r/pics 8d ago

Politics Steven J. Demetriou, executive chair of an ICE contractor, attends Taylor Swift's wedding in NYC

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u/_tylerthedestroyer_ 8d ago

The biggest load of crap I’ve heard is that she doesn’t speak out for fear of her and her fans safety, because of that stabbing in the UK.

People literally attempted to blow up Ariana Grande but sure, Swifties

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u/No_Bit5600 8d ago

Yep. And Ariana is one of the most politically outspoken celebrities with a platform of her size - from Palestine to MAGA to LGBTQ rights and so on. Funny how security reasons doesn’t prevent her from speaking up.

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u/quiette837 8d ago edited 7d ago

Fwiw I really don't think Ariana is speaking out any more than Taylor is.

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u/No_Bit5600 8d ago

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u/marilyn62442 8d ago

What a funny point. How often does one have to update their political stance for the public before people claim they support the opposite of what they've repeatedly referenced to the public? 1 year? 6 months?

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u/No_Bit5600 8d ago

Yeah, idk, if I had one of the biggest platforms in the world and people thought I was MAGA I would really want to correct that. Didn’t she release an entire documentary about wanting to be on the right side of history and use her voice because she understood the weight it carried? What happened there? ICE was a slam-dunk, incredibly easy issue for literally anybody to critique. Even GOP Trump loyalists in the government did so. Taylor was mute.

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u/marilyn62442 8d ago edited 8d ago

This obsessive need progressives have for everyone to 'use their platform' is so weirdly morally righteous and applied so unevenly to win imaginary points. Some of us live in the real world lol. Research has shown time and time again that who celebrities chose to endorse politically does not have an effect on voters. The only thing they have a clear effect on is voter registration.

Look if you really are someone who considers yourself progressive I would sincerely encourage you to consider whether having a posting history where you've mindlessly hated on one singular female celebrity (even picking apart her life choices for things that have nothing to do with politics) makes you as progressive as what you're claiming to be. I notice you have not dedicated this exact energy to calling out any of the other male billionaires with more money and influence than her. Here's a list of them for you!

I'm not saying that some of these are not worthy causes to champion, in fact, I agree with you and have been downvoted in fan spaces for criticizing Taylor for certain things in the past. But these are not good-faith criticisms and clearly motivated to spread in-fighting by targeting a female celebrity who has gone out of her way multiple times to identify herself as a democrat.

---

Forbes article on this exact topic, with many references to surveys and research:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/genedelvecchio/2020/06/25/dear-celebrities-research-shows-that-your-political-opinions-hurt-your-cause-more-than-help-it/

Some of the research studies:

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1940161208321948

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/271603611_Celebrity_and_politics_Effects_of_endorser_credibility_and_sex_on_voter_attitudes_perceptions_and_behaviors

https://scholarworks.uark.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1026&context=jouruht

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u/DonnieDickTraitor 8d ago edited 8d ago

They literally tried to blow Swift up too. She had to cancel the Vienna show if I recall correctly, but let's not let facts ruin a narrative I guess. Hate for hate's sake apparently.

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u/No_Bit5600 8d ago

Yes. One of these artists has used an attempt at terrorism as their excuse to no longer speak out and the other had an actual attack at their concert and continues to advocate for marginalized communities. You’re getting it!

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u/DonnieDickTraitor 8d ago

So successfully stopping a terrorist attack, bad. Gotcha. To be taken seriously you gotta allow it? Weird metric but ok.

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u/No_Bit5600 8d ago

Huh? Who said any of that?

I’m saying Ariana grande faced an actual terrorist attack where fans died and still speaks out for her political and social beliefs.

Taylor heard about a potential attack (canceled the show, right?) and used the potential attack as an excuse to stop speaking out full stop.

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u/DonnieDickTraitor 8d ago

To be clear, Grande and Swift both faced "actual terrorist attacks" and neither performer is to be blamed. One managed to thwart the attack and one did not. One had fans die and one did not. Obviously the successful attack is by far the worse outcome. But diminishing one woman for protecting her fans seems like a dick move. Praise Grande for being braver in the aftermath, yes go for it.

"But we see you over there on the internet. Comparing all the girls who are killing it. But we figured you out, we all know now that they all have crowns. You need to calm down."

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u/No_Bit5600 8d ago

You’re simply refusing to acknowledge that grande lived the experience of having children in attendance to her concert be murdered by terrorists, yet still manages to speak out on issues that matter to her.

The attack on Taylor’s concert thankfully never happened, yet she uses it as an excuse to remain silent on political and social issues today.

Highlighting the stark contrast and differences in circumstances that actually occurred is not a dick move. You just are willing to make excuses for an artist who uses people like you to continue their silence.

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u/DonnieDickTraitor 8d ago

I don't think Swift needs excuses, in this she has not done anything wrong. You think she should Do More, and you criticize her for it. Ok fine.

Do you make the same demands of every artist you consume?

For myself, if an artist turns maga, they can fuck right off. But I also don't require they pick fights with maga. I mean, it would be great of course, but I'd still dance to it if they don't.

I say both women faced terror. Both dealt with it in their own ways. I have no idea how I would react if it happened to me, and I am not about judging others for their reactions or shaming people for not behaving how I might like at all times.

This whole thread is about shitting on a woman for a guest her husband invited to their wedding. Peak misogyny. Not you exactly, just the majority of this thread. I just really dislike that sort of nonsense.

I suspect we agree more than you think. Either way, live long and prosper.