৮ জানুয়ারী, ২০২৪

"The New York Times is under fire for publishing a piece speculating on Taylor Swift’s sexuality."

"In a 5,000-word opinion piece titled Look What We Made Taylor Swift Do, editor Anna Marks listed references to the LGBTQ+ community overt or perceived in Swift’s music and theorized that the singer was sending coded messages that she was secretly a member of the community.... 'This was the least defensible op-ed I can remember ever seeing the NYT run, made all the worst by the fact that it was written by a staffer, who specializes in these speculations,' Chris Wilman, the chief music critic at Variety, wrote on Twitter. (In 2022, Marks wrote a guest op-ed essay for the Times speculating on Harry Styles’s sexuality, as well.)... Marks argued that since early in her career, Swift has been trying to secretly signal that she identifies as queer.... 'Every time an artist signals queerness and that transmission falls on deaf ears, that signal dies. Recognizing the possibility of queerness – while being conscious of the difference between possibility and certainty – keeps that signal alive.'"

Writes Adrian Horton, in The Guardian.

I clicked over to read the Marks essay. It's really long. Excerpt:
A woman who loves women is most certainly a monster to a society that prizes male power. She can fulfill none of the functions that a traditional culture imagines — wife, mother, maid, mistress, whore — so she has few places in the historical record.... If there is queerness earnestly implied in Ms. Swift’s work, then it’s no wonder that it, like that of so many other artists before her, is so often rendered invisible in the public imagination.... [I]f ever she chooses not to publicly comply with the dominant culture’s fantasy, she will remain uncategorizable, and therefore, unsellable.

Her star — as bright as it is now — would surely dim.... In a culture of compulsory heterosexuality, to stop lying — by omission or otherwise — is to risk everything. American culture still expects that stars are cis and straight until they confess themselves guilty....

৬৩টি মন্তব্য:

Kate বলেছেন...

Quit trying to make queer happen.

madAsHell বলেছেন...

When did the NYT become "Tiger Beat"?

rcocean বলেছেন...

I would go even further, anyone who writes 5000 words on Taylor Swift, on any subject, should be charged with manslaughter for boring the public to death.

Dave Begley বলেছেন...

The attack on Taylor Swift is because she is dating a football player and the NYT is trying to break them up.

rhhardin বলেছেন...

made all the worst

All the worse.

Jamie বলেছেন...

A woman who loves women is most certainly a monster to a society that prizes male power.

Oh, for...

It seems to me that the only reliable signal of "queerness" is that one is obsessed with the sexuality of everyone and everything in the world. Extra points for bringing up "make power" and "compulsory heterosexuality."

Dang, I wish I could figure out how to do an eye roll emoji here...

Real American বলেছেন...

Luckily, this clown's gaydar picked up the signals.

Kevin বলেছেন...

I can see why something written by Tom Cotton would be difficult for them to publish.

You don't want to juxtapose words of an adult next to those of children.

Earnest Prole বলেছেন...

Given that Swift is taller than most men and sports a prominent adam’s apple, it’s only a matter of time before she’s claimed by the T’s.

Sebastian বলেছেন...

"a monster to a society that prizes male power"

Not to this one, then.

"In a culture of compulsory heterosexuality"

Where dat?

Rabel বলেছেন...

"Her star — as bright as it is now — would surely dim.... In a culture of compulsory heterosexuality, to stop lying — by omission or otherwise — is to risk everything."

Go away, silly boy. If anything it would likely increase her popularity.

Especially if she married Margo. Sign me up for the fan club, Sister.

Leland বলেছেন...

Just look at that article. It must have taken all night. The author needs to calm down.

The Vault Dweller বলেছেন...

These are the wages of sin of Queer Studies academic programs and Pride month; articles pondering Taylor Swift's secret Lesbian coded messages.

Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves বলেছেন...

Subscription drive.

Nothing more.

JaimeRoberto বলেছেন...

"A woman who loves women is most certainly a monster to a society that prizes male power."

There's a whole lot of videos of women loving women in certain corners of the Internet from what I hear. Maybe they aren't considered monsters.

"American culture still expects that stars are cis and straight"

About 99% of the population is cis and straight. It's kind of necessary for the human species to propagate. Even so, Elton John, George Michael, Boy George and others might take exception to the writer's assertion.

Michelle Dulak Thomson বলেছেন...

OT, but relevant all the same: Has anyone else read David Leonhardt's long NYT piece yesterday arguing that SAT and ACT scores are actually far better predictors of college performance than are HS GPAs, essays, extracurriculars, teacher recommendations, &c.? This is so not-CW that I was flummoxed.

Aggie বলেছেন...

I get a mental picture of a no-talent loser prodding a star, with a stick, trying to get it to do something. What a spectacle of a sadly degrading institution.

Mike of Snoqualmie বলেছেন...

What business is it of the NYT to speculate on Taylor Swift's sexuality. That's her private business. Only a progressive would intrude into her life because TS isn't living up to the prog's sense of self-righteousness. Progs are always screaming about people's sexual privacy, but are the first ones to stick their noses where they don't belong. Like camels.

gilbar বলেছেন...

did they get a quote from her current boyfriend? or any from (any) of her former boyfriends?
It WOULD have been QUITE THE STORY, if they'd gotten quotes from one of her girl friends..
But, without taking the time to read it, i'm going to leap to the assumption that the answer is NO

Ampersand বলেছেন...

Marks exemplifies the narcissism, the cluelessness, the absurd self importance, and the anachronistic claims of persecution at the hands of heterosexual men that we can expect from today's NYT. She has a big future there.

Joe Smith বলেছেন...

Everything I've read indicates she's a lesbo...whatever.

Enigma বলেছেন...

Intellectual regression to the mean.

There was a smart professor three generations ago. They told white lies to avoid hurt feelings, and hired a mediocre DEI replacement.
There was a mediocre professor two generations ago. They recruited terrible DEI students because they didn't know good from bad.
There was a terrible professor one generation ago. They trained young idealistic students to work for the NYT.

Those who work at the NYT think they are smart and have been told they are very very very smart (Harvard's Gay), but are coddled wannabe academics who couldn't survive 10 seconds outside their protective bubbles. I'd not be surprised if all three generations of mentors were females/lesbians who taught this projective nonsense and dumbed it down more and more each time.

Lilly, a dog বলেছেন...

I'll wait until Pope Francis tells us what to think about this.

Static Ping বলেছেন...

I guess they got tired of trying to "out" historical figures who had been dead of a century, if not multiple centuries.

I seriously doubt that Taylor Swift is gay. She does have trouble with relationships, which seems to feed her music. I do wonder if she ever found the right guy if that would extinguish her muse. I also wonder if the "right guy" even exists in this scenario.

typingtalker বলেছেন...

American culture still expects that stars are cis and straight until they confess themselves guilty....

Show us the data that supports this statement.

Iman বলেছেন...

Stop teh hammering!

Christopher B বলেছেন...

If you play a Taylor Swift record backwards, you hear gay porn.

What's worse is when you play it forwards, you hear Taylor Swift.

MadisonMan বলেছেন...

Why would anyone care about Swift's sexuality? This is an honest question.
I consider her one of those people who is far too busy to have a serious relationship.

tcrosse বলেছেন...

One of the least interesting aspects of an artist is their sexuality. Somebody should have told Bradley Cooper that about Leonard Bernstein, or this writer about Taylor Swift.

Gusty Winds বলেছেন...

Although I don't think the Swift/Kelcey public relationship is organic, she's fucking an alpha male NFL Player. Or at least pretending to.

She's annoying with the few pro-Biden posts. The Biden-Harris decorated cookie one is over the top. Kelcey is more annoying shilling the poison mRNA shots for Pfizer. That's why I don't believe it's a real relationship. Guess that would be the biggest reason to assume she's gay.

I hope the Miami Dolphins kick the Kansas City "Swifties" ass this Saturday. Swift seems like a propaganda tool. Article doesn't surprise me.

Gusty Winds বলেছেন...

Maybe Travis Kelce likes threesomes.

Does that make Taylor Swift gay, or just a woman who wants to please her man?

"Come on baby, but that big Pfizer shot inside me"...

pious agnostic বলেছেন...

A woman who famously writes songs about her ex-boyfriends might be queer.

Sure. Or, you might have an active fantasy life.

Gusty Winds বলেছেন...

Shouldn't the NYT's really be speculating about the Obamas' sexuality?

Maybe when Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce break up, Obama and Kelce can start dating and do Pfizer mRNA commercials together.

Ms. Swift could start dating Michelle, and the NYTs could be vindicated and humiliated all at the same time.

Rocco বলেছেন...

rcocean said...
“I would go even further, anyone who writes 5000 words on Taylor Swift, on any subject, should be charged with manslaughter for boring the public to death.”

Not disagreeing, but there are several universities that offer courses in Taylor Swift.

Ice Nine বলেছেন...

If Swift sues Marx for libel, there's no evidence out there and Marx is wrong. If she doesn't, there is and Marx is right. IANAL, so perhaps Marx's couching every nasty innuendo in the subjunctive protects her. Either way, it's despicable trash, which twenty years ago would have been unworthy of the NYT but which of course no longer is.

Rocco বলেছেন...

In these times of acceptance, celebration, and even promotion of LGTBQ-ism, it is stunning and brave of Taylor to come out as straight.

tim maguire বলেছেন...

Her star would dim because, as we all know, the field of entertainment is not open to gays.

William বলেছেন...

I'm not interested enough in Taylor Swift to read a five thousand word essay about her. Maybe a couple of hundred words if it's by a writer I like....I think good looking lesbo women have been fulfilling their roles as wives, mothers, maids, mistresses for centuries and the ones who were movie stars were especially convincing in those roles........I'm not all that interested in Taylor Swift's sexuality. Is that a tell? I bet Debbie Harry has some interesting stories though. At least I hope so.

Jim at বলেছেন...

Just when I think I can't care about Taylor Swift any less than I do now, the NYT finds a way.

lonejustice বলেছেন...

Whether you like her or not, she is 100% smarter than you are about how to make a fortune.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/melissahouston/2023/12/01/what-taylor-swift-teaches-women-about-business/?sh=bf40c03310a9

Oso Negro বলেছেন...

There is no bad press if you are in show business. She probably is a lesbian, which might explain her series of failures with men. Watching her robotic dancing suggests she is probably bad at blowjobs. So, I am going with “yes”. But, as noted, so what?

Narr বলেছেন...

Somebody be crushin' on Tay-Tay.

I can easily imagine, myself, a friendly bit of gal-palling with one of her backup singers . . . a drink too many . . . some tension-easing massage . . .

Then the Mongols show up.

Jim at বলেছেন...

Whether you like her or not, she is 100% smarter than you are about how to make a fortune.

She's smarter than you, too. What's your point?

n.n বলেছেন...

Swift is transgender? Surely, a private affair.

Balfegor বলেছেন...

I can't take this seriously, but somewhat orthogonal to the question of this singer's sexuality, I'm a little happy for the author that she's been able to bamboozle newspapers into publishing what sounds like a screed from a Taylor Swift fan listserv or subreddit. There's an enjoyment to be derived from the products of that kind of deranged passion that doesn't require you to buy into either the fandom or the thesis -- like enjoying Elvis fans' evident enjoyment of Elvis kitch, or a beanie baby fan's pride in their collection. There is something almost sweet in the sweaty, overenthusiastic devotion of a pop culture superfan.

mezzrow বলেছেন...

If wishes were horses, beggars would ride.

loudogblog বলেছেন...

In 1959 Liberace sued the Daily Mirror for implying that he was gay.

And he won.

This is Liberace we're talking about.

But if the New York Times wants to go full, supermarket, tabloid, I can give them 1000 words on how my dog was abducted by aliens.

Creola Soul বলেছেন...

No one gives a rat’s ass.

Ralph L বলেছেন...

A woman who famously writes songs about her ex-boyfriends might be queer.

Gossip sites say they were double-beard dates. They also say half of Hollywood is gay, gay, gay, when it's only a quarter.

Oligonicella বলেছেন...

Dumb bastard gave her grist for a song about him. The right lyrics could make this guy a dip-shit for eternity.

Paul বলেছেন...

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz... somehow I doubt Swift is gay.. considering whom she has dated over time. Sure she does this LGBTQ+ virtue signaling... that is standard fair among singers now days. So what?

And the bozo that wrote the article...he is just a bozo.

khematite বলেছেন...

Marks seems to be Taylor Swift's A.J. Weberman, who also was always looking secret signals in Bob Dylan's songs, sometimes even secret signals aimed directly at him. His main speculation was that a lot of what Dylan wrote, though coded, was about his (alleged) heroin addiction. He also believed that many of Dylan's songs were supportive of Zionism. Weberman ultimately became famous as the guy who wound up poking through Dylan's garbage and, on one occasion in 1971, was actually beaten up by Dylan on a Manhattan street.

Oligonicella বলেছেন...

Earnest Prole:
Given that Swift is taller than most men and sports a prominent adam’s apple, it’s only a matter of time before she’s claimed by the T’s.

She's 5'4".
Average male 5'9".

Lindsey বলেছেন...

Swift is 5’10”-5’11”

mikee বলেছেন...

This story and it fallout in coming years will rank just slightly lower in historical significance than the Pulitzer awarded, and never returned, for Walter Duranty's contrafactual "reporting" on famine in Ukraine. And by slightly lower, I mean that I don't expect any Pulitzer buzz over this story. Truly, history repeats as farce at the NY Times.

NotWhoIUsedtoBe বলেছেন...

Huh?

What?

O-Kay.

Earnest Prole বলেছেন...

She's 5'4". Average male 5'9".

If I might offer some life advice, investing seven seconds in google will spare you needless embarrassment.

Pint-sized pop star Bruno Mars is 5'5" tall. Here's a photo of him next to Taylor Swift. If you google 'Taylor Swift height' you'll find ample confirmation she's 5'11".

wendybar বলেছেন...

Why do Progressives care about what other people do sexually?? Is it ALL they think about??

dbp বলেছেন...

"In a culture of compulsory heterosexuality..."

If Marks is serious, that's a troubling detachment from reality.

In actual America, Swift is probably a little bit more popular because her sexuality is mysterious. If she came out as gay or straight, this might dip a bit, because less mystery. If she came out as Bisexual, eh, maybe a wash.

Being a savvy media star, she probably knows that if she comes out as anything, other than straight, she'll get sucked into becoming an advocate of some sort.

JAORE বলেছেন...

Hey! Scientists, using science (SCIENCE!) have conclusively determined it actually WAS Adam and Steve.

Bill Peschel বলেছেন...

Seeing the Mars/Swift photo reminds me of Mickey Rooney walking up to a tall Vegas showgirl and asking, "Can I go up on you?"

I'll see myself out.

Rocco বলেছেন...

loudogblog said...
"In 1959 Liberace sued the Daily Mirror for implying that he was gay. And he won. This is Liberace we're talking about.

But if the New York Times wants to go full, supermarket, tabloid, I can give them 1000 words on how my dog was abducted by aliens.
"

The New York Times is TikTok for liberals.

Narr বলেছেন...

"The NYT is TikTok for liberals."

I thought TikTok was TikTok for liberals.