This only makes sense when I realize that to conservatives, it’s an identity. They think it’s an identity that Taylor Swift should have because she’s (presumably) white, popular, rich, good looking, Midwestern, Christian, etc.

To them politics is not about ideas, or policies, or problem solving, or good governance. It’s all about identity.

  • DigitalTraveler42
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    9 months ago

    I’ve heard this same thing said to me by Hitler humpers trying to recruit me based on what I look like, just because we’re blonde haired and blue eyed with fair skin does not make us want to be a part of their hateful bullshit.

    • AFK BRB Chocolate
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      229 months ago

      Right, and so many don’t seem to understand the difference between principles and affiliation. It’s why when they respond to allegations about Trump being associated with Epstein by saying Bill Clinton was too, they’re dumbfounded when liberals say, okay, he should be investigated too.

      Generally, liberals are more likely to relate to things based on principles (e.g., people shouldn’t have sex with children, so we should investigate any credible allegations regardless of who they’re about). Conservatives are more likely to relate to things based on affiliation (e.g., I reject the allegations about that guy having sex with children because he’s on my team, but the guy on your team should be investigated). That’s why Al Franken isn’t in office anymore, even though he was more guilty of an appearance of wrongdoing more than actual wrongdoing.

  • @Treczoks@lemm.ee
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    449 months ago

    I don’t know much about Taylor Swift, but I assume she is simply too smart to be conservative.

      • @nottelling@lemmy.world
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        159 months ago

        The problem is that plenty of smart people are conservative. Because conservatism is fundamentally a grift, and the smart ones use the dumb ones to get richer.

        Swift just has enough empathy to realize she’s already rich.

        • @stoly@lemmy.world
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          69 months ago

          Yep. Important to separate social and fiscal conservatives. Those Gays for Trump and Blacks for Trump types are fiscal conservatives who hope that the social conservatives will consider them “one of the good ones”.

  • southsamurai
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    379 months ago

    You think any given political bloc isn’t mostly made up of people that think it’s an identity? If so, you’re lucky to not have run into it.

    Frankly, most people stick with whatever they are raised with, and that’s that. There’s just as many blind, inherited democrats as republicans in the US. Most people don’t even understand the policy platform of their party, much less bother to challenge the correctness of it for themselves.

    • phillaholic
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      59 months ago

      There aren’t two party platforms anymore. There’s one political party, and one cult. The cult doesn’t have policy. They make decisions to make the richest in the country richer, and keep their voting block scared over fabricated issues or issues they don’t care that much about. They had 12 years since 2002 to build a border wall, why is it always an issue? Is it because it’s just a grift to pay out construction companies? Maybe. They can’t win democratically so they go after votings rights and make sure the wrong people can’t vote. They exploit the very undemocratic nature of the electoral college and senate to hold a majority of the power with a minority of the overall popular vote. And when that all fails they don’t abandon their bastardized conservatism, they abandon democracy.

      • southsamurai
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        9 months ago

        Alrighty then.

        Gotta be real with you, it took several reads for this to not seem like someone ranting a conspiracy theory.

        And it’s still a rant even after I figured out what you were on about. Which is fine! Rant awat, it’s a shitty situation for damn sure.

        But you miss the point.

        Here’s my rant :)

        The point is that we’re mired in a two party system, and held there by the electoral method. The electoral college is whatever, but as long as it’s the whole first-past-the-post mechanism underlying it, it really doesn’t matter what the college does because nobody other than those two groups are getting in.

        Which is what I’m complaining about. I’m sick of voting for the the lesser of two evils out of desperation. Whether you (or anyone) likes it or not, the DNC is only useful in comparison to the other party. Without the Republicans as a boogeyman, a supposed opposite rather than just the farthest right section, the democrats are still a bunch of capitalist assholes as whole. They’re still voting for shit in Congress that’s absurd, and they have been my entire life.

        That the democrats are at least willing to give lip service to human rights is great, yay. But it isn’t like that’s been the case all along. They were just better than the “other” side.

        Fuck the two party system, and fuck the electoral mechanism that allows it is what I’m saying.

        • phillaholic
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          29 months ago

          It is what it is. The Democratic primaries are the real elections in my mind where you can vote for the person you like the best. In the general it’s about stopping the cult from gaining power and taking away more of our rights. I dislike people spreading apathy like they did in 2016, because we see the result. The cult can do whatever it wants and their members will still vote for them. Democrats are held to a much higher standard comparatively. Does it suck? Absolutely. It is what it is.

    • Omega
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      29 months ago

      I’ve never seen someone with Republican values call themselves a Democrat.

      I’ve seen a lot of people with Democratic values call themselves Republicans.

      • @fsxylo@sh.itjust.works
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        9 months ago

        Uh what? Since when is Taylor Swift a party leader?

        edit: Downvotes don’t make her a party leader. What is she then? What seat does she hold in the senate?

        • ElleM
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          169 months ago

          Taylor Swift is shadow majority leader in the Senate, it’s all part of the conspiracy yo.

          Joking aside, I think what Shepherd meant was that Swift being performatively liberal made her more similar to Democratic party leadership than to any sort of conservatives.

    • @SpaceCowboy@lemmy.ca
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      169 months ago

      You have an internet connection, so you’re performatively liberal at best too. You don’t even think about people that can’t afford an internet connection, how can you be on the left?

      In fact everyone on the internet is performative. That’s what everything on here is, someone’s performance. You could be Jeff Bezos for all anyone knows.

  • @GBU_28@lemm.ee
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    319 months ago

    It does seem true that many hyper wealthy people trend fiscally conservative, surprise surprise, to guard their own wealth.

    • @RememberTheApollo_@lemmy.world
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      9 months ago

      Well-off entertainers seem to swing a little more left. Not sure what the ratio is compared to other wealthy people, there absolutely are plenty of conservative entertainers. I think quite a few of them spent time being poor while trying to win the fame lottery, and of course SAG and other unions are big in the entertainment world.

      Anyway, not a huge surprise Swift is left leaning. The ones that are a bigger shocker are people like Garth Brooks or especially some of Dale Earnhardt’s progressive views.

      • @kandoh@reddthat.com
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        109 months ago

        Entertainment requires a lot of traveling and contact with lots of different people. That lends itself to leftwing viewpoints and thinking.

        • This is true to an extent I think, however it’s different traveling and wanting to experience another culture vs business. If the people you surround yourself with are there to support you and reflect your viewpoint back at you (Ted Nugent being an extreme example) it’s more of an echo chamber than an education.

  • @stoly@lemmy.world
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    239 months ago

    LOL the idea that you should automatically be conservative because of wealth. They assume that everyone is just as selfish and unempathetic as they are.

  • @mightyfoolish@lemmy.world
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    9 months ago

    I know I mentioned this a few days ago but some anonymous person on reddit said something like this a few years ago:

    They [implying white supremacists] are just mad she doesn’t want to be their blue eyed goddess spokesperson

  • @novibe@lemmy.ml
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    119 months ago

    You are just describing all Liberal ideologies (which modern conservatism is - I don’t mean liberal in the USA sense)… it’s all vibes and identity, it’s pure ideology without any material analysis. Things happen because of “ideas”.

      • @DragonTypeWyvern@literature.cafe
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        9 months ago

        Normally I’d take this chance to complain about liberals not being able to define liberal, but it’s more than a fair point these days that “conservatives” aren’t liberals anymore. They should be, to be “conservative” about the society they grew up in.

        The modern American conservative now:

        Hates liberals

        Especially hates socialists

        Rejects the idea of human rights

        Rejects democracy

        Wants a single, possibly hereditary leader both above the law and above criticism

        Wants to reestablish colonialism/strong imperialism

        Wants an ethno state or theocracy

        Is wildly nationalist and xenophobic

        Anyone want to pipe in with what that actually makes them?

        • @umbrella@lemmy.ml
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          9 months ago

          fascism is just neoliberalism on steroids.

          conservatives put the neoliberal work ethic and hierarchical logic on a pedestal. its probably part of the reason they want dictators.

      • @novibe@lemmy.ml
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        19 months ago

        I don’t think so… people just don’t understand what I mean by liberal I guess. Not their fault, politics is totally fucked in the US.

  • @dangblingus@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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    109 months ago

    Honestly, I understand what he means. She’s from a stupid rich family and grew up surrounded by country music influences. Statistically speaking, she probably would be a conservative.