We know that there is nothing more American than football. But in the case of Travis Kelce, conservative commentators take great pleasure in portraying him as the opposite. Since the first rumors surrounding his relationship with the singer, photos dating from 2017 have resurfaced on X, formerly Twitter. We see the tight winger of Kansas City Chiefs take a knee during the national anthem. It was all in the wake of the protest movement started by quarterback Colin Kaepernick the previous year. This gesture was in response to racial inequities in the United States and police brutality against African Americans.
right-wingers getting mad at “woke” Travis Kelce now that he’s dating Taylor Swift is just another example of their goldfish memory. dude was kneeling during the anthem in 2017
— 🌴🌤️🌺 Miles Klee 🐠🦉🦂 (@youwouldntpost) September 25, 2023
At the time, the gesture was deemed highly un-American and unpatriotic by the right. Former President Donald Trump had also commented on the movement on numerous occasions, criticizing NFL players who dared to do so.
Travis Kelce is also known for promoting the Pfizer vaccine in an advertising campaign and has, on numerous occasions, encouraged Americans to get vaccinated against Covid-19. Add to that his visit to the White House after his Super Bowl victory, where he was seen having fun alongside Joe Biden, a Democrat. The perfect recipe to be seen as the woke player of the year.
Is this what happens when you date Taylor Swift?
— Tomi Lahren (@TomiLahren) September 23, 2023
Miss Americana
In the case of Taylor Swift, the American right particularly targeted her for her political positions. As featured in the documentary Miss Americana, the singer first decided to speak out on politics during the 2018 midterm elections.
Knowing that she was possibly going to lose fans and offend some people, she still publicly supported the Democratic candidate for senator from Tennessee, a highly conservative state. The Republican candidate, who ultimately won the election, had, according to Swift, anti-feminist and anti-LGBTQ+ positions. Elements that are irreconcilable with her conscience and her personal values, she said at the time.
In 2020, she also chose to support Joe Biden against Donald Trump, regretting her silence during the previous presidential election where Hillary Clinton was defeated.
On the accounts of conservative commentators, the insults are numerous: ugly, stupid, weak, woke, to name just a few. When she did not speak out at the start of the conflict between Israel and Hamas, she was associated with the terrorist group and Islam.
Taylor Swift’s silence on the terror attacks in Israel is deafening.
She was quick to condemn Donald Trump and Marsha Blackburn, but Hamas murdering innocent Israeli women and children apparently doesn’t matter as much to Taylor.
You either stand with Israel, or you stand with… pic.twitter.com/wyrvz0NABL
— Nick Adams (Alpha Male) (@NickAdamsinUSA) October 12, 2023
Donald Trump even commented, as did former Republican leader Kevin McCarthy. And that’s without counting numerous reports on Fox News and in various conservative publications.
Watch out for the swifties!
What the right has perhaps not calculated, and above all underestimated, is the power of the superstar. The young woman with the most number 1 albums in history has extremely loyal fans. Her concerts are sold out and everything she touches seems to turn to gold.
In an Instagram story last month, the star asked her fans to register to vote. More than 35,000 people have signed up through the site suggested by Taylor Swift. The number of 18-year-olds registered has doubled compared to last year and it is an overall increase of 23% in registrations.
Considering that Taylor Swift’s fans who have faithfully followed her since the start of her career have now all reached the age of majority, she could be a significant political force to motivate Democratic voters to mobilize in November 2024 during the next presidential elections.
Comme dirait Taylor: «I don’t start it, but I can tell you how it ends. Don’t get sad, get even. So on the weekends, I don’t dress for friends. Lately I’ve been dressing for revenge».
2023-10-21 08:01:27
#Valérie #Beaudoin #American #obsessed #Taylor #Swift
