BPG 2019 - THE END
- Thread starter RJF
- Start date
Yeah Imagine is excellent. Those strings ascending before the music falls out and she hits those whistle notes
Me, @Mirwais Ahmadzaï & @Music Is Life are here to bedazzle you with a haunting performance of Mothers Daughter for our In Memoriam segment
He/Him
I don't think that's fair at all. I don't think anyone has ever claimed that Taylor is the biggest champion of social issues or the most well versed in the way that someone like Beyonce or Rihanna or Gaga are, but she has done things to support women behind the scenes.
She paid for Kesha's legal fees. She started a fund to support women facing sexual harassment and assault.
Should she be scrutinized and questioned for staying quiet for such a long time? Absolutely. Should she be criticized for the lack of intersectionality & consideration of other identities? For sure. Can her motives sometimes be questioned as possibly self-serving or only occurring once she was exposed to these issues herself? Of course.
But to say that she's never used her to platform to uplift and support other women, well I think it's disingenuous and unfair. There's plenty of ways to criticize Taylor, but this feels like punching low to be honest. She's always struck me as someone who's deeply flawed; somewhat narcissistic; highly privileged; perhaps emotionally stunted but ultimately well intentioned.
I think it's possible to acknowledge/praise the positive difference made by the money and awareness she's donated to various causes while still questioning her intentions and her understanding of those causes. She donated to queer organizations and I don't doubt her intent there is positive but everything about Calm Down makes me doubt her understanding of the community and cause she's donating to.. and she has many years of donating and using her platform for queers before I'd use the word ally. The timing of her "causes" always feel opportunistic or self-centered which makes them feel hollow to me. Nothing about Beyonce's activism feels hollow. "Walking the Walk" isn't moving on to a new cause because there's a PR opportunity, new topical issue, single to promote..etc.. it takes years of dedication.
Last edited:
He/Him/His
Honestly, a wee smattering of Taylor tracks aside, WATER is my lowest remaining score.
I stay famished and parched!
I stay famished and parched!
He/Him
At the risk of getting dragged, does it really matter what her intentions are if she still ends up donating to these causes?
I think I liked what Amy Poehler said: as a celebrity your donations and philanthropy are always going to get questioned under the guise of whether your intentions are sincere/genuine versus whether you're doing it for good publicity, but at the end of the day does it matter what the intent is because the organizations are still getting money to continue the important work they're doing?
I don't want this to come across as an apologist post to excuse people getting praised for doing the least or bare minimum of activism. I don't think she deserves the effusive praise. Every queer outlet shouldn't have been out here calling her a Gay Icon for doing what any decent person should be doing which is supporting equality. I can understand people taking issue with the media response or the shallow way in which she approached it with You Need To Calm Down.
But I also don't think she deserves the skepticism or questioning of her sincerity because at the end of the day she still did it, regardless of whether she was late to the party in supporting these causes or not. I guess to me, it should just...be.
ohnostalgia
Staff member
She/her
I was worried we’d carry The Man into the higher echelons because “bop.” Thank god.
@needy @fake smile
he/him
@needy @fake smile
Literally THE two filler songs of the album.
Fake Smile is fantastic and should easily outlast at least 20 other songs that are still clinging to life you tasteless trollops
42
SCORE: 6.882
HIGHEST SCORE: 10 x 11 (@savilizabeths, @Weslicious, @Subwaykid, @tylerc904, @Music Is Life, @aux, @sexercise, @GimmeWork, @Petty Mayonnaise, @matthew., @Jonathan27)
LOWEST SCORE: 1 x 1 (@Phonetics Boy), 3 x 3 (@Solenciennes, @Laurence, @Beautiful Child 2)
MY SCORE: 7.5/10
For some reason the title of this had me expecting a reflective song about cheating on a boyfriend and knowing that you didn't get away with it, but as if Taylor would go there. Instead we got this bouncy little number serving 'How You Get the Girl' teas. I like the chorus of this one, and that revved-up pre chorus is fun too, but the verses plod a bit and the lyrics ain't all that. As is the case on almost this entire record, Taylor has done it in the past, but better. Honestly sis, take like three SOLID years off and spend them doing more than just staring at Joe while he sleeps, and I think it will serve you a world of good creatively.
SCORE: 6.882
HIGHEST SCORE: 10 x 11 (@savilizabeths, @Weslicious, @Subwaykid, @tylerc904, @Music Is Life, @aux, @sexercise, @GimmeWork, @Petty Mayonnaise, @matthew., @Jonathan27)
LOWEST SCORE: 1 x 1 (@Phonetics Boy), 3 x 3 (@Solenciennes, @Laurence, @Beautiful Child 2)
MY SCORE: 7.5/10
For some reason the title of this had me expecting a reflective song about cheating on a boyfriend and knowing that you didn't get away with it, but as if Taylor would go there. Instead we got this bouncy little number serving 'How You Get the Girl' teas. I like the chorus of this one, and that revved-up pre chorus is fun too, but the verses plod a bit and the lyrics ain't all that. As is the case on almost this entire record, Taylor has done it in the past, but better. Honestly sis, take like three SOLID years off and spend them doing more than just staring at Joe while he sleeps, and I think it will serve you a world of good creatively.