I want to say before my post that no, I don't condone her dating Matt Healy. He's a toxic person who certainly has thrown a lot of Taylor's past "good" actions into question. Rather, I want to focus on why I believe she's been so silent regarding political issues lately. TW for mass shootings, racism, white-extremism, transphobia, and misogyny.

There are no Eras Tour spoilers in this post.

Like all of you, I've been really disappointed about Taylor refraining from speaking out about politics lately. To be frank, it makes her old activism appear very performative - especially when coupled with the whole Matty Healy fiasco. To hear her silent on subjects like mass shootings, economic crisis, LGBTQIA+ issues, and the transphobic legislation passing in red states (ESPECIALLY Tennessee) is, for lack of better words, enraging. Because of this, it's very fair to be upset that she won't use her platform(s) of millions of followers to speak up and call out these issues. However, I have to admit that as of lately, I'm starting to understand why she hasn't.

The footage of her leaving Electric Lady Studios while dozens if not hundreds of "fans" are crowding and chasing her car has really thrown things into perspective for me, and because of that, I'm able to empathize with her silence now.

We as fans and normal people cannot for the life of us even imagine nor comprehend the level of fame that Taylor is at. There is no doubt that she is the most famous musician in the world right now, and with that comes an inordinate amount of people who do not like her and perpetuate misogynistic and hateful ideas of her. Radical right-leaning websites such as Breitbart boast articles and comment sections that slew hateful, sexist, transphobic, and downright disturbing thoughts about Taylor and her music. YouTubers for The Daily Wire such as Candance Owens spread harmful and sexist misinformation about Taylor that can easily fall into the hands of the wrong person. Because of this, Taylor must tread very carefully in regards to what she can and cannot say - not just for her sake, but for the sake of us fans, too.

There is no doubt that over the last few years the amount of mass shootings in America has skyrocketed. According to the ADL (Anti-Defamation League), in 2022 alone, White Supremacists and related branches of extremism made up all extremist motivated mass shootings.

It is worth noting as well that the deadliest shooting on American soil occurred in Las Vegas on October 1st, 2017, at an outdoor concert venue via sniper hiding in the upper levels of a hotel room. Taylor is not ignorant of this fact, as in her 2019 article with Elle titled 30 Things I Learned Before Turning 30, Taylor reveals her biggest fear is just that:

"After the Manchester Arena bombing and the Vegas concert shooting, I was completely terrified to go on tour this time because I didn’t know how we were going to keep 3 million fans safe over seven months. There was a tremendous amount of planning, expense, and effort put into keeping my fans safe. My fear of violence has continued into my personal life. I carry QuikClot army grade bandage dressing, which is for gunshot or stab wounds. Websites and tabloids have taken it upon themselves to post every home address I’ve ever had online. You get enough stalkers trying to break into your house and you kind of start prepping for bad things."

Because of this, I feel very strongly that it is not safe for Taylor or her team to speak out about political issues right now. It is of my opinion that speaking out on these issues while on her American leg of the tour might spark a very dangerous backlash from the alt-right. I've seen the concern of shootings at shows pop up on this subreddit and a few others on multiple occasions so I know that the concern is very real. Upon witnessing the video at Electric Lady Studios - where "fans" are within arms length of her SUV - I realized that it is very easy for someone with a grudge against Taylor to retaliate, and I can see how she would avoid upsetting the right to protect herself and her fans for the time being.

While the Matty situation calls her previous political activism into question, this is why I believe she has not spoken up on political issues lately. I don't think she will either until the International leg of the tour or until its completion.