this post was submitted on 11 Sep 2024
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[–] [email protected] 21 points 9 months ago (6 children)

Why do we care what a rich entertainer thinks?

[–] [email protected] 62 points 9 months ago (3 children)

Maybe we don't, but she's got a huge fanbase and they probably do.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 9 months ago (3 children)

Why do they assign weight to her perspective?

[–] [email protected] 33 points 9 months ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 9 points 9 months ago (2 children)

Is it wise that they assign her perspective value because they admire her ability to sing and dance?

[–] [email protected] 18 points 9 months ago (12 children)

They admire more than that. But, like, there’s an implication in the fact that you are posting on Lemmy that you believe people should assign a nonzero value to your perspective; why is that? I would assume that you make your arguments and believe they have value based on their own merit, regardless of the fact we have no idea who you are. Well, Taylor Swift made a post where she stated her position and gave arguments too. Is there any reason her perspective should not have any value but yours and mine should?

Furthermore, if someone does know who she is and wants to also take into account that they admire her music and songwriting, her personality, her perspective, and/or her various life accomplishments, why shouldn’t they? We’re talking about politics here, where everyone is making it up as they go along. She’s not trying to use her celebrity status to get a paper published in a physics journal or something.

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[–] [email protected] 15 points 9 months ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 5 points 9 months ago (3 children)

This story has nearly 600 upvotes, so far. Does that imply that we care about winning more than we care about the the wisdom and agency of others?

[–] [email protected] 4 points 9 months ago (4 children)

I care about one thing above everything else -- Keeping Donald Trump away from the levers of power. And I have good reasons for this:

  • My wife is a Black bisexual Goth Pagan. That's at least three hates from Team Trump.
  • I have Student Loans. I can repay them at 5% of my income, but 10% will become too much of a burden. And I'd really like to get my 120 payments in to get the rest wiped out.
  • I care about the future of the planet. Having a guy raging against Solar and Wind for stupid made up reasons in office doesn't support that goal.
  • I care about keeping Russia out of Ukraine and Israel out of Palestine. While I also care about keeping Hamas out of Israel, I think Trump is bad for ALL those goals.

And that's just the short list.

I support Biden and his successor Harris on the merits, too. The Chips Act is a great win for really getting microchips made in the US. Biden's done a damn good job on investing in US infrastructure, which is an important thing to me. His attempts to deal with Student Loans are a big part of why I have stopped taking night classes and reentered repayment. And he's doing a damn fine job overall. But again. My goal above all other goals is keeping Trump away from the White House.

  • A vote for RFK Jr. is not going to accomplish this. Not only is he an anti-evidence candidate pushing BS conspiracy theory positions and only a few steps to the left of Trump et al, he's also not going to win, and the most he could do is poach enough left-leaning votes with his last name to get Trump in office.
  • A vote for Jill Stein is not going to accomplish this. Not only is she a sycophant for Putin and a peddler of disinformation herself (reasons alone to vote against her), her position as an alternative to the Mainstream Left-Most candidate is just another way to steal enough left-wing votes to ... get Trump into office.
  • A vote for Cornel West is not going to accomplish this. While I admire the man, the reality is that he doesn't have enough access to have even a remote chance of winning the Presidency, and his run only ensures that votes that would have gone to Harris end up going to him, lowering the threshold at which Trump can steal the Presidency...getting Trump into office.
  • Staying home is not going to accomplish this. All it does is lowers Harris' vote count, making it easier for Trump to steal the Presidency...getting Trump into office.

My goal is to ensure my Black bisexual goth pagan wife doesn't get ground under the bootheels of Trumpian Authoritarianism. One of the ways I do this is by debunking posts like this. I don't care about winning. I care about Trump losing. And I don't see wisdom here. I see...well, Rule 3 so I can't say what I exactly see here, but it's not wisdom or any of its synonyms. I see a willing dismissal of truth here, a poster arguing to give the election to Trump because the Democratic candidate isn't EXACTLY what they demanded. And agency? Pal, nobody's holding a gun to your head and saying you MUST vote Harris. Do any of the options I mentioned above, or go ahead and vote Trump, or any other silly 'protest' vote you want. We're just here saying that you're gonna get Trump for all of us and screw over a whole bunch of people you claim to support.

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[–] [email protected] 6 points 9 months ago (3 children)

She's at least as qualified as one of the candidates to have a perspective, and has an edge because she hasn't bankrupted any casinos, sabotaged a nation's pandemic response, or raped any kids that I know about. Not that qualification is necessary to have or state a perspective.

I strongly question the judgement of anyone who questions the judgement of someone advising voting against Trump.

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[–] [email protected] 5 points 9 months ago (1 children)

I'd rather they not vote at all if they're just basing their choice on what some billionaire entertainer says.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 9 months ago (3 children)

It's about sending a message, setting a signal. People should think for themselves, I agree, but come on. Do you ignore all other forms of influence people experience or what weird world do you live in?

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[–] [email protected] 27 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (1 children)

You don't have to if you don't want.

But whether you like it or no rich entertainers like Taylor Swift get lots of media and views. Which parleys into influence and bringing attention to a candidate or an idea.

This is the reason why anyone that wants to grow a brand and/or an idea will try to get a celebrity to endorse it.

Edit: This doesn't mean they know more than the average joe it's all about marketing

[–] [email protected] 4 points 9 months ago (4 children)

Why do others assign value to her perspective? Is she especially qualified to decide whom others should vote for?

[–] [email protected] 15 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Probably because they feel aligned with her values and see her success as an indicator that she is smart. Therefore, she is someone worth emulating.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 9 months ago

Does the rich singer and dancer represent her values honestly, is it marketing, or is there some of both? Is it wise to assign her perspective value?

[–] [email protected] 11 points 9 months ago (5 children)

If people used logic, Trump would never have made into politics to begin with.

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[–] [email protected] 9 points 9 months ago (1 children)

She doesn't decide who they vote for.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 9 months ago (2 children)

Why does anyone care what a singer and dancer thinks about political representation?

[–] [email protected] 9 points 9 months ago (4 children)

She's not allowed to or qualified to have an opinion according to you?

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[–] [email protected] 6 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (3 children)

You're asking more questions in this thread than anyone. I'd be curious why you care so much about who this celebrity endorses. I'm guessing it has more to do with who they endorse than their lack of political background.

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[–] [email protected] 9 points 9 months ago (3 children)

Your research is all yours to do, and the choice is yours to make.

Swift quote from the article. She is telling people to make their own decisions, whilst announcing her own choice and making no claims about qualifications. What is wrong with this?

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[–] [email protected] 11 points 9 months ago (2 children)

Why do we care what you think?

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[–] [email protected] 8 points 9 months ago (5 children)

She stated in her post a major motivation for her was the fake AI pictures Trump and Co circulated a few weeks ago, so they definitely care. I actually admire that she is simply stating she plans to vote for Harris, rather than outright endorsing her. Swift advises people to be politically informed and to vote. I think that's a pretty good message for anyone to say.

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[–] [email protected] 5 points 9 months ago (3 children)

Because she has a ridiculous number of fans and this may spur some of them to vote that might not have otherwise.

Hopefully she reiterates it shortly before election day to stir people into action.

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[–] [email protected] 4 points 9 months ago (2 children)
[–] [email protected] 11 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Do you even know what propaganda is?

You know, like Trump basically fabricating Swift's support though bullshit AI and forcing her hand

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[–] [email protected] 3 points 9 months ago (1 children)

There's almost 600 upvotes so far. If this is propaganda then that fact speaks for itself.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 9 months ago (3 children)

If you are a fan of this pop celebrity you are most likely a victim of propaganda and marketing.

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