You make valid points. In this moment in time with the election on the horizon, Swift has endorsed Harris. With Swift's millions of followers ready to do her bidding, that's a good thing. (Kinda)

Sometimes we have to accept that some things just don't change and try to make the best of it.

@Betty Thank you. These days I find myself not trusting any let alone endorsing any politicians, I'm convinced they all lie in order to achieve power and advance their own social status.

I try to do just that, and have a way of ignoring drama like that going on around me. Each political extreme has their preferred celebrities whom of which say the things that jive the most with their respective views. Recently, it appears the far left has Swift, while the far right has Musk. Scenarios like that lead me to conclude that (some) people use that sort of scenario in order to be nasty and dehumanizing to those who they perceive hold any opposing viewpoints. All drama in my opinion, just another way for people to bully and harass others and in the process make sure our society stays divided. Echo chambers to my left and to the right.

@SpikeTalon It happened a long time ago, before you and before me.

Once upon a time, there was a Tax Man, who had to visit every city and town, village, farm, and shack to collect taxes. You see, the taxpayer held the power. They could band together as a community and demand to be heard...and they were.
One day, someone came up with the bright idea to provide, "A Convenience" to working citizens by subtracting the taxes directly from their paychecks. Do you see?...The power flipped sides and the taxpayer is screwed.

You have heard the phrase, politics is a game? That is what it has become. I agree with you, they lie.

It serves no purpose to waste time on the things we have no control over. That time would be better served on the things within our control. It's good you found a way to ignore drama and I agree that bullying is a big part of it.

Well, thank you for the loooong comment to just say that you are jealous.

@Ryo1 Jealous of what?

@Betty Philanthropists like Swift.
Anyway, it's amusing that some people miss the whole point of Larson's post.

@Ryo1 There are valid points in both opinions. Putting someone on a pedestal without knowing the person is foolish. (My opinion) Her Philanthropy increases her popularity, gives her tax exemptions, and keeps her current with her fans. It is valuable pubicity. Maybe she is a good person, maybe she is not or maybe something in between.

You posted an opinion piece, and someone else posted their opinion. I see no jealousy in that.

@Betty
Do you get what the original post is all about? Do you get its most important point? Yes or No?

@Ryo1 Swift is using her position to move feminism forward another step.

She is a positive force, right?

@Ryo1 I didn't miss the point of Larson's post, not in the least, and perhaps you didn't understand the point I tried to make. Furthermore, what's there to be "jealous" of there? Should I really feel jealousy for someone who promoted homophobic song verses in the past, and who leads a rather dramatic lifestyle with a guy who has made derogatory comments about women and fat people?? No thanks, I'm satisfied with my lot in life, and least I'm not a homophobe.

You post above is only presenting one side of that story, and conveniently overlooks the negative side, and in the past she has made some questionable remarks. Use your brain a bit more there mate, whenever we hear about a celebrity who donates either money or time/efforts to charity(s), there might be more to that story than what's being presented, and said celebrity might have done so for public appearance's sake and not just from the good of their heart. I take it you are aware that alot of people nowadays have their own personal agenda to promote, which does not always include the common good for all, right? There are two sides to every story, and Larson only considered one side there, but I am looking at that situation objectively and not from a rather biased one-sided point of view. I am not a fan of Swift, nor do I support those who are quick to bash her.

That all said, once again, I honestly don't care about that story and are tired of hearing both the Swifties and anti-Swifties exchanging drama, it's become a boring story and some of us have better things to do with their time than argue about such trivial albeit meaningless drama. I will make a note however for in the future that if I respond to any of your more serious (dare I call it that) posts on here, to keep my replies as brief as possible, as apparently my previous comment was too long for you to comprehend fully, which is why you had to resort to getting personal instead of giving constructive feedback. Perhaps if you had first considered both sides of that story prior to posting, the response you had received from me would have been more favorable to you.

@Ryo1 There is a positive aspect to her, yes. She is also just a person with human flaws like the rest of us.

@SpikeTalon
What is your reason for criticizing and bringing down philanthropists like Swift? Why is it necessary to look at any negative side of her at all? No one is suggesting that she is perfect or she is an angel. She may have done things that made her hypocritical in the past. So what? We are all hypocrites. Don't tell me you are not.

I'm no fan of Swift, but how she uses her privileged position to help the disadvantaged is nothing but commendable.
Last summer, while she was touring in the UK, Swift donated enough money to cover the food bills for 11 food banks and 8 community kitchens in Liverpool for a year (and in every single city where she performed), creating lasting impact. She did more for Liverpool in 3 nights than the Tory government had done over 14 years. Have you ever done anything like this in your life?

The disadvantaged don't have time for politics. They don't trust politicians because they don't feel that their concerns and opinions are represented. They much more admire and trust people, like Swift, who walk the walk.

Anyway, read the original post again.
"I am extremely disappointed in so many of you who think that "not being a fan" of someone means you're entitled to shit all over them."
"Because your daughters, nieces, and your nephews are watching you run your mouth. And they are seeing the world hate a woman who does so much good, simply because she exists in their line of sight."
"DO BETTER PEOPLE."
"Teach your boys to respect women. Teach your girls that as women - they are ALLOWED to take up space."
"Fix it. Become aware of your words. Because we all have the ability and the obligation to fight for the future of our children with simple moments. And we need to consciously choose to be better for them."

The above is the core message of the post, whcih you and Betty don't seem to get. Replace Swift with any female philanthropist, the post still makes perfect sense.

It is NOT about Swift per se, NOR is it about you. If you are so tired of hearing about Swift, sorry, mate, that is your problem. If you can't help but see her (or any philanthropist for that matter) through cynical, pessimistic lenses, again that is your problem. Over and out.

@Ryo1 Did you actually take the time to read my previous comments, because I thoroughly explained the reasons for my criticism, and cited no less than three sources to backup my claims. What sources did you link to to backup your point(s), other than share a post from Larson that pretty much amounted to an opinion piece? Good for him, and I'm not saying his assessment of Swift's character was totally incorrect, the point I tried to make was that Larson's conclusion on that matter lacked context... the other side of that story. If objective reality is the goal, don't you think both the positive and negative aspects of someone's character should be mentioned? Over the years, Swift has done both kind charitable gestures, and also some rather rude and questionable ones as well.

You ask me "Why is it necessary to look at any negative side of her at all?" To which I respond, why not? Because I prefer hearing out both sides of a story, and accept reality for what it is and not as I would wish it to be. That way, I could get a better overall understanding of an individual's character, by analyzing all aspects of their behavior and how they treat others. By only focusing on the positive traits, you only get part of the picture, which in turn would most likely mean valuable context is being left out...

For example, I'll use Donald Trump here... a good number of my fellow Americans have a way of fixating on his (perceived) kind/positive interactions with others and any charitable thing he may have done in the past, while conveniently albeit totally ignoring the many negative things he has done. Do you think such a scenario is good and or constructive or even reasonable? I sure don't, and think such a discussion would warrant including detailing both positive and negative actions on his part, because context and the full story there are important so as to stay consistent with what reality itself would dictate.

Can you stay on topic please, this convo isn't nor wasn't supposed to be about me, it was about Swift's perceived charitable deeds and by extension evaluating her overall character related to said charitable deeds. I had never suggested that I am not/was ever a hypocrite either now in the present time or in the past, but I sure do strive to reach an objective understanding of all matters that concern society and value facts and direct actions of others as opposed to only considering my own perceptions on matters. Big difference there, as from the looks of it there's no shortage of folks on this site who like to fixate on only one side of a story.

"Privileged position" is debateable there, but for a moment I will entertain your thought on that, and ask you this (once again)... how do you know for certain her perceived charitable deeds were indeed done for the right reasons, and by right reasons I mean for actual charity and not for any sort of personal gain such as for social points or in some way to help advance her own career in music? More questions need and should be asked there, and I don't know about you but I like to ask lots of questions. As for your other question there, yes and no... I have in the past and continue to donate both time and money to local charitable drives, from helping out with a local food bank (Second Harvest Food Bank in Allentown Pennsylvania), to donating some of my time at the local library, to volunteering with Good Shepherd Rehabilitation (also in Allentown), to the present time where I am currently acting as a mentor to fellow learners on the platform Coursera by helping them with course questions/assignments/site navigation/and career advice etc, just to name a few charitable things I am/had been involved in. I do all of that without even so much as wanting a simple thank you, I do that because it makes me feel good knowing I am helping out other people and hopefully in the process that helps to simplify their lives a bit more, and no sort of public (or personal) recognition is necessary. Now I have a question for you... are you that shallow of an individual so as to completely overlook all of that simply because that's not on as grand of a scale as what Swift can do, simply because you are fixated on her perceived awesomeness? I'm asking you that directly and not assuming, and that does make me wonder based on what you had mentioned in your previous reply. Also, do know that I am not bragging about any of that nor do I go around telling others out in public about my charitable work, I was only honestly answering your question being you had asked.

As for the disadvantaged among us, your claim there is not unique to Swift as there are conceivably many other celebrities out there who contribute a considerable amount to charity. As for them relating well to celebrities like Swift, that's a matter of personal perception, and said perceptions may or may not be accurate, and I contend that a good number of modern day celebrities are just as phony as the politicians are. Personally, I don't trust or admire either one of those.

Apparently, you haven't gotten my point yet, and no one here is arguing about philanthropy like that being a bad thing. I merely questioned the example that was brought up in the OP, as there just might be other similar examples out there that are being overlooked, but these days people seem to enjoy fixating on Swift, which I see no point in doing so. Also, for what it's worth, I've long contended that private charity like that is far superior to what a Government could possibly offer, so you didn't mention anything there that I wasn't already aware of.

No, it's not my problem, I simply don't care about society's fascination with Taylor Swift is all, and I had passively suggested that those online who do fixate on that sort of thing might not have much of a life of their own. Bottom line is, I question if said philanthropy is/was being done for the right reasons and not just in an attempt to enhance her own career, and is it wrong to ask questions? Cynicism and pessimism are your perceptions there, which is fine as you're entitled to that, but in reality what I had offered above was nothing of that sort but rather had only asked an honest question in an attempt to present both sides of that story. If pointing out the philanthropy of others was the goal, why not do a post on that directly, then with a mention of Taylor Swift? Why go about it the way you did (you don't have to answer that if you don't wish)? There was a more specific reason as to why Swift was mentioned in the OP, and from the looks of it the question I had asked made you uncomfortable.

One last thing, since you brought up pessimism and cynicism, here's a quick question that's more on the light-hearted side. By now everyone on here is pretty much aware of the crush you have on Swift, so curiosity abounds... If you like Swift that much, why not put a ring on her finger? No need to worry about Kelce, as I'm sure he'd focus his attention on the next available dame that's around. Should you decide on that, I'll even give you my blessing, lol. See, it's not all about being cynical or pessimistic, I also can and do take a humorous path as well. Cheers dude.

"This is probably going to tick some people off, and I hope it does."
You've done him a favour, mate. Lol

Swift has a past in promoting homophobic lyrics, which revealed her true self, and now in politically correct fashion is trying to backtrack on that in obvious PR stunts. Those people are so damned phony. My attitude towards people like that is indifferent, but I am tired of constantly hearing about that drama in the news though, knowing the many other truly important issues that are troubling our society. The people who are both bashing and promoting Swift need to get a life...

[last.fm]?