Taylor Swift: Get Your Woman Power Back

Hello People! Just wanted to tell you that I got tickets to the Taylor Swift concert on Oct 22ndSat. In this site you can find tickets for other dates too. It’s amazing Taylor and his band performance, this is my third time and I’m still so excited about listening him live! On this page you can see the section where you’re buying the ticket, so it’s very recommended!

what i like about taylor swift is that her music can easily connect to our emotions`                     

Taylor Swift is the best country-pop singer today. I love all her songs and i love the she dress. She is pretty too. ‘

Taylor Swift is the best country-pop singer today. I love all her songs and i love the she dress. She is pretty too. `

Taylor Swift is the best country-pop singer today. I love all her songs and i love the she dress. She is pretty too. :

Matt C, I totally agree with every one of your assessments. I didn’t know many of the details you mentioned — the cut off mic, Taylor crying in the wings, Kayne’s capped bottle, and his constant interruptions for attention. I came of age to the music of ABBA, so I wouldn’t know a Kayne song from any other rapper (I’m assuming he’s a rapper), and although I love popular music, I’ve never watched an award show, but actually happened to catch this particular moment because my teenager was watching.

However, what I found very interesting in his apologies (and I watched Leno the next night unaware he would be a guest) was that he kept giving them. Since I didn’t know Kayne tends to be a “”flagrant interrupter”” at these events, I had no idea he’d done this before. I thought his apology seemed sincere. Over the course of the next day, reading about the uproar on blogs, I learned much more about his inflated ego, his need to be in the limelight, etc.

My point here, is that when Taylor Swift was on The View on Tuesday (which I never watch but learned about), she said she still hadn’t received a personal apology from Kayne West. This, to me, was very telling. He apparently called immediately after the show to offer one. But it says to me that his various apologies before her appearance on The View were ALL ABOUT HIM. If you’re an egotistical, attention-hog, and you mess up big-time, you need to seriously apologize all over the world. But when you do, if you’re Kayne West, you apologize to save your own ass. Until Tuesday, his apologies were never about feeling remorse for what he did to Taylor Swift.

I hope he learned a good lesson. (shrug)

Another point I would like to make. I believe Kanye carrying the bottle on the carpet was a pre-planned alibi. The bottle was actually capped and never open when he was “”drinking”” from it. I believe he planned ahead of time to interrupt at the best opportunity for him just for publicity and notoriety for his upcoming tour. When Taylor won the award she did, as a young nieve, happy girl he felt safe in intruding on her moment of happiness and excitement, with no thought of her right to enjoy that moment, and her honest heartbreak and dismay was so natural and visible that it is what caused a much bigger consequence than he ever envisioned. I don’t believe he was sincere in his apologies, nor would he ever have made them if the world hadn’t been so immediately and consensually in accord in denouncing his reprehensible action.
Nevertheless, I don’t believe it will have a lasting ill effect on his career; one reason being the callousness and readiness of people today to forgive and excuse incivility and rudeness and outrageous behavior in public figures and also for the reason that Taylor publicly said she accepts his apology, and because of her class and decency will not attempt to denounce him. I believe from what her family and others close to her have said, as well as her own demeanor and words that the incident itself was so distasteful and jarring that she wants to completely forget it. What’s saddest to me is that up till that moment, she still retained quite a bit of her girlish outlook on people, never having thought that anyone would be other than happy with her at acknowledgement she received for her work and music, because she has always been nothing but happy when other people won or received honor for their accomplishments. A moment that should have become a memory of just happiness and joy and fondness was marred, and as much as the love and support and approbation she received from all her friends, family and peers after, it can never take back that stolen moment of personal joy in a fulfillment of one of her dreams.

I’ve read all the comments as well as the original blog with interest, as I saw the whole incident take place and was outraged at the time. I’m no less outraged now, but it has settled into a cold hardness at the kind of callousness that could perpetrate such an act on any human being like that.
One thing that hasn’t been pointed out here is that Taylor has said that the biggest cause of her dismay and speechlessness and the heartbreak that was evident in her face when this happened was occasioned by the fact that the continued applause from the first part of her speech before she was interupted, confused her, and she wasn’t sure if they were cheering for Kanye and agreeing with him, and booing her. That is what caused her to stand uncertain and unable to immediately respond, and then when she was ready to speak again, they had cut off her mic so she had to stop trying to talk again. She did break down in tears immediately after, as people there in the pit audience saw her just off-stage crying and being consoled by the award presenters and mva big-wigs, but she got it together to do her performance within the next few minutes.
As for Beyonce, she was very nice and showed class in giving up her time to Taylor. It was arranged immediately after the whole incident by her Father who is also her manager, because he realized immediately that if something wasn’t done, then her name would be linked with the incident in a negative fashion, but I believe Beyonce also was sympathetic to what had happened and realized that a great wrong was done, so I give her nothing but respect for doing her part to right the wrong.
I’m a 38 year old man, and I have high respect and admiration for these two women, they have the class and beauty and intelligence that I appreciate in the women around me in my personal life.

I’m sorry Sandy. I don’t see Taylor as a victim, although I do see Kanye as a drunk, entitled, classless jerk who should be banned from award shows.

I especially can’t agree with you when you equate Taylor’s supposed “”victimhood”” with Kate Gosselin’s and Serena Williams’.

Kate Gosselin is not a victim, in any case any harm she has suffered is mostly her own fault and she’s the one seeking the spotlight.

Regarding Serena Williams, she was the one who behaved gracelessly and rudely. I do not see her as “”a media-manufactured female victim””, but as a person who needs to learn self control and manners.

I think that both Taylor and Beyonce reacted with class and elegance and as a result Kanye came as a bigger loser.

I agree with the anon author above- many people’s comments about the situation focused on her being a teen. I don’t think taylor swift was stripped of her power back then- she was just stripped of her moment to thank the fans, which she had meant to do. Though she was shocked, her classy reaction afterward actually made her look more empowered- she gave a great performance a mere 5 minutes afterward and on her interview with the view she was sort of able to reflect on the Kanye West thing with good humor.

interviewer: Taylor, what was going through your mind.
Taylor Swift: Wow, I can’t believe i won. this is so cool. I can finally get to thank the fans. Oh! Kanye West is here! Nice haircut…err what are you doing? Ouch.

I think most 19 year olds wouldn’t have been able to perform so well afterward or told Kanye to go fug himself.

I’ve seen a few interviews with her and for one thing, her youth really does show, and another thing that is clear is that this thing was totally unexpected. She explains that she sees him from the corner of her eye approach the stage and is initially thrilled that he is joining her, then when he grabs the mike and starts talking, she’s thinking that the situation is not exactly as she previously thought. And when she explains the situation, she is not upset (although she looked thrown-off a bit during the incident), but more like perlexed and I don’t know if it’s her usual look but some part of her looks amused. As for Kanye, doesn’t he have a reputation for acting “”in the moment””. Perhaps all the press about it is just about being rude. I think the press is rude so often, I don’t know why they are the messager, but they are.
Jay Leno asks him on his debut show what his (Kanye) mother would think if she were here. Silence….for seconds, which became slightly uncomfortable. I’m not sure that is reaction Leno wanted, but I got the impression that West really didn’t know what to say. I think what has come from this situation is more attention for West and Swift was the vehicle.

My question in all of this is: what do we (as members of the general public) do now?

I have always appreciated Taylor Swift’s talent, but I’ve never been a huge fan. Now, however, I feel more inclined to purchase her album and listen to her music more in the future. I would not be surprised if her sales boosted after Sunday night. The same goes for Beyonce after her classy act. Women truly ruled that evening.

On the other hand, I’m extremely tired of Kanye and all of his ungracious stunts. He has serious pride and ingratitude issues, and although I have never been a huge fan, I do own one of his albums, and this latest act makes me furious. I highly doubt I will ever purchase anything linked with his name again. But, is that the correct response?

If he truly apologizes for his actions (and, personally, his stint on the Jay Leno Show the following night was not believable to me), and makes an effort to change, should I turn the other cheek? Or, having seen this behavior before, should I decide it’s three strikes and you’re out, and refuse to support his career with my purchases or attention, or my children’s purchases or attention? Would enough people “”boycot”” him that it would even matter?

I am all for forgiveness and second chances. But four, five chances, when it’s someone I don’t even personally know? When is enough enough?

I didn’t see her as a victim either, rather a vehicle for the latest nonsense from Kanye. The view from the www was that after the initial shock, her publicists must have been over-the-moon. I read tweets from people across the pond who were not familiar with her prior to his ill-mannered stage grab.

Thought she was classy through and through and showing shock, to me, was honest. As she said in interviews, she admired his work and so was doubly dismayed.

I think it has more to do with age than being a female victim. If that cute what’s-his-name from American Idol of two years ago (the kid who came in 2nd) had the same situation happen to him, I think the public would respond in the same manner. It was all about the grown-up man, super-star picking on a kid, a teenager, who truly seemed thrilled to have won. It was almost like every American parent felt like Taylor was our kid at that moment and wanted to put Kanye in the corner for not playing nice with the toys. At nineteen, I’m not sure I could have handled that kind of embarrassment when I’d be trying to figure out what the hell had just happened. Do you go on with your speech? Do you just say sorry to Beyonce when you’re not sure what she thinks now (or the world for that matter)? Do you look to your mom in the wings and get some hints?

I also think having Beyonce come back later, with all her grown-up, beautiful, kick-ass womanhood and stick up for her like a big sister was the best part of it all. It trumped everything.

On the flip side, however, is Beyonce, who in her graciousness in asking Taylor to come on stage to finish her thank-yous, showed such class and respect she’s the anti-victim. She took the jerkish behaviour of a man and used her power to rectify the situation, so one point of power back to women.

My issue with this whole thing – and I don’t necessarily see Taylor as a victim per se – is that the poor girl was so thoroughly and publicly humiliated. Kanye would have hurt her less by punching her in the mouth. Even Beyonce was mortified to be the subject of Kanye’s rant. And I have to wonder if Kanye would have had the balls to do that had it been John Mayer standing up there instead of Taylor Swift. Somehow, I think Kanye is an equal-opportunity asshat, but I also think he would have kept his opinions until after the VMAs had the winner been a male instead of a female.

By not speaking up, we average Americans, are in effect saying that outcries and outrages such as these are okay. Anyone who is home during the day and decides to flick on the TV and scan the channels, can see what’s happening. And on these idiotic shows, people actually applaud the insane and assinine behavior of the “”actors”” on stage. How pathetic! It doesn’t take long before this kind of behavior becomes status quo. To whom, you ask? To our kids, who are growing up with it, so that when they reach the fabulous age of being able to do the same in public, think nothing of doing so.

And it crosses all class lines. We had it in Congress recently. Horrible behavior among hockey players that has become the norm in games now. Fans call for it, the refs allow it, then give the penalty following the outburst, but only after it’s satisfied the onlookers. Football, thank goodness, still holds to the important rules, but how long will that last? It’s examples such as these that filter into the minds of our kids. When they’re brought up with that mentality of gross behaviors being overlooked, how else do we expect them to react when they’re of age?

Regarding Taylor Swift, I only saw the still shots in the newspapers and on line. I really didn’t see her true reactions in animation, but I can imagine it. West had no right to do what he did, even though he had the right to feel that way. We can’t tolerate bad behavior in public; but if we do, then it does become our fault too.

I’m sorry Sandy, I totally disagree but maybe that’s because I’m misinterpreting your point? How was her success snatched away from her? Her moment in the spotlight was ruined but it did nothing to lesson her achievements or her future in the music business.

As you say, she’s 19, she was on-stage with a man who out-weighs her by about 50(?) pounds, one who is obviously disturbed if not psychotic, possibly armed & possibly dangerous and most certainly loony. Was she suppose to morph into some kind of kick-ass fictional romance heroine right there and then? Or was she suppose to do what she did and let the scene play out?

I thought her behavior was classy and ageless (nothing to do with her being blond and pretty) and an example of how to behave in public when the public eye is on you.

I didn’t at the time, nor do I now, view her as a victim. I see her as another witness to the Kanye West implosion — but not as a victim.