37 votes

Taylor Swift, Travis Kelce and a MAGA meltdown

49 comments

  1. [13]
    GenuinelyCrooked
    Link
    Let's assume she is a pentagon plant, or whatever. How does that work? Are they faking how many fans she has? If so, then why would her endorsement matter? If they're not faking her fanbase, then...

    Let's assume she is a pentagon plant, or whatever. How does that work? Are they faking how many fans she has? If so, then why would her endorsement matter? If they're not faking her fanbase, then how does being "a plant" differ from just doing what she was already doing? This theory doesn't even make the normal amount of nonsense sense.

    Basically what they're accusing her of is being a Democrat and popular, and since both of those things are allowed they want to make it seem illegitimate somehow, but since it's not illegitimate they just have to add random scary words and know that their base isn't thinking critically about it at all.

    38 votes
    1. [5]
      Sodliddesu
      Link Parent
      I hate to say that's always been the playbook but mentioning playbooks might be a CIA deepstate psyop these days.

      they just have to add random scary words and know that their base isn't thinking critically about it at all.

      I hate to say that's always been the playbook but mentioning playbooks might be a CIA deepstate psyop these days.

      19 votes
      1. [4]
        teaearlgraycold
        Link Parent
        The NFL has playbooks. Coincidence??

        The NFL has playbooks. Coincidence??

        12 votes
        1. [2]
          mild_takes
          Link Parent
          Are you saying that the NFL faked the moon landing?

          Are you saying that the NFL faked the moon landing?

          7 votes
          1. Hamartia
            Link Parent
            It's obvious now that you mention it. NFL - NASA Faked Landings.

            It's obvious now that you mention it. NFL - NASA Faked Landings.

            5 votes
        2. patience_limited
          Link Parent
          We know that The Onion (NSFW) has been a CIA asset for a long time, used to pass secret strategic playbook messages to The Deeper Billionaire State.

          We know that The Onion (NSFW) has been a CIA asset for a long time, used to pass secret strategic playbook messages to The Deeper Billionaire State.

          3 votes
    2. [4]
      unkz
      Link Parent
      Perhaps the idea is that she was a little bit popular, but after she was recruited by the Pentagon’s psyops division they used their influence with Big Tech to make The Algorithm promote her until...

      Perhaps the idea is that she was a little bit popular, but after she was recruited by the Pentagon’s psyops division they used their influence with Big Tech to make The Algorithm promote her until she became a superstar capable of dictating who the next president is.

      4 votes
      1. [3]
        GenuinelyCrooked
        Link Parent
        Even that wouldn't be any kind of illegal. The absolute worst they can do is say that the Pentagon directed someone or some organization to do some totally legal, at worst slightly shady thing,...

        Even that wouldn't be any kind of illegal. The absolute worst they can do is say that the Pentagon directed someone or some organization to do some totally legal, at worst slightly shady thing, that wouldn't work unless people liked her once they were exposed to her anyway. It's not a great thing for the Pentagon to do, I suppose, but it's not in the top thousand worst things they've ever done.

        3 votes
        1. [2]
          unkz
          Link Parent
          I mean it would probably be a violation of the Hatch Act if someone in the executive other than Biden was involved and it’s definitely against DoD policy on active duty military engaging in...

          I mean it would probably be a violation of the Hatch Act if someone in the executive other than Biden was involved and it’s definitely against DoD policy on active duty military engaging in partisan political activity.

          Long story short, this is indisputable evidence of insurrection by Biden, both sides are the same, and impeach Biden.

          4 votes
          1. updawg
            Link Parent
            Sounds like it would be a violation of at least one of Title 10/32/50.

            Sounds like it would be a violation of at least one of Title 10/32/50.

            3 votes
    3. Dangerous_Dan_McGrew
      Link Parent
      The people who believe this ridiculous conspiracy don't have critical thinking skills to begin with.

      The people who believe this ridiculous conspiracy don't have critical thinking skills to begin with.

      2 votes
    4. [2]
      Grzmot
      Link Parent
      Imagine the top brass of the military, intelligence and government sitting in a room very tensly debating on if they should turn Taylor Swift into an "asset". You could turn that shit into satire....

      Imagine the top brass of the military, intelligence and government sitting in a room very tensly debating on if they should turn Taylor Swift into an "asset".

      You could turn that shit into satire. That sounds like scene straight out of Family Guy.

      4 votes
      1. Omnicrola
        Link Parent
        There's definitely an SNL skit in there somewhere.

        There's definitely an SNL skit in there somewhere.

        2 votes
  2. [8]
    vord
    Link
    I love the conspiracy theory that other teams were forced to throw games to insure the Chiefs made it again, so that Taylors fanbase that would otherwise ignore the Superbowl would bolster those...

    I love the conspiracy theory that other teams were forced to throw games to insure the Chiefs made it again, so that Taylors fanbase that would otherwise ignore the Superbowl would bolster those viewing numbers. Gotta get those ad views in.

    Thats easier than admitting how badly the Eagles shit the bed.

    25 votes
    1. [7]
      updawg
      Link Parent
      Don't forget that it's also so that Taylor Swift can come out at halftime alongside Kelce in order to endorse Joe Biden before presumably making sweet love live on national television while Usher...

      Don't forget that it's also so that Taylor Swift can come out at halftime alongside Kelce in order to endorse Joe Biden before presumably making sweet love live on national television while Usher provides the soundtrack, conceiving a child who will be born on election day, and then Kelce will rip off his mask and it will be revealed that he was Joe Biden the whole time and the fruit of his seed quickening within Taylor's womb will be the antichrist foretold lo, these 2000 years ago.

      But none of this could have happened if the Chiefs hadn't made it to the Super Bowl because it would have been weird for Travis Kelce to be there otherwise!

      37 votes
      1. [6]
        vord
        Link Parent
        The early hope was that she would break up with Travis when they played the Eagles, in hopes of throwing him off his game.

        The early hope was that she would break up with Travis when they played the Eagles, in hopes of throwing him off his game.

        7 votes
        1. [2]
          updawg
          Link Parent
          Ah, yes, she dated him for months on the off chance it could help the Eagles.

          Ah, yes, she dated him for months on the off chance it could help the Eagles.

          15 votes
        2. [3]
          JCPhoenix
          Link Parent
          Do people watch football for the gameplay or for the storylines and arcs? I've been lurking r/nfl a bit lately and I'm beginning to think it's for the latter.

          Do people watch football for the gameplay or for the storylines and arcs?

          I've been lurking r/nfl a bit lately and I'm beginning to think it's for the latter.

          8 votes
          1. ChingShih
            Link Parent
            There's a lot of both. And the number of people in /r/NFL making anime references is kind of insane to see (just in terms of how comfortable people are about it; which is to say anime as a "genre"...

            There's a lot of both. And the number of people in /r/NFL making anime references is kind of insane to see (just in terms of how comfortable people are about it; which is to say anime as a "genre" is so mainstream).

            Yesterday there was a series of comments about how /r/NFL is turning into /r/NBA with a lot of "kids who don't even watch the games" making comments, posting takes and memes, etc. But the NFL's rise in pop-culture has been part of the rebound of the brand as a whole, so I don't think it should surprise anyone that it's gaining engagement from younger audiences (who don't have cable, but can watch clips online within moments of them being ripped from unauthorized streaming sites). The "connected" demographic can react just as fast as the traditional TV-watching older demographic and they are pretty quick to voice their opinions, for better or worse.

            Of course, that doesn't keep that same older demographic, in the same breath, from cooking up theories about Tucker going to the Chiefs' practice area of the field specifically to make Kelce look bad in front of his girlfriend.

            6 votes
  3. [11]
    arrza
    (edited )
    Link
    Once again, rather than do even a modest bit of introspection, an American political party goes conspiratorial at their losing prospects. Dems did it in 2016, Repubs seem to be on a merry-go-round...

    Once again, rather than do even a modest bit of introspection, an American political party goes conspiratorial at their losing prospects. Dems did it in 2016, Repubs seem to be on a merry-go-round of this stuff that they can't get off.

    Bro, your policies are unpopular. Full stop. There are now more Gen z people of voting age in the US than registered republicans. This is what a dying party looks like. And it can't happen quickly enough.

    Conservatism is a scourge on humanity.

    18 votes
    1. [5]
      updawg
      Link Parent
      I feel like there's no way that's true unless that + is doing a lot of heavy lifting. Maybe if you're including closeted people and people across the Kinsey Scale who wouldn't consider themselves...

      There are now more LGBTQIA+ people in the US than registered republicans.

      I feel like there's no way that's true unless that + is doing a lot of heavy lifting. Maybe if you're including closeted people and people across the Kinsey Scale who wouldn't consider themselves any of those letters.

      22 votes
      1. arrza
        Link Parent
        Sorry, I was wrong. I got my demographics mixed up. I meant to say that there are more gen z of voting age than registered republicans. Thanks for pushing back. I will edit my comment.

        Sorry, I was wrong. I got my demographics mixed up. I meant to say that there are more gen z of voting age than registered republicans. Thanks for pushing back. I will edit my comment.

        15 votes
      2. vektor
        Link Parent
        [WP] claims 35 million regiestered republican voters. That's a hair above 10% of the population. I don't think that "there's no way". Many ways to skin a cat, but WP also claims 7% of the...

        [WP] claims 35 million regiestered republican voters. That's a hair above 10% of the population. I don't think that "there's no way". Many ways to skin a cat, but WP also claims 7% of the population self-identified (!) to be some flavor of LGBT.

        Maybe you want to add in a conjectured fudge factor for older generations who undoubtedly have some amount of completely closeted LGBT people... or pick another way to spin those numbers to your liking. I don't think the statement is strictly true under all reasonable interpretations, but certainly under some.

        8 votes
      3. [2]
        WiseassWolfOfYoitsu
        Link Parent
        There was a recent survey that showed it to be true of Gen Z. Not of the general public though - only of the youngest demographic group.

        There was a recent survey that showed it to be true of Gen Z. Not of the general public though - only of the youngest demographic group.

        5 votes
        1. updawg
          Link Parent
          That makes sense. I'd probably expect more of Gen Z to identify as one of those groups than to be registered to all parties combined.

          That makes sense. I'd probably expect more of Gen Z to identify as one of those groups than to be registered to all parties combined.

          1 vote
    2. [5]
      oracle
      Link Parent
      How so?

      Dems did it in 2016

      How so?

      8 votes
      1. [4]
        arrza
        Link Parent
        With all the russiagate nonsense from the Hillary camp.

        With all the russiagate nonsense from the Hillary camp.

        1. [3]
          psi
          (edited )
          Link Parent
          Setting aside the most salacious accounts from the Steele dossier, "russiagate" wasn't all nonsense. Per the Mueller report, Russia "interfered in the 2016 presidential election in [a] sweeping...

          Setting aside the most salacious accounts from the Steele dossier, "russiagate" wasn't all nonsense. Per the Mueller report, Russia "interfered in the 2016 presidential election in [a] sweeping and systematic fashion" and "violated U.S. criminal law" while waging "a social media campaign that favored presidential candidate Donald J. Trump and disparaged presidential candidate Hillary Clinton"

          11 votes
          1. [2]
            arrza
            Link Parent
            Maybe so, but to lay Hillarys loss solely at the feet of a Russian psyop is ignoring reality. She was, and still is an incredibly divisive figure. Her neoliberal policies are unpopular, and people...

            Maybe so, but to lay Hillarys loss solely at the feet of a Russian psyop is ignoring reality.

            She was, and still is an incredibly divisive figure. Her neoliberal policies are unpopular, and people don't want a continuation of Clinton and Obama style neoliberalism. Her smugness, entitlement, and recalcitrance torpedoed her campaign. I can't believe we're relitigating this. It wasn't a conspiracy. She was and still is an awful person who doesn't belong anywhere near the levers of power.

            4 votes
            1. psi
              Link Parent
              Well, it was a close race, with her losing by less than 1% of the vote in three states that mattered; there are many counterfactuals we could consider that might've changed the outcome of the 2016...

              Well, it was a close race, with her losing by less than 1% of the vote in three states that mattered; there are many counterfactuals we could consider that might've changed the outcome of the 2016 election.

              8 votes
  4. DavesWorld
    Link
    People would rather be angry, than be wrong. A lot of conservatives liked Swift, but now (gasp) Swift doesn't share their political leanings. Not the first time, won't be the last. Other prominent...

    People would rather be angry, than be wrong.

    A lot of conservatives liked Swift, but now (gasp) Swift doesn't share their political leanings. Not the first time, won't be the last. Other prominent Country (or Country-adjacent) Talent have come out as non-Right, or at least non-frothing-at-the-mouth-Right, and been punished for it by a now hostile Right (former) fanbase.

    How can these Right fans like someone who's a filthy non-believer? If they did, then that must mean they're wrong. That "the other" aren't actually evil, frothing at the mouth people who just have a civilized, but different, opinion.

    The answer's the same just about everyone uses, just about every time. They construct some facade that fits into the situation, which removes the possibility of their being wrong. Or, at least, that they might be wrong for a reason that's their fault.

    So, clearly, Swift (and anyone else who disagrees) has been corrupted, influenced, secretly controlled, unduly co-opted. There's an agenda, a scheme, and Swift has been swept up in it. So have their neighbors, who have the gall to believe MAGA and other extreme-right viewpoints aren't the way to go. Just like the evil Democrats and anyone else on the Left, really anyone else at all who doesn't immediately kneel and worship at the feet of right extremism. It's Dark Evil Forces who are pulling the Strings!

    Because to disagree means they might be wrong. And that cannot be. So anger is nurtured to protect against being wrong. It's easier to be angry than wrong. People chose anger because that's easier.

    People never chose truth unless the truth is warm and comforting and agrees with them. If the truth doesn't, if the truth disagrees, then truth is wrong (not us) and we'll be angry (not wrong).

    15 votes
  5. [2]
    GravySleeve
    Link
    Republicans see conspiracy in everything because they are constantly conspiring against others and assume everyone else is just like them.

    Republicans see conspiracy in everything because they are constantly conspiring against others and assume everyone else is just like them.

    12 votes
    1. shrike
      Link Parent
      The amount of projecting in Republicans is so much that it's bordering on comical. Every single time they or their Glorious Leader accuses the "other side" of doing something, you can with 95-100%...

      The amount of projecting in Republicans is so much that it's bordering on comical.

      Every single time they or their Glorious Leader accuses the "other side" of doing something, you can with 95-100% certainty assume that they're doing exactly that themselves.

      3 votes
  6. [5]
    moocow1452
    Link
    This whole thing feels like the manly men are upset that the girly girls are getting into their stuff, and a bunch of politically charged rationalizations are coming off of that, eerily similar to...

    This whole thing feels like the manly men are upset that the girly girls are getting into their stuff, and a bunch of politically charged rationalizations are coming off of that, eerily similar to when Feminist Frequency started producing content and people were getting upset about that. God forbid this flares up into something similar.

    12 votes
    1. [4]
      updawg
      Link Parent
      I think that's the basis for hating the broadcasts, but I think this is about the fact that she could legitimately win the election for Biden.

      I think that's the basis for hating the broadcasts, but I think this is about the fact that she could legitimately win the election for Biden.

      2 votes
      1. [2]
        GenuinelyCrooked
        Link Parent
        If she does, that's allowed. The Hatch Act doesn't apply to pop stars.

        If she does, that's allowed. The Hatch Act doesn't apply to pop stars.

        7 votes
        1. updawg
          Link Parent
          Surely Ms. Americana is a civil servant!

          Surely Ms. Americana is a civil servant!

          4 votes
      2. shrike
        Link Parent
        All she needs to do is to motivate her massive fanbase to register and vote, that's about it. She doesn't even need to endorse any specific candidate, her fanbase isn't Republican (old) enough to...

        All she needs to do is to motivate her massive fanbase to register and vote, that's about it.

        She doesn't even need to endorse any specific candidate, her fanbase isn't Republican (old) enough to matter.

        1 vote
  7. Wobeck
    Link
    I just love this so much. All the maga football fans must be going crazy because one of the teams in the playoffs doesn't deserve to be their because bigfoot manipulated the NFL and the other team...

    I just love this so much. All the maga football fans must be going crazy because one of the teams in the playoffs doesn't deserve to be their because bigfoot manipulated the NFL and the other team is from San Francisco which isn't just part of California, but a very gay friendly city in California.

    6 votes
  8. [2]
    langis_on
    Link
    Honestly, I'd love to see her take a knee during the anthem just to see the meltdown about it.

    Honestly, I'd love to see her take a knee during the anthem just to see the meltdown about it.

    4 votes
    1. st3ph3n
      Link Parent
      Goddamn, that would be spectacular.

      Goddamn, that would be spectacular.

      4 votes
  9. updawg
    Link
    Bro, I've got no idea how the hell to categorize this, so into ~misc it goes.

    Bro, I've got no idea how the hell to categorize this, so into ~misc it goes.

    26 votes
  10. [5]
    imperialismus
    Link
    This is both hilarious and deeply sad at the same time.

    The feelings are so strong that Fox News ran a segment on Sunday lamenting that Ms. Swift’s private “jet belches tons of CO2 emissions,” showing a sudden awareness of the leading cause of global warming.

    This is both hilarious and deeply sad at the same time.

    54 votes
    1. [4]
      nothis
      Link Parent
      My first instinct with statements like this is "gotcha!", like they just revealed a weakness in their logic or something. But that's the thing: They know. They know we know they lie. They don't...

      My first instinct with statements like this is "gotcha!", like they just revealed a weakness in their logic or something. But that's the thing: They know. They know we know they lie. They don't give a fuck. That's their super power. You can't beat ignorance with logic.

      18 votes
      1. [3]
        Autoxidation
        Link Parent
        Innuendo Studios put out a video on this behavior yesterday, dubbed the "reverse gish gallop."

        Innuendo Studios put out a video on this behavior yesterday, dubbed the "reverse gish gallop."

        6 votes
        1. Prairie_Skies
          Link Parent
          This was a really solid short (~4min) video. Pretty entertaining (and educational). Thanks! Edit: Punctuation.

          This was a really solid short (~4min) video. Pretty entertaining (and educational). Thanks!

          Edit: Punctuation.

          2 votes
        2. mild_takes
          Link Parent
          I had no idea that he was still making videos on the alt-right playbook. That series is legendary.

          I had no idea that he was still making videos on the alt-right playbook. That series is legendary.

          2 votes