The alt-right saw Taylor Swift as an 'Aryan goddess.' She shook them off as 'repulsive'

[wyldwolf]

... or, How I Learned to Love My Daughter's Idol.

I'm not one of those who begins a Taylor Swift conversation with 'I don't like her music, but...." The Fact is, I LOVE her music. I've always been that burly hetero white guy who rebelled against the unspoken rule that I had to only like Southern Rock or Heavy Metal or Classic Rock. Sure, I do like the genres. I'm NOT confined or defined by them. I like pop. Always have. Decade after decade. Except for the first ten years of my daughter's life when things got busy. She introduced me to Taylor. It's been a love affair ever since.

I recall having a somewhat heated discussion about Ms. Swift with someone on some left-leaning discussion forum years ago. It might have been DU. Honestly, I've been in many heated conversations with many people on many forums. This discussion particularly involved my opponent swearing Taylor was a Republican. The evidence was plain as a day. White country artist from Tennessee. She HAD to be.

We all soon found out otherwise.

So, this particular article hit home to me. I hope it isn't a dupe, and I hope you enjoy it.

The alt-right saw Taylor Swift as an 'Aryan goddess.' She shook them off as 'repulsive'

It’s all quite ironic because some of these same weird, angry, insecure men back in 2016 were idolizing Swift as an “Aryan goddess.” In May 2016, Vice wrote:

Nazis and members of the "alt right"—an Internet subculture that is best described as the venn diagram of hipster culture and white supremacy—have been spreading a conspiracy theory that Swift is a covert Nazi. They claim Swift's songs "red pilled" America into believing a conservative, racist agenda. …

"Firstly, Taylor Swift is a pure Aryan goddess, like something out of classical Greek poetry. Athena reborn. That's the most important thing," explains Andre Anglin, the writer of the white supremacist blog the Daily Stormer. "It is also an established fact that Taylor Swift is secretly a Nazi and is simply waiting for the time when Donald Trump makes it safe for her to come out and announce her Aryan agenda to the world. Probably, she will be betrothed to Trump's son, and they will be crowned American royalty." …

Now all of this was nothing more than these neo-Nazi fanboys projecting their white supremacist views onto Swift’s image. Swift, of course, had absolutely nothing to do with any white supremacist groups. The 19-year-old Swift revealed in a 2009 Rolling Stone interview that she supported President Barack Obama, saying, “I’ve never seen this country so happy about a political decision in my entire time of being alive. I’m so glad this was my first election.”

At the time, Swift kept her political views to herself. In a 2012 interview, she told Time, “I don’t talk about politics because it might influence other people. And I don’t think that I know enough yet in life to be telling people who to vote for.” She did not make any endorsement in the 2016 presidential election.

Then came 2018 when Swift said she felt “sad” that she didn’t speak out during the 2016 election, and told her parents that this time, “I need to be on the right side of history.”

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[Lovie777]

1. They knew about her around Obama's time.............................

either the RWers are dumb as shit or misinformed. I'll go with both plus the propaganda is off the charts.

[B.See]

2. Guess the misogynists and p-grabbers thought they could schmooze her

... guess they thought wrong.

[jpak]

3. K&R

Yup

[multigraincracker]

4. Can't always judge an album

by its jacket.
The magas have their MTG and Bolebit to ogle over. Those filthy dogs got their own.

[Zambero]

5. And Roseanne Barr

They should bring her in to sing the National Anthem at the QOP convention later this year, performed in her own "inimitable" style.

[Prof. Toru Tanaka]

16. Donald Trump could do the crotch-grabbing "honors".

[sop]

6. Nearly forty years ago during a Tom Petty concert in the South a fan threw a Confederate flag on the stage.

Having Southern roots, his fans thought Petty was one of them. Petty stopped the concert, tossed the flag off the stage and told the crowd never to bring Confederate flags to their shows again.

(Rolling Stone) - "I noticed people in the audience wearing Confederate flag bandanas and things like that. One night, someone threw one onstage. I stopped everything and gave a speech about it. I said, 'This is not who we are...I would prefer it if no one would ever bring a Confederate flag to our shows again because this isn’t who we are.'"

[wyldwolf]

7. Similar experience at an Atlanta Rythm Section show

Atlanta Rythm Section (ARS), for those unfamiliar with them, is/were a mostly regional band with a few national hits. Back in the early 80s someone was waving a confederate flag in the audience. The lead singer - Ronnie Hammond - stopped singing and asked, "why do you have that? We lost!"

[LeftInTX]

18. Atlanta Rhythm Section??? Oh my!! They're soft rock...

[wyldwolf]

33. their hits are, for sure.

[OverBurn]

42. "So In To You" is a great song

[wyldwolf]

53. their big song when saw them was Homesick - definitely not easy listening

[multigraincracker]

9. I was born in the South too

and folks sometimes mistake me for sharing their bigotry. Never use to have that problem back in the day. Use to let my Freak Flag Fly. No longer have any hair.
Now I look em in they eye and say what I am.

[Orrex]

40. Social media is filled with Reichwing slogans superimposed on Sam Elliott's pic

It's like they have no idea who he is.

[AdamGG]

50. And even though he's on our side, the Democrats won't...

bring him out to deliver the DNC keynote speech speaking to a chair.

[OverBurn]

41. I've always been a Petty fan, great songwriter and singer, love him even more now.

[SYFROYH]

54. Gregg Allman came around too.

As with Tom Petty the confederate flag was apart of their visual brand. There is no bigger Southern Rock band than the Allman Brothers.

Allman also weighed in on the Confederate flag issue, echoing similar sentiments as fellow Southern rocker Warren Haynes. “Well, I was taught how to play music by these very, very kind older black men. My best friend in the world is a black man. If people are gonna look at that flag and think of it as representing slavery, then I say burn every one of them.”

https://liveforlivemusic.com/news/gregg-allman-new-band-burn-every-confederate-flag/

[mopinko]

8. i'm glad they made such a fuss. i'd likely have never listened to her otherwise.

i have broad musical tastes, but pop music isnt something i listen to often.
i rly, rly like her. she’s clearly a damn prodigy, doing what she did at such a young age. she has an amazing voice. she’s a great musician all around.
and from what i can tell, she’s a peach of a human being.
and her lyrics are as sharp as broken glass. i’m so glad she’s on our side.

[NorseSaxonCelt]

29. Would anyone else use phrases...like this?

"A Dwindling,mercurial high".

" This could last forever or go down in flames"

"Times Wonderous, give me the blue and purple pink skies"

"Once upon a time, a few mistakes ago."


"All's well, that ends well to end up with you"

?si=CrPzNuJwAYobV_rl

[TSExile]

48. Not to mention my personal favorite...

"When everyone believes you, what's that like?" - "The Man", 2019

[NorseSaxonCelt]

55. That video is art..

And most likely the reason man are threatened by her.

They'd say I played the field before I found someone to commit to
And that would be ok
For me to do
Every conquest I had made would make me more of a boss to you

[TSExile]

56. It's brilliant.

I also like the line in the song about Leo (DiCaprio) in Saint-Tropez.

[TSExile]

10. I will always admire and respect Taylor for standing up to the bullies.

I really like her music, too!! She has put out albums in various genres: country, indie, techno, pop and succeeded at all of them. More importantly, she has used her considerable star to do good in the world - donating considerable sums to food banks and animal shelters, for instance. Go Taylor!!! ♀️

[DemMedic]

11. More proof

That these people are nuts!

[niyad]

12. Dear Goddess, those people are NUTZZZZ!!! First she is an aryan goddess,

(note to nutcases: being blond does not automatically indicate that one is an aryan bag of hate). Now, because she calls them out, she is a witch (by the way, assholes, Wicca is a recognized religion in this country), and satanic (oxymoron here, as witches do not believe in satan/lucifer, beelzebub/whatever).

Proof positive that some people have wayyyyyyyyyyyy too much time on their hands.

It amuses me that this lovely (in all senses of the word), talented, smart, kind, caring, thoughtful, generous, and cat-loving woman lives rent-free in their heads.

[TSExile]

15. To them, she's a JEZEBEL!!

That's their favorite buzzword for those uppity women who won't stay in their place!!

[niyad]

20. And, of course, the fact that Queen Jezebel was a priestess of Astarte

would just reinforce theur insane hatred.

By the way, I want to thank you for posting about Jezebel. It sent me on quite an interestung little search about the truth of Jezebel. Found interesting articles, and some fasinating websites and information.

[Deep State Witch]

25. "Athena reborn?"

Riiiiight..... The Goddess of the city that literally began democracy is a right-wing icon? Good luck with that. Careful that you don't get the business end of Her spear up your backsides!

[niyad]

36. Excellent point!

[LiberalArkie]

13. Swifty is pretty good, but I have gotten to where I like Asian rock like ONE OK ROCK and The Rose

For some freaky reason after hardly ever being able to understand lyrics of any kind and not being able to tell what people are saying when I talk to them. Ya, I am one of those "Huh" "What did you say" people. ONE OK ROCK's diction is so good that I can understand every word the first time. All the best hearing aides in the world could not help me.

But now I guess I have retrained my brain as I can understand what people say in the stores, gym, neighbors etc. Never could before.

I now enjoy listening to people talk in person. I used to hog the conversation to make sure that they never got to say anything I would have to understand.

[niyad]

21. How does this relate to Taylor Swift and the reichwing attacks on her?

[LiberalArkie]

31. The reichwing is always going to attack any one who has liberal leanings. Bob Dylan, Joan Biaz etc etc

[IronLionZion]

14. She was publicly non-political back then

so alt-right claims the quiet ones as theirs without any evidence, because they're full of it. She publicly denied it and has since become a public booster for Dems because she felt Trump had gone too far for her stay quiet. She's super cute, and does tons of charity work, mostly quietly unlike some other celebrities.

I like political discussions on DU because we're all Dems here and well moderated. But many other political forums online are completely insane. So I steer clear of those.

[onecaliberal]

17. Taylor likes Presidents who aren't rapist traitors.

We love her. Always have. Watch the documentary if you get a chance.

[getagrip_already]

19. All they had to do was listen to her damned music....

I've been listening to it since it began popping up on country music stations (a very long time ago).

It was always clear to me she was a progressive voice in a sea of pseudo Christian right wing bs.

All you had to do was listen. And hear. And think.

Maybe it was the thinking that got them.

[redqueen]

22. K&R

I'm so happy for Taylor, she has been through it. From kanye and his fans to the far right conservatives.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

23. Trump risks backlash as MAGA world zeroes in on Taylor Swift

The MAGA assholes may accelerate an endorsement of President Biden by Taylor Swift

Link to tweet

https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4443400-trump-risks-backlash-as-maga-world-zeroes-in-on-taylor-swift/

Former President Trump’s supporters are going after Taylor Swift amid chatter about whether the superstar could wade into the 2024 election with a coveted endorsement for President Biden.

Conservatives in both traditional media and social media have been launching conspiracy theories against the pop superstar, something that ramped up after The New York Times reported that the Biden campaign was actively hoping for her endorsement.

Trump, who is usually not shy about speaking his opinion, so far has stayed out of the fray, though Rolling Stone reported this week that the former president’s allies are pledging a “holy war” against Swift, especially if she sides with Democrats in November. ....

An attack on Swift would carry significant risks for Trump, given his existing vulnerabilities with women and young people.

“Waging a war on Taylor Swift is certainly not a way to win over the young voters and women that they’ve been hemorrhaging because of their stance on so many issues and the people, the abusive men that they’ve elevated into positions of power,” said Kaivan Shroff, press secretary for the Gen-Z progressive group Dream for America.

[niyad]

32. "stayed out of the fray"??? BS, the hill. Did you miss his claim that he is

more popular than Ms. Swift, that his fans are more committed? Although, his fans probably have been committed more often.

[ShazzieB]

35. His fans have also likely *committed* a lot more crimes than hers.

And I'm talking per capita, not the total number (which would be misleading, since her fan base is arguably much larger than his)!

[AcrossThePacific]

45. Nice thought, but...

...her support didn't do Phil Bredesen much good in 2018. Regardless of how strong a celebrity's following may be, history shows the effect of their political endorsements to be neutral at best.

[sheshe2]

49. Welp, that was 5 years ago, things have changed.

In 2020, she endorsed Joe Biden as he looked oust Donald Trump from the White House. But even four years ago, Swift had yet to rocket to the stratosphere of stardom she’s since reached. With over 275 million followers on Instagram and an army of die-hard supporters, Swift’s occasionally earth-shaking rise has captured national attention whether you like it or not.

https://www.politico.com/news/2024/02/01/taylor-swift-endorsement-00139033#:~:text=Swift's%20groundbreaking%20endorsement%20boosted%20the,Bredesen%2C%20now%2080%2C%20admitted.

She has also gotten over 35K young people registered to vote.

Bredesen's endorsment was over 5 years ago, things have changed.

Oh and welcome to DU.

[NorseSaxonCelt]

24. A song called Starlight should have been a clue.

It is on Red..

[SarahD]

26. It is repulsive, isn't it?

I try to avoid thinking about it because it conjures up images of incels in moms' basements, working out masturbation fantasies. Icky!

[dchill]

27. "Probably, she will be betrothed to Trump's son, ...

...and they will be crowned American royalty." …
Wow. Disgusting, presumptuous and dead wrong. Nazi trifecta! Fever dream of a sociopath.

[ShazzieB]

37. When i read that, i wondered which son they had in mind!

I don't know when that was written, but two of TSF's sons are way too old for her, and Barron was just a little boy when his dad ran for potus the first time. Either way: ewwwwww!

[dchill]

38. It doesn't bear much thinking about!

Gag me with a spoon!

[TSExile]

47. Actually...not really?

The sons were born in December 1977, January 1984 and March 2006. Taylor was born in December 1989. So, she's less than 6 years younger than Eric. Not that huge a difference...but in any case, ewwwwwww...

[limbicnuminousity]

28. Working on an opinion piece that touches on this

It seems utterly bizarre to me that these right-wing freaks would think someone who writes about the subjects she addresses could support their Lord of the Flies vision for the future.

Checking out lyrics from some of her older discography, this sticks out:

verse 1
I don't like your little games
Don't like your tilted stage
The role you made me play
Of the fool, no, I don't like you
I don't like your perfect crime
How you laugh when you lie
You said the gun was mine
Isn't cool, no, I don't like you (Oh)

verse 2
I (I) don't (Don't) like your kingdom keys (Keys)
They (They) once belonged to me (Me)
You (You) asked me for a place to sleep
Locked me out and threw a feast (What?)
The world moves on, another day, another drama, drama
But not for me, not for me, all I think about is karma
And then the world moves on, but one thing's for sure
Maybe I got mine, but you'll all get yours

[NorseSaxonCelt]

30. She was so angry and hurt when she wrote that..

It is a brilliant song one my favourite album...

The lyrics were aimed at Kanye, Scooter and Scott Borchetta as she was fighting to leave the record label...without losing her work.

[wyldwolf]

34. On the question of her getting involved in the elections this year...

She will, of course, make endorsements even if they're muted. Things like Swift following people's social media accounts don't get lost on Swifties. I don't see her cutting radio and TV spots for any candidates or making planned announcements. I don't imagine she'll perform at fundraisers.

I DO see her mingling at the DNC convention, likely giving it the highest TV ratings in history.

[AdamGG]

51. Some GOTV concerts would be awesome

Springsteen has done that in the past. I think it would be a great move if a swing state GOTV tour with multiple artists preceded the election.

[peppertree]

39. How silly of them. She's a Sagittarian goddess.

[drmeow]

43. "It's all quite ironic

because some of these same weird, angry, insecure men back in 2016 were idolizing Swift as an “Aryan goddess.”

It isn't ironic at all - part of why they are so angry is because they see her as betraying them. She's a turncoat. They were so convinced that she was on their side (regardless of whether there was any evidence of it) that her public emergence as a strong liberal feels like she flipped - and that is even more unforgivable than never having been right wing to begin with!

[GuppyGal]

44. The alt right has been renamed "The Republicans" nt

[aggiesal]

46. Still my favorite version ...

[PortTack]

52. I saw a brief interview of her. She said she has learned not to give a rats what ppl say about her

Nasty hannity goes on about the young ppl worshipping her. Emulate idiot..but that’s probably too big a word for him. They’re all green with jealousy…a woman, young, pretty, talented, philanthropic, says the love of her life is her kitty…what’s not to like?. She makes the world a better place!