Taylor Swift’s album is about to come out and, uncannily, some beef is being served in preparation.
This time, Swifty’s had a run-in with a blogger who's made a pretty weak argument for Look What You Made Me Do being a 'dog-whistle' to Swift’s devout alt-right fanbase.
How exactly Herning was meant to tell the world that Taylor isn’t ok with the alt-right dolts supporting her when she was forbidden from talking about the letter is beyond us, but the ACLU says the article is fine, because of Herning’s right to free speech as protected by the US constitution’s First Amendment. In a statement reported by AVClub Herning said ‘These scare tactics may have worked for Taylor in the past, but I am not backing down.’
It seems unlikely that Taylor Swift is a white supremacist, but there’s something of the Streisands about this. Legendary Barbra Streisand sued because photos of her home had been published? Turns out more people saw the photos after she sued. It’s not to say Swift should shut up and let bad takes be written about her, especially one which suggests that she is a Nazi because she stands on a podium just like Hitler did. Hint: if the only person who comes to mind when you see another person on a podium is Hitler, you might need to extend your appreciation of historical figures to something beyond 'Nazi leaders'.
But now we've read the piece, we've taken note of the more salient parts. If Swift really is so keen to distance herself from Nazis, why doesn't she just tell them to back off? It's not like Wayne Rooney has shied away from telling violent football hooligans to stop throwing chairs in his name. And yes, that is a direct comparison between Taylor Swift and Wayne Rooney. So sue us.
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This article originally appeared on The Debrief.