Taylor Swift has been in the news for the past several weeks, yet again. People seem to be bothered that she is voicing her dismay over recent events that have transpired in her life. The question that I cannot help but ponder is, in an age where we are finally encouraging women to speak up, then why would we get mad when a woman does in fact choose to speak her mind?
For those who are not aware, Taylor is extremely displeased with the fact that Scooter Braun bought Big Machine records, resulting in him owning the rights to her first six albums. Her disdain for the former owner of the record label Scott Borchetta is due to him not notifying her of the deal, therefore, excluding her from the possibility of her having the opportunity to buy and own her work.
Makes sense, right? Anybody would naturally get upset if they worked hard for something only to have somebody else swoop in and take it with no regard to the ethical implications. Well, according to social media, they would have you think otherwise. The countless criticism and ridicule that has surfaced on line in regard to this matter is quite baffling. One would assume it would be directed towards the men who behaved in an unhanded manner. But no. The insults have been all directed at Swift. Several online trolls have complained that she has no right to speak on the matter because it’s just a business transaction. Many have stated that this is merely a first world problem and should not have to be blown up to such a serious magnitude.
Are these countless, faceless strangers, correct? There are certainly more pressing matters to attend too. So what's the hubbub? Clearly people are missing the point. Without art, there would even be more distress in the world, hence why we should protect it at all costs. Hence why Taylor Swift wants to protect her personal art from the grubby hands of a calculated business man.
It is quite baffling how people more than likely will admire business attributes rather than the arts. People are very dismissive of art, yet fill their time with it. Seldom do people ponder where the art came from, they just consume, consume and consume. But where does art come from, it comes from deep within the soul, from experiences, from imagination, not an easy feat. People think they are dancing to a good tune, a happy beat, yet if they paid attention to the words, they would see that the very creation of a song perhaps was born out of despair, loneliness or heartache. The general public tends to be so smug in these matters, yet not everyone aced their writing class in school. Only a select few exceed standard exceptions, and they are the ones who open the flood gates and let emotions run wild, thus producing original works of art. Several people thing this isn't a big deal, yet their are countless artists who have succumbed to taking their own life. Of course it can be debated that other factors are involved in these unfortunate events, but they do all have a common thread. An artist is highly sensitive. many will mock sensitive beings, but they neglect to see that that is where art manifests, from raw emotions. What if artists, didn't put their feelings in painting, songs or movies, regular folk would be bored out of their minds. So one should think twice before belittling an artist and instead take them seriously. The world would be so gray without them.
With that in mind, it is more than understood as to why Taylor Swift is upset with this man. In this corporate world he has been able to actually control and have the rights to her art that she birthed. it must be a bizarre feeling, that something so intimate is in the hands of another. This isn't the first time a business man has shortchanged an artist and it won't be the last. Most people will think this is such a petty situation. What they fail to realize is songwriters will go through an actually heartache, transmuted that pain into a fun little ditty. That song will benefit people as they carry on throughout their dreary day, not taking stock of where it all came from. It didn't originate from the man who's peddling his manufactured product for mass consumption. Most songs come from artists that simple put things out on the line, which is more than your average person can do and for that we should support them, not mock them. Like I mentioned before, the world would be so grey without their art.
