What’s With The Taylor Swift Hate?

I get it.  There's a lot of people who like Taylor Swift's music.  There's also a lot of people who don't.  Lately however, I have seen and heard so much that really makes me want to defend the girl for being unjustly attacked.

2009 was the year when all of the Tri-State was clawing and scratching to do ANYTHING to get their hands on a sold out ticket to the Fearless Tour.  I was witness to the most hysteria I had ever seen over a concert since about 1998, when I was just a high school student trying to get tickets for a dude named Garth.  I never in my life have seen so many people (of all ages and sexes mind you) begging to win tickets for Taylor Swift's very first headlining show here in Evansville.  Sometime between then and now, the rash of haters have surfaced (though I firmly believe some of them were the same folks trying to get to that concert in 2009).

Now, I totally get it if you don't like Taylor's music.  It's certainly not for everyone, but I see Facebook comments quite often that say things like.  "Tell her to get out of Country Music" and "She is so stupid" and "I hate Taylor Swift more than anything."

"Hate?" really?  What makes you hate somebody like Taylor Swift?  Like her music or not, Taylor Swift has finally given our society what we've needed, and that's a female celebrity that is a good role model.  Taylor is not Britney Spears or Lindsay Lohan or Miley Cyrus, and from what I've seen she never will be, THANK THE LORD.  Taylor has her own morals and goals and is mature beyond her years.  Take it from someone who has met Taylor, she is genuine too.  Those silly faces and surprised looks people make fun of her for, they are the real thing.  I really believe that.  Talking with her mom, Andrea, I got the impression that their relationship is far from "Toddlers and Tiaras" as I admit I first expected.  Taylor knows what she wants to do artistically and her family supports her.  On top of that, she has millions of fans that support her.  And maybe that's the problem.

Overexposure can kill a career, and the media is so obsessed with Taylor Swift that we see her everywhere!  That will cause a negative reaction for some, but that's no reflection on her as a person or an artist.  Take this Kennedy wedding fiasco for example.  Whether or not she and her boyfriend Conner Kennedy were invited or asked to leave, too much has been made of this.  And now talking heads like Kathie Lee Gifford are blaming Taylor for making a scene.  Did you forget that it was Conner's family who was throwing the wedding and he's an 18 year old kid who wanted to bring a girl.  Taylor must be pretty darn famous to upstage a family that's added names like Schwarzenegger to it.  Why is Taylor being painted as a horrible wedding crasher.  I'll tell you why.  Because there's no other dirt on her, and the media is DYING for it!  Just stop.  You're not going to find it on this one.

No I'm not going on and on because I am the biggest Taylor Swift fan in the world.  I can take or leave her music, but I do like her as a person.  I do believe most of her music can be played on Country Radio even though it's not the picture of traditional country.  Heck, she's not the only artist putting out that kind of music, but seems to be the only one chastised for it.  And get over the "she can't sing" comment.  If we only played artists with perfect technical prowess, there would never have been Willie Nelson or Hank Williams.  Bottom line is I know a lot of people will disagree with me, but I think we need to give Taylor a break.  She shatters sales records constantly and keeps us talking, so that has to count for something!