Taylor Swift is America’s surprising unifier, popular across the political divide, who can help us heal after a political “Cruel Summer.”
With a net worth that exceeds the GDP of many small countries and a fan base known for its zeal, Taylor Swift is one of the biggest artists of the century — and commands immense influence in our culture.
Yet in this intense election season, Swift has fallen silent on politics, despite several much-hyped endorsements in the past.
For the good of all, let’s hope she remains mum.
Millions of Switfties follow her relentlessly, adopting her fashion whims and scrutinizing her lyrics to discern which ex she may be referring to in a single couplet tucked away in a chorus.
Meanwhile, Swift’s romance with Kansas City Chiefs star Travis Kelce has built an unexpected bridge between very distinct American subcultures — football fans and pop-music followers — that’s spun up endless headlines.
Even ISIS recognizes her reach: A pair of would-be terrorists recently tried to use a Swift concert as a vehicle to send a message to the West via a thwarted attack, drawing universal outrage.
America today is a house divided — where Republicans and Democrats don’t just vote for different policies but live in different places, shop at different stores, wear different clothing, eat different food and watch different media.
As Charles Murray argued in his book “Coming Apart,” the powerful upper classes increasingly live in cultural enclaves surrounded by their own kind, reinforcing an increasing class and cultural chasm that threatens to put the American project at risk.
