42 Comments
Feb 13Liked by Meghan Daum

Why is any pop star popular/famous? It's weird to me that people are flummoxed by her fame.

She makes pop music, it's fairly bland, but enjoyable.

Unfortunately for Meghan a lot of people (the majority?) like simple catchy pop music. Most aren't trained musicians with music-snob taste. (Not a dig on Meghan I think she says that about herself.)

She's conventionally attractive, but also kind of forgettable. Which probably enhances her appeal with girls because she's doesn't have unattainable beauty. Girls like her when they are young and their families (especially moms) support this because she is not hyper-sexual which is honestly rare. She plays guitar and apparently writes her songs. She started in country (a huge market) and moved to pop so she has appeal of two huge music markets when everything else is splintered. She's a literal role model, and the girl next store but also a pop star.

The girls grow up and then the songs have a nostalgia. And she keeps pumping it out.

I am not actually a fan and neither is my 19 year old daughter - so I don't really know any of her songs outside of the huge hits. So, this isn't coming from a fan - just an observer, but it doesn't seem that complicated.

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Taylor has done a masterful job avoiding overt sexuality in her lyrics, fashion and stage show. That makes her very acceptable for parents of young girls and adds to her enduring appeal.

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It's honestly impressive

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I'm also a fan of United's Channel 9 ATC. I'm not aware of any other airline that provided it. I recall one time on approach to landing in Chicago, it was clear that ATC was concerned about an aircraft taking their own sweet time exiting the runway we were to land on; pretty soon I heard "United 123 go around" and a couple seconds later we did indeed.

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Oh, I know! Thrilling!

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Happy to be a spud.

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One reason that Taylor Swift rubs some people the wrong way is that they are subconsciously repulsed by her toxic femininity.

For starters, she is as privileged as a human can get, and yet she and her advocates peddle female victimhood narratives that are eagerly consumed by impressionable young girls. For example, in her song "The Man", she complains that if she were male, people would admire her more. She is literally the most admired human being on the planet, but according to this song, she's still not getting the admiration she deserves, and is a victim of the patriarchy. I've seen multiple social media posts in which moms brag about how their daughters passionately love that song. It seems that for many moms, the indoctrination of their daughters is a great relief.

Swift also put out a Netflix documentary complaining about the pressure and challenges she faces as a woman in the entertainment industry. It is toxic in multiple ways. First, it is a "glass half empty" portrayal of the female experience (which is typical) that leaves out the advantages that come with being a woman in the entertainment industry. For example, no male entertainer could ever achieve the power enjoyed by Taylor Swift, Beyonce, or even Oprah. Second, it preys on people's "damsel in distress" impulse to lavish women with sympathy. If a rich, powerful male entertainer put out a documentary complaining about the pressures and challenges faced by men like him, the world would be grossed out and turn it off. Third, Swift acts as if we don't already know all about the pressures women face. In reality, it's talked about constantly. How long will we be gaslit about the supposed absence of these messages? What gets left relatively unexplored is the pressures and challenges men face.

Finally, there's Swift's habit of using her music to crap on past boyfriends. This is a toxic behavior that appeals to young women and makes men uncomfortable, rightfully so. I think most men know that this behavior would be labelled misogyny if done in reverse.

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I have to agree - I'm aware her discography is large and I haven't heard all of her songs, but in the vast majority of those I have heard - besides her super-early country-ish stuff - the theme is that she's a victim. Of course there is nothing wrong with angry songs and break-up songs. But it's such a limited part of the human experience. I guess Anti-Hero addresses this but it's still in a self-pitying way (and also the lyrics are so cringe-y - I don't understand why people find her poetic). I think it's why young women loved the Barbie movie so much. It's very easy and satisfying to be self-righteous about how hard your life is and how put-upon you are. I don't think women are necessarily inherently more prone to this but the culture right now really encourages us to only think about how others treat us - and in as bad faith as possible - and not how we treat others.

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That checks out. The issue is not that someone of unspectacular talent becomes famous. There are a million better artists chugging away in bars right now. Life is not fair. That's always been the case.

It's the lie.

Certainly brings to mind that Ricky Gervais rant about the stars needing to stop pretending like they have anything of substance to say about the world and just collect their award trophies and shut up. I suspect if they did that, a lot fewer people would be offended by them.

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When people talk about Taylor Swift and mention how they don’t get her appeal or popularity, and also mention how she’s not even that attractive, it’s so cringe.

I understand if people want to comment on her music and how it’s lacking or isn’t their thing, but why are grown adults in these sorts of spaces commenting on how physically attractive she is or is not? I don’t get it.

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Those people mention her looks because they understand that looks matters. Performers are a package of musical talent, looks, personality, and showmanship. All those things make a difference. If Taylor Swift didn't look like a mix of head cheerleader and girl next door, teenage girls wouldn't be losing their minds over her, and she'd probably be a mid level performer. Her looks are integral to her success, whether we like it or not.

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I agree. Would as many people care about Princess Diana's life and death if she weren't beautiful?

Regarding Taylor Swift, I don't understand why some people who aren't fans of her music also claim she's not attractive. She's obviously pretty and conventionally attractive.

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Feb 14·edited Feb 14

I find her extremely unattractive. I would not use the word pretty to describe her at all. She does have a conventionally acceptable body type and is fit, so there's that. But I don't think her alleged attractiveness is obvious at all. NB: I find most people unattractive, including many celebrities, so I may be the wrong person to comment. But my friend whose daughter likes her alright said she has a "rat face" and I think that's accurate. FWIW, I have liked some of her songs (the ones from like 10 years ago) so I am not a pop music hater. Also, I don't spend a ton of time on this or offer this view unsolicited. I'm just saying that people may not find her attractive because she genuinely does not strike them as such. Of course she had to meet a minimum threshold to become successful. I think the thought process people go through is: a woman that is more famous and successful than every other woman should be more beautiful than every other woman, because looks are the most important metric of the worth of a woman. (I'm not agreeing or disagreeing, just describing the quiet part most people don't think consciously but are still weighing in mind). On this point, she falls short, so on some level her success seems strange to many.

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I think it's because most people can't explain why she has been granted such a privileged position in our society (she's essentially American royalty). It bothers them, and so they lash out, pointing out the various ways in which she isn't "deserving" of such stature. To put it crudely, she's a 9 out of 10 in almost every regard, but they feel that she should be a 10 out of 10. What they fail to see is that her slight imperfections don't matter, because she's truly masterful in the only way that really matters. She's the best of the best at tapping into and the young female psyche and giving teen girls what they want. Swift being a 9/10 in looks is actually an advantage with teen girls, because it makes her aspirational without going too far and becoming unrelatable.

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I think you're right about why people feel compelled to comment on her looks. Good analysis.

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Please edit your post to replace "people" with "incel trolls". You will then have your answer.

You honestly think a mature, well-adjusted guy living in a house with a wife or girlfriend is complaining about Taylor Swift? No, it's a guy in the proverbial "mom's basement".

Sorry for the bluntness but I don't know how else to characterize someone jealous that he's not dating a celebrity so he's online complaining about her.

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I think it’s some of that and now it’s political as well which is bizarre.

It’s not just guys who wish for a girlfriend or whatever. Women will comment that she’s not attractive and I have to wonder if I’m in junior high. I guess I am annoyed that people feel compelled to pick apart or criticize a person’s looks who is obviously attractive. If she were working in your office she might be the most beautiful person there. Were people saying this sort of thing about Madonna in the 1980s?

I’m 51 and it feels weird to comment on a 30-something year old’s looks (youth is beauty and Swift is young and beautiful) in any derogatory way, celebrity or not. I can’t comment on anyone’s appearance in a negative way because it’s petty and small.

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Agreed.

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founding

I'm here only to correct movie trivia.

Meghan. Something's Gotta Give is a Nancy Myers movie starring Jack Nicholson and Diana Keaton. The air traffic control movie with Billy Bob Thornton is called Pushing Tin. Also starring John Cusack and Care Blanchett. I didn't work in 2 different movie rental stores in TWO different cities in the early 2000s to let that slip!!!

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You are correct -- thank you! Something's Gotta Give was the title of the NY Times Magazine article upon which Pushing Tin was based. Great piece. Highly recommend. https://www.nytimes.com/1996/03/24/magazine/something-s-got-to-give.html

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My take on Taylor Swift-- she provides teenage girls catchy tunes and puts out a record every year. This demographic is primed for "obsessive consumerism" so she becomes a famous idol. The lyrical content about the difficulties of love (seeking, falling, leaving, etc) is not unique, but this speaks to a lot of people and will continue as long as humans survive. "Female victim-hood narrative" has been in vogue for years, so she is not "unacceptable." She gives a lot of people what they want, which means that her fans can project whatever they want unto her-- she "understands" them. I am not sure if her strong detractors are also projecting something on to her as well, something that is not really there. Personally, she doesn't speak to me, a 51 y/o man, but I can see how teenage girls would dig her, but hey what do I know !?

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Feb 14·edited Feb 14

Loved hearing that Meghan is an airplane enjoyer. It's always refreshing when a non-culture war related personal enthusiasm like this comes up. And a male nerd interest like aviation, too! It's Sarah who's supposed to be the autistic man in a woman's body, though she doesn't seem like the sort who is into planes, trains and other objects.

ATC chatter is indeed competence porn. It's fun to listen to the feeds on LiveATC.net and watch the planes move around on a plane tracking site (I use Flightradar24).

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Feb 14·edited Feb 14Author

Oh, wow! Great to know about! "Competence porn." Love that.

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The Taylor swift phenomenon is wild to me. My wife and I are both nonplussed when we hear/see rabid swift fans. My brother and his wife went to see her in concert and my first question was why? She has some decent songs but most of her music feels like it could be written by AI. On top of this, I am convinced that almost all of her devoted fans are either teenage girls, or women who wish they were still in their teens or early 20s. Exactly as the hosts(I can’t remember who) said, it’s a demographic that is heavily influenced by social contagion.

I guess I’m happy for Travis kelce but in all my time growing up I don’t think I’ve ever actually heard a man or teenage boy say out loud that they think she’s attractive. To my memory, nearly all the conversations end with her being thin to the point of off-putting. There’s even a clip of a game on I think Jimmy Fallon’s show where the two men on one team

Describe her as having a “long back”. This circles back to my thoughts about her fan base.

All this said, either she or the people making decisions for her brand are obviously very smart, and I don’t have any reason to hold anything against them personally so I guess good for her??

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Thank you for using "nonplussed" correctly.

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I learned the word nonplussed from an episode of Designing Women, and it was used correctly. Since then I have heard so many people using it incorrectly. Are you also bothered by misused homophones? They drive me bananas! They appear regularly even in major publications. E.g. discrete/discreet, rein/reign.

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I’m racking my brain and I don’t think I’ve ever heard it used incorrectly. It feels like a word that would stick out like a sore thumb if you didn’t know it well.

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I will skip over my laughter at having stumbled upon one of your linguistic pet peeves…

This is funny. Google tells me the informal definition of the word is what I would describe as unmolested or unbothered. My Spanish makes me lean towards saying unmolested in that situation. I honestly don’t think I’ve ever heard someone use it in that context, then again, I don’t know that I’ve heard that word used in normal conversation more than a handful of times outside of an English class. At least it hasn’t become it’s own antonym like “literally”. That one literally makes me want to gouge my eyes out. Feel free to choose your own adventure with that last sentence.

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I haven't finished the episode yet, but if they didn't mention it, the Benjamin who made the Taylor comment was not Carl, aka Sargon of Akkad, but Owen Benjamin, the former actor and comedian who has been associated with the alt-right.

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The FAA story you mentioned, as well reported by Trace Woodgrains, is just shocking on many levels. His Substack and the related podcast on Blocked & Reported, are highly recommended. These DEI policies by the FAA are not going to turn out well. I can't believe they ever thought that was a good idea.

As an older person (70+), I love how safe commercial aviation is today, even compared with 30-40 years ago, let alone older than that. CFIT (Controlled Flight Into Terrain) almost never happens, nor do mid-air collisions thanks to TCAS, or weather (icing, thunderstorms), or runway collisions (though the recent close calls make you wonder about the FAA policies mentioned above).

Commercial aircraft are amazingly complicated and I think most people don't appreciate this -- so many ways for things to go wrong, so many backup systems to catch these things, and yet sometimes, things slip through. Those big engines on the wings -- so much raw power, so many ways for them to mess up, but almost all the time those things are caught ahead of time. Under appreciated.

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In terms of a name for Special Place fans, what about "inhells"?

(pronounced like "incels")

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It is incumbent upon me to let you all know that “goon cave” refers to a special room/computer set up in which a man (the gooner) watches copious amounts of porn.

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Happy to hear that Meghan shares my bluegrass / “Americana” music interests.

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Newgrass more than bluegrass.

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Feb 14Liked by Meghan Daum

I get it. Next month I’m seeing Sierra Hull, who started off as a bluegrass mandolin prodigy, kinda like Sarah Jarosz, and who has also branched out into singer-songwriter territory and plays in other musical styles now. Many great young acoustic musicians out there!

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Nice. I am a big fan of Aoife O'Donovan.

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Loving this thread - now I have 3 artists to follow that I had not previously heard of. Just doing quick searches on all 3 names I see I have a lot to listen to! To add one more name - my quick search found a single named "Chasin' Skies" with Sierra Hull and Tessa Lark, the latter of whom is someone I've been following for a while. Thank you both!

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sorry I missed the livestream. did you remind us it was happening the day-of? or day before? (I can't remember last week)

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