either.