Taylor Swift isn't to blame for our conspiracy-theory rabbit hole
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According to the Chinese zodiac, 2024 is the "Year of the Dragon," spotlighting people born in 1940, 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000, 2012 and 2024.
That might be the case in Beijing but here in America, it's the Year of the Rabbit Hole.
For the past few weeks, millions of Americans have been hate-watching NFL games involving the Kansas City Chiefs because of Taylor Swift, the world-famous pop star who's dating star receiver Travis Kelce, a native of Cleveland Heights.
The couple have been the subject of conspiracy theories that would make a John Bircher blanche.
People in media and politics — people who know better — are claiming that the two have become instruments of a Deep State psy-op to use Super Bowl LVIII to reelect Joe Biden and to promote the COVID vaccine — which was developed during Donald Trump's administration; something Trump that was proud of until he got booed for it.
Given that the Chiefs won two Super Bowls before Kelce even had Swift's phone number, the only real question that remains is how do the Cleveland Browns get in on some of this illuminati chicanery?
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Among those propagating such foolishness is failed presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy who declared last week that the NFL rigged Chiefs games to ensure that Swift and Kelsey would take to the field to endorse Biden during the Super Bowl.
Can we finally now agree that being rich doesn't mean that you're smart?
The only thing left is to concoct a theory by which the blame falls on Barack Obama. After all, there was that one time Obama called a drunk Kanye West a "jackass" for snatching a microphone from Swift during an awards show to bellow the praises of Beyonce, who was clearly appalled.
Obama remarked of Swift: "The young lady seems like a perfectly nice person."
Coincidence?
The dirty little secret of social media is that it doesn't enhance human connection, but rather exacerbates loneliness and feeds into the angst of people already angry at life. Their fury has been fueled by the fact that Swift hasn't conformed to their narrative. The tall, blond, all-American girl has turned out to be a back-talking female who is decidedly not conservative.
They hate her because she is the Unattainable One, a visceral reminder of their high school days. Because her rich, handsome and athletically brilliant boyfriend is anything but a soy-boy snowflake.
One MAGA activist has declared conservatives don't need the likes of Swift because they have Kid Rock and Ted Nugent, neither of whom has had a hit song since Swift was an embryo.
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The current wave of bullying and anger also is being flamed by right-wing media in a cynical act of ratings-grabbing with a side of panic because Swift has registered thousands of young voters who aren't likely to support MAGA.
The danger is, not everyone understands that the Fox News and OAN shouting heads and D-list misogynist podcasters are performance artists, and someone is going to get hurt as a result of it.
People who claimed they were boycotting the NFL are miffed because broadcasts of the Chiefs games are punctuated by images of Swift, but that's not her fault. She's doing what any wife or girlfriend of an NFL player would do: Cheering on her man.
She just happens to be more famous than he is.
Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes' wife and brother have shown themselves to be much more annoying than Swift, but no one is calling for them to be banned from the games.
Besides, the networks and the NFL aren't about to let such an opportunity go to waste. Millions of "Swifties" who couldn't pick out Mahomes in a lineup have been tuning in to Chiefs games just to catch a glimpse of their idol, who grew up as a Philadelphia Eagles fan.
Right now, Elvis and Tupac could run out to the 50-yard line hand-in-hand in flaming tutus, and it still wouldn't generate the interest people have in seeing Swift at the Super Bowl.
I'm rooting for the San Francisco 49ers because I'm a fan of head coach Kyle Shanahan, a former Browns assistant whom they should have hired, and because the Browns were robbed of a playoff win in Kansas City in 2021.
By the way, the same people who hate Swift, also hate the city of San Francisco.
Am I being petty in cheering for the 49ers? Yep, and I know I'm not the only Browns fan doing so. However, I'm not irrational enough to hate on a young woman who is just trying to have what we all want: love, affirmation and acceptance. Three things that her wealth and fame can't buy.
Reach Charita at 330-580-8313 or charita.goshay@cantonrep.com.
On Twitter: @cgoshayREP
This article originally appeared on The Repository: Charita Goshay says don't blame Taylor Swift for conspiracy theories
