The TS Situation (tw: mentions of racism, white supremacy, grooming):
in short, Netflix wrote/aired a sexist joke about Taylor and her dating history into their show Ginny & Georgia. Taylor called them out for it, which lead to some of her fans harassing Antonia Gentry and being racist towards her. There’s also a fight on stan twitter with serious allegations against Taylor. (TW! If you look at the Twitter hashtags, there is material referring to racism, white supremacy, and grooming. please take care of yourself first.)
1. TS was absolutely right in calling Netflix out. That joke was misogynistic, and the idea that people “just can’t take a joke” is rooted in oppression. Her calling it out will hopefully change the way women‘s dating lives are written about, and may inspire other girls to call out BS when they see it.
-so much of Taylor‘s career has been surrounded by misogyny, particularly as she got into the industry super young. It’s pretty fucked on the whole, and I’ll continue to defend her in that regard.
2. Fans are now harassing Antonia, which is 100% unacceptable. She has nothing to do with the situation. It’s Taylor’s responsibility given such an audience and platform to call out her fans and tell them to stop. They won’t unless specifically directed by her, and her not doing so means she’s complicit in this attack. Antonia is owed a huge apology from the community.
-I assume a lot of the people posting, particularly on Twitter, are fairly young (I can’t see working adults in a pandemic concerning themselves with this). They have to learn and understand right and wrong on social media, for everyone’s sake and safety. The ”stan war” seems absurd, but there are harmful, real life consequences for everyone involved and everyone who sees this situation. There’s no room for racism in any Community.
3. TS has yet to come forward and address the situation or tell her fans to stop (as of 10PM on 3/3/2021). Her not doing so is her choosing to benefit from her privilege instead of using it to break down oppressive systems, which is what she claims she wants to do. In her doc and in general she says she wanted/wants to be more politically open and call out social injustice. This is the time to do it, even if she loses fans or money. And she’s 31– extremely aware of the correct way to handle this situation. She has a history of keeping quiet on real issues, which is very problematic.
4. Oppression and privilege are layered. TS is a victim of misogyny/the patriarchy, but she also benefits from racism and classism. Both of these truths can and do coexist. She should be addressing both of them, not just one— she has a large history of learning from sexist behavior, but not racism. Antonia is the biggest victim, and Taylor has the power to stop this, so she’s obligated to do so.
