#why is it selfish to want to connect with others? why are artists entitled for wanting recognition?

[danothan]

If it makes u feel any better I'm a die-hard jayce lover and ur jayce posts make my day. srsly i don't understand why he gets so much hate. I'm sorry people are lowkey hating on ur jayce art! Thats super sucky

jayce is disproportionately hated to the point that it might be an honest to god meme. i could go on a rant abt why and how, and i have for hours in the past (🤕), but i think the bigger issue with this specific situation is how ppl view artists as content cows. it’s why original artists rarely get as much attention. some ppl feel entitled to art and use it to propel their own blogs instead of engaging with the artist, and it makes it so that art is never a conversation or experience. it’s all “content.”

i spent 23 hrs on that jayce drawing. not bc i had to make it perfect for my followers or bc i think the longer i spend, the better it’ll be. in fact, my art accs would be getting a lot of popularity if i posted more frequently. i took my time bc i enjoy getting into details and appreciating characters through the dedication i put into a piece, getting the chance to figure things out as i go with the time i allow myself. i’m like this with most of my art, yet i frequently get comments abt the inaccuracies (usually purposeful headcanons anyway) or demands for their favorite characters to be included, nevermind if i even like those characters. i’ll spend 23 voluntary hours on an art piece, but it will never be enough bc ppl expect a manufactured rate of “content” to be put out (can you tell that i hate that word lol)

idrk if i can fully describe how i feel abt this, but the best comparison is when mitski requested that fans stop filming+posting her concerts so they can connect with the experience, and twt was quick to accuse her of gatekeeping. ppl forget that her performances are just as much for her as they are for her fans. and to a lesser degree, i think that’s why comments like this upset me. like ofc i’m gonna get offended when someone tells the person with a blorbo pfp that their blorbo sucks, but it hits on a much more personal level too

[hjertetssunnegalskap1]

The Skamdom, the good parts and bad parts and what to do with it

I love Skam. The Skam fandom has been and still is, joy in so many ways. It’s amazing to meet other fans who love the show and love everything connected to it. The Skamdom has been more than a weird obsession, it has given me a feeling of family and friendship, too. I have learned a lot about myself and my own prejudices and about my identity and preferences. Skam has been an inspiration to create fanwork, I have gotten lots of positive feedback and it has helped me to have fun with creating stuff again.

However, I have discovered that there are some parts of the fandom that are quite toxic. Yeah, I know, water is wet, hah. I guess it’s well known that there are negative sides to all fandoms. I’m pretty new to fandom life, though, and I suppose it has taken time to get fully aware of how bad things can get. Skam has a positive underlying message, after all, and I have often thought that it “should be too good for hate like this.” Well, it isn’t. We all know it. It’s even possible that parts of Skam somehow ignite certain forms of toxic fandom processes, too, although I have no idea what that could be. Could it be that the show feels so real? That the characters are so young? That the show handles important issues? I really don’t know, but I would love to hear all the theories. 

Anyway, I have noticed that even though people spreading hate usually are a small fraction of the fandom, they have the power to do significant damage. Hate drives people out of ships, and out of the fandom. Hate makes fanfic writers stop writing and artists stop making art. Fans are being frozen out or silenced because they have the wrong opinion.This is sad, and the worst part is, that it has happened more than once.

What makes a fandom toxic, then? Why does it happen in the first place? And what can we do about it? I have tried to read up on some ideas about it and mixed it with some of my own thoughts about group processes. I won’t pretend to know anything about fandom life previous to Skam or on earlier fandom sites, but I would like to say something about the things I do know of. The reason I write this is purely selfish, by the way. I need to understand this. The Skam fandom is constantly evolving (as it probably should) and I need to keep my own fandom experience good, and to do that, I need to get what this negativity is all about, and how to deal with it.

So, what is it about?

First of all, I should mention that I’m kinda hesitant about talking about good vs. bad fandom behaviour. Life isn’t black or white like that and I don’t like to describe processes as if they were. However, there are fandom actions that are bad, and toxic, and I think it can be useful to talk about it in the open. Just remember that I’m not trying to call out anyone here. I think we’re all more or less guilty of negative fandom behaviour.

When I start to talk about what is toxic in a fandom, I suppose it can be smart to start with what it isn’t. Well, obviously, sharing your love for something isn’t. Also, I think that fans disagreeing and discussing stuff isn’t toxic. Making arguments for what you think is a good thing, just as expressing how you feel about something, or critiquing something constructively. Open discussions keep the fandom alive. Talking is good!!!  

Attacking others with threats or extreme actions, however, not so much. Here are some examples of what I think are toxic sides of the fandom: 

Possessiveness: some fans feel like they own the content they're fans of, that it belongs to them, and only to them. Fans are stalking the actors, for instance, and trying to control them. Sending hate and threats to Henrik’s girlfriend, is a good example. Or spreading hate about Tarjei when he withdrew from some fans and sat boundaries for them. Ulrikke has experienced a lot of hate because she doesn’t follow the wishes of some fans, as well. 

What if the actors or creators do some really shitty things? What if they express prejudices or ignorance or maybe they do something they shouldn’t do? Well, it’s not possessive to point out that the creators or actors do shitty things. It’s possessive to try to control them.

I suppose a lot of fans can feel a hint of possessiveness at times. Like, when someone expresses “I almost don’t want this fandom to grow bigger, I want it to stay our small precious treasure”. It doesn’t have to be harmful, only if the fans exclude others or act in a harmful way because of it.

Entitlement: some fans think that the creators must do what they want. For example, the fans may demand a particular romantic pairing or 'ship' to happen in a show, and be furious enough to send death threats to the authors if this doesn't happen.

Everyone can get disappointed in things happening, of course, and expressing that is okay. But there’s a difference between expressing disappointment and spreading hate. 

Feeling superior: some fans feel superior to more casual fans, and shout loudly about it. Or they feel better than other fractions of the fandom. Some fans might not feel superior, but maybe special. They have their self-concept shaped by the fact that their fandom makes them an outcast. Maybe they even feel bullied. But in some cases, they are the ones who hate on others for things they like. This can often end in fan wars (”this remake is better than that”). 

I think a feeling of “others don’t get this show like we do” is familiar to many in the fandom and in many different groupings. I can’t say that I have felt superior in any way, but

I have at least once expressed my opinions on characterization in a way that other fans found offensive. 

Us and them: This toxic culture of possessiveness, entitlement and feeling superior develops in so-called “internet echo chambers”, spaces where dissenting opinions are not tolerated. This means the group has a conformist mentality and everything is about “us” and “them”. 

Outsiders are usually rudely educated or just simply banned. This conflict creates a sense of self and community that is tied to the in-group, the 'safe haven' of the fan community. Online, these groups pat each other on the back for liking the right version of the show, or the right ship or whatever, and not only that, but having the group's particular opinions on it, and for participating in conventions, contributing art and fan fiction, and so on. 

Losing their identity: When people are part of a group, they often experience a loss of self-awareness. They are less likely to follow normal restraints and inhibitions and more likely to lose their sense of individual identity. Groups can generate a sense of emotional excitement, which can lead to behaviours that a person would not typically engage in if alone.

I think a lot of fans can recognize this feeling of getting swept away with some amazing ideas in a group. When it leads to spreading hate, it becomes toxic.  

Addiction: People also get addicted to the attention and validation these online niches can give them, especially if the outside world is less friendly. That leads them to extreme in-group loyalty and extreme out-group hatred. They can get so caught up in their fandom that they stop caring about people outside of it.

And yeah, uhm. I can actually recognize the addictive part of fandom life. I need to check Tumblr and AO3 every day, for instance, as well as check in on fandom friends. I live for every kudos or like I get on the things I make. I know, addiction is maybe not toxic for others than yourself, but I still wanted to add it. Addiction can also lead to toxic behaviour towards others in the fandom. 

So... What to do, then?

It’s not easy to handle these things. One problem is that attempting to confront toxic fandom processes results in the groups withdrawing into their echo chambers and feeling superior. I have tried once or twice to answer hate like that with reasoning but often it’s mostly to sort my own thoughts on the subject (I think better in writing). I have rarely experienced to get through to anyone. 

Sometimes, or pretty often, ignoring toxic behaviour might be best. Confrontation may just result in circular arguments, after all. If you ignore the behaviour, you're not giving it attention. Also, you can let them think what they want to think. You can block, delete, or ignore negative people or behaviour on most social media networks. I have filtered and blacklisted words on Tumblr and it has helped a lot. That’s maybe one of my best tips. Scroll past stuff that isn’t for you. Remember the phrase “don’t like, don’t read.” Make the content that you’re passionate about. Talk about the things you love. Share your opinions. Focus on the stuff that makes you happy. That’s my goal, anyway.

When should you confront someone, then? My opinion is that it can be okay to confront if they're going beyond simply having an opinion, into the world of threats, harassment, and stalking. When the stuff being said can be hurtful or discriminating, too. Then it’s right to both confront and report, really.

Is this fandom stuff worth all this hassle?

I hope this long rant doesn’t bring you down too much. Despite all of this negativity, I believe fandom is a very positive thing. Most fans just want to enjoy the things they love with others who love the same things. That’s my main goal, too. Skam has been important to me and I want it to continue to be that. I want to keep the fandom as a space to share my love for the show. Thinking through these processes has helped me see a little more clearly how to do that. 

Ultimately, the Skam fandom is what we make of it, and we all can make it better. We can talk and share opinions and remind each other that we don’t support harassment, especially over ships or different versions of Skam. We can be decent to each other. I am not saying “be kind, always”, because in my opinion that phrase was never meant to stand alone without “being an asshole isn’t something you become, it’s a choice”. 

But yeah, that’s another discussion. My point is, if we all work together, we can manage to have a fandom that is open and tolerant and spreading love instead of fear and hate. And if that’s a little too optimistic, I’m gonna filter and blacklist and stick to “don’t like, don’t read” and see if it helps.

[ofvivicnnes-blog]

                 hi everyone ! my name’s 𝖘𝖙𝖔𝖗𝖒 and i’m really happy and excited to be here ! i was in a group a v long time ago that had the points system before, so it’s really cool to be a part of a group that has a similar concept ( so shout out to the admins ) ! anyways, i’m 21+ and my pronouns are she/her, but they/them is okay as well. i’ve had kehlani’s mixtape on repeat pretty much since it came out, i have an affinity for writing intros at 2am while simultaneously working on editing themes, i’d let yeji choke me with her ponytails, and jackson wang owns my ass ! this is my very first time i’ll be playing kang seulgi after seeing exactly one (1) image of her on pinterest, and i hope i can do her justice with my mess of a child, vivienne ! 

“who are you & what is one thing that people would know you for ?” 

‘ i don’t know who i am -- i’m a lot of things. on the surface, i’m a daughter. i’m a former idol and a girl who’s still chasing her dreams. i’m vivienne, always, but i haven’t discovered who i am underneath all of that yet. one thing people know me for is my personal life. it’s not all that pretty. ’

“if there is one thing you could change about your career, what would it be ?”

‘ hm, i don’t know if there’s anything i would change, but i wish there were some moments i could have done a bit differently. my career as been great, but it’s nowhere near perfect and it never will be. ’

“what are you willing to do to be in the top ten ?”

‘ anything, but within reason. truth be told, i’m not afraid of anything that might get thrown my way, but i’m not saying i would throw someone under the bus ... not yet, anyways ! ’

name  :  vivienne ba-rom park.

nickname(s)  :  viv, vivi, & v.

age  :  twenty-four ( 24 ).

birthday  :  february 8th, 1995.

zodiac  :  aquarius.

moral alignment  :  chaotic neutral.

gender  :  cisfemale.

pronouns  :  she/her.

height  :  5′6″ ( five foot six inches ).

hometown  :  santa clarita, california.

nationality  :  korean-american.

ethnicity  :  korean.

occupation  : former k-idol, solo artist & dancer.

label(s)  :  the intangible concept, the lost soul & the sybarite.

aesthetics  :  glittery eyeshadow, roses on silk sheets, stained wine glasses, wire rimmed glasses, bare feet in the mornings, messy ponytails, ignored alarms, clear boots, shoes with red soles, messy bedrooms, diamonds, gold jewelry, oversized sweaters, strawberry chapstick under red lipstick, sexual tension, golden sunset, hickeys, long eyelashes & flushed cheeks, fuzzy socks, bright lights on a stage, disco balls, concerts, screaming until you lose your voice, love confessions, holding hands, sharp eyeliner, face masks, ripped denim jackets, fluffy clouds, drinking with friends, red wine, ignoring texts & making eye contact with someone you like.

          vivienne park was born on a cold ( california cold, that is ) february morning to na-young & nam-il park in santa clarita, california. vivienne was a happy baby that brought her parents joy, as they only had intentions to have one child and give them the world. if only the young couple knew that their daughter would grow up to be something like a thorn in their side, expensive perfume, 

          middle school was the time when the couple noticed a chance in their daughter. she wanted to be dropped off a block away from her school, she had a terrible habit of defying her school’s uniform dress code & mostly kept to herself, never inviting friends over for typical things like sleepovers. after watching from afar, vivienne’s parents questioned their daughter as to why she was acting this way. turns out, she didn’t like that her parents drove an older car in comparison to the other kids, whose parents drove newer & fancier cars. she thought the school’s uniform was stupid & it was hard for her to make friends with the other girls because she didn’t have the latest clothing trends or the latest gadgets.

          to put it simply, vivienne believed that she was supposed to have more & that she was ENTITLED to having more, but her parents weren’t able to provide that. her father was an elementary school teacher & her mom was a nurse, so the family lived comfortably, but nowhere near as lavishly as her classmates. vivienne wanted the pricey handbags & shoes, the beautiful blown-out hair & essentially whatever she wanted, so there were a lot of over the top arguments between vivienne & her parents whenever they said, ‘ no, vivienne. you cannot have a handbag that costs a semester’s worth of tuition. ’ 

          despite her slightly selfish & materialistic ways, vivienne was very interested in music at this time. she spent a lot of her time singing in her church’s choir & she was in the theater club at her school, so her life completely changed when she was introduced to k-pop by one of her friends in seventh grade. she immersed herself into the genre & became the girl who spent her time learning the choreography to her favorite songs. by the time high school rolled around, vivienne set her sights on becoming an idol & while her parents thought her dream was a little far-fetched, they eventually allowed vivienne to leave santa clarita for seoul in order to audition for one of the companies. 

          she lived with her aunt for a few weeks before she successfully auditioned ( at the age of fifteen ) & moved into the dorms with fellow trainees. vivienne thought she was doing well, but during her time as a trainee was the first time she felt constant rejection due to always being overlooked when it came to debuting. so, she trained hard for two years & debuted with her group NIGHTMARE x PARADISE in 2012 ! vivienne was the lead vocalist & rapper of the trio, went by ‘vivi’ & they debuted with their ep twinkle. NxP found success with their group & their debut was very well received. they remained together until early 2016, after vivienne was the last to debut as a solo artist with her ep i just wanna dance.

          after NxP’s breakup, vivienne’s bandmates found success in their new ventures, while vivienne slightly spiraled. she was now 21 & after spending the last four years with her bandmates, so she wasn’t really sure of what to do next. vivienne took a hiatus from music ( minus one song she released with far east movement titled don’t speak ) & she then found herself in a relationship with an idol from another company ( think jennie & kai with the way their ‘relationship’ was exposed ). hmm, if i’m being honest i’d love to have that as a wanted connection ( if it fits with your muse ! ) they tried keeping it on the down low since her boyfriend wasn’t supposed to be dating, but a few sneaky fans of his group snapped pictures of them leaving a hotel, so that sparked off a lot of controversy.

          vivienne’s boyfriend had been training to be an idol for a very long time & she didn’t want to be blamed for ‘ruining’ their career, so she decided to end the relationship after four months of dating secretly. one thing that continued to happen was the hate she received on her socials for dating the previously mentioned idol. vivienne liked to believe that she was a girl that didn’t allow anything to get to her, but the constant berating & harassment caused her to delete her accounts and move back to california, where she decided to debut as a solo artist. within a few weeks, vivienne found herself in yet another scandal when she was caught leaving a club with some prominent figure in los angeles, which caused her to fall under the scrutiny of the media & the public once again.

          she was dubbed as something of a sleaze, so she decided to start living up to that title. she returned to social media, but fans of vivienne during her NxP days were a little confused at her new personality ( which is all truly a well constructed act ). the scandal brought her some attention, so she released remember me, the theme song of the disney film coco in 2017. she released her first song as a solo artist, over my skin, in 2018 & signed to columbia records. currently, vivienne’s working on more music & other ventures, but doesn’t really know when she’s going to be releasing anything. vivienne currently lives in a super cute dtla apartment & she finally stopped being a punk towards her parents, so their relationship is better than ever !

          as for her personality, vivienne is very much the girl who puts on a facade. that’s not entirely weird when on stage because different eras usually means a different ‘personality’, but to the public she kind of carries herself as the girl who doesn’t care & she’s like a sexual deviant aka sexually liberated, but in reality she’s the polar opposite. to the public, she’s the girl who’ll be plastered on supermarket tabloids because she got a little too drunk at an album release party or she got papped with some other guy. in reality, she cares ( probably too much ) about what other people think of her, she hates when she feels like people are talking about her when she’s only a few feet away & she truly wants to be liked for who she is & not for what she can do. while her debut as a solo artist has been well received, she does sometimes get overwhelmed with the feeling that she’ll never reach that level of stardom again. tl;dr: she’s actually really nice & really wants to do well in her chosen career, especially now as a solo artist but she’s more than likely going about it the wrong way.

[vmfx]

FINALE, 2020.

You all can agree with me that this year was like no other…and not in a good way.

At the turn of the new year, I was about to live it like the others. It’s been the first without my old man who’s left us and it’s been such a sobering experience. You can’t help but to think you’re the next one up to go after all is said and done. But with him gone, so did the stress and the toxicity. I took my first-ever two-week vacation, caught up with friend’s bands I haven’t seen in ages, and was gearing up to visit the city for Modern Pinball and Sunshine Laundromat. I did manage to visit Central Park once and attempt to make plans to see my family in Coney Island. That was until everything stopped dead in its’ tracks.

Pandemics, mandated quarantines, and shutdowns put the full-speed taurus to a total screetching halt. Venues, restaurants, and record stores were out of commission. Some we’ll never experience again. Musicians, promoters, and artists had their livelihood cut short and had to rethink their strategies to even stay sane. My store had an emergency surge of clients who cleaned us all out of hardware before experiencing the surreal sight of shortened hours, limited capacity, and altered operations before shutting down for two months. I’ve seen the slight fright of meat and paper shortages for a furloughed pause of life that had me change up my diet, relax and re-assess my direction, and spend quality time with a feisty five-year old nephew over Uno and Monopoly. Some experienced a once-in-a-lifetime event of staying home and reserving their daily commutes. Others either fought to keep their housing with no influx of income or assistance, or weighed risk versus reward as ‘essentials’ with their lives on the line to support themselves.

We faced a sickness which all but single-handedly defined the year. We’ve seen our families, friends, and co-workers die left and right as they became victims of the curve whilst we sat on edge wondering when things would become better. And if you were an industrialist (as I am), it was not your year. We lost Genesis, Gabi Delgado-López, Florian Schneider, and most shockingly and unexpectedly Bill Rieflin; all in close proximity of each other. John Prine left us, and so did Fountains Of Wayne’s Adam Schlesinger. Too many to mention.

But 2020 wasn’t finished with any of you. Not yet. The unjust murders of Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and George Floyd practically threw gasoline into the fire. Never had I felt so sick to my stomach with all the childish stupidity from the unwashed filth, the outright lies, neglect, and carelessness from what we had as an administration and from my neighbors. You had the feeling that our country was going to teeter into the point of no return and end up into an burning authoritative hell which we wouldn’t escape from. Imagine no more reason, no more logic, or no more humanity. Thankfully, we redeemed ourselves to perhaps sleep better at night like we used to.

I faced the intense pressure of under-staffing, over-performing, entitled selfish bit players, and crazy general managers throwing me under the bus to the point where I truly considered quitting for good. Instead, I’ve handled everything heading my way. I came out as one of the top five performers in the district for the summer and am projected to win the store in revenue for the second year in a row (and third overall). It’s tested me like no other.

2020 had shown me a lot. It’s shown me in such grotesque clarity the signs of toxicity that the ugliest of friends, family, and co-workers had exhibited in the past; the lack of accountability, selective privilege, and arrogance that seems to be the backbone of human nature. It’s taught me to trust what’s around me and take everything in face value instead of negotiating what I wanted to see. It’s also challenged me mentally in how I perceived people and learned a new awareness of mental health issues suffered by my co-workers and potentials. I’ve also seen the amount of pouring support my family and co-workers had for me, and there’s even a few times where some of my best friends had saved me from strike-out holidays.

For the past few months, I’ve considered deading Ω+ and Omega WUSB for good. There were many reasons why. Struggling to keep up. Feeling like I don’t belong. Not having it in me. Too busy struggling with depression, and trying my damnedest in refusing to come to terms and swallow hard pills. It had returned and exacerbated in no thanks to a specific self-proclaimed neighborhood “mayor” I met this past summer. That’s a story that’s kept me from posting here consistently because it’s one of the toughest things I’ve been writing so far. Because of it, I seriously thought about where I was ultimately going, what I was feeling, and if I was truly exiting where I used to be as I felt it all shifting around me.

But I made a decision: I’m staying. I’ll keep on going. I have lots of ideas and praise that’s waiting to come out, and I’m still interested in seeing the interest this project draws. Though I also have issues coming to terms with how and what Omega WUSB is and should be from time to time, that’s continuing as well. Our Lady Omega isn’t going away, either. I only hope all followers of Ω appreciate the random fanfare, ideas, and interests I post. At home, I realized that all the discoveries I listened to gave me new visions, images, feelings, and perceptions to experience. I have to say that some of the qualities I listened to in dream-pop, shoegaze, indie, post-punk / d.i.y., and even pop made for memorable vibes. Cleaners From Venus, The Mountain Goats, Widowspeak, A Dramatic Gesture, Miserable, Girl In Red, Emma Ruth Rundle, Grimes, The Weeknd, Eddie Russ, and too many others to mention have given me distinct (quarantining era) vibes that won’t shake off of me for ages to come.

2021 is on its’ way. I want to have fun again. I know I can. I miss having it, too. I want to stay connected and keep in touch with myself. I also miss having days feeling euphoric and not having to worry constantly.  I’ll be thinking about changing up how I do things artistically and ultimately pursue a new career path.  There’s a backlog of train rides to New York City to visit family and take pictures in Coney Island, experience Greenpoint again, seeing if Sunshine Laundromat is open for pinball, and finally giving Rough Trade a visit. On that note, you can put all your money down that another record-store tour is going to happen again. I’ll also be making another major t-shirt order, and maybe I can finally deliver on my ‘T-Shirt Nirvana’ promise I’ve been making for years.

It’s a clean slate come January 1st. Helping hardcore hands will pull you up from the floor and push you back in the pit swinging. For all of you who survived the year whether you’re on your feet or on the verge of collapse: congratulations. I’m sure the last twelve months have made you stronger in ways you never knew capable, and you’ll now have the means to come out better for it. Let’s see how you held up and what you have for yourself coming in to the new year.

On to 2021…

[bxngtan-fanfics]

On the whole “English Album business” (REPOST from main blog)

I’ve seen some people who think that it’s not a big deal that BTS are being bombarded with English Album requests. I’m here to clear up exactly why people should stop and why it’s disrespectful and entitled to expect it. Read to the end, and PLEASE reblog!!!

Language Barrier

First off, BTS are Korean. We all know this. Their first language is Korean and Korean and English are not similar languages and trying to learn English as a second language is very hard. My mother works with ESL kids, and even at a young age, they struggle with such complex and abstract grammar rules. Adults have less ability to learn languages like kids, so automatically BTS will have an even harder time learning English. While RM is fluent, he cannot, and should not have to carry the weight of the entire team. BTS has already worked their asses off to give us the English they do speak. Appreciate their hard work. Realize that trying to make an entire English album would be difficult, unfair to BTS’s work ethic and force them to translate lyrics that were meant to be Korean. This means many of BTS’s beautiful lyrics would be lost in translation, and it would sound much more dumbed down and might even change the entire feel and meaning of the songs. That would ruin so much of an album that what point is there anymore? Making BTS sound Western is to lose a huge part of their sound and style.

Their Korean Pride

BTS love their country. They love Korea and they are so proud to be Korean. Jimin makes jokes that he was born in Busan first, lording it over Jungkook playfully. Suga will literally never shut up about being a D-boy, and that he’s from Daegu. BTS was so proud of their cities they made a song about it - Ma City. They didnt even care when it got banned for the song being what it was. If they could tell the world how much they loved their town, they didn’t care. Also, one of my favorite BTS songs is Satoori Rap. This song was the first idol song to feature Satoori (or certain Korean dialects) as it’s main point. Most idols have to lose their Satoori when they move to Seoul or they are made fun of or something of the like. The song features the complexities of different Korean dialects and they rap about how sometimes it’s so different the Satoori’s can sound like different languages. Obviously, they put so much pride into where they come from, and they don’t want that to change. Suga has vehemently denied English album propositions before, and a lot of the time in America he doesn’t speak much or just speaks in Korean. He 100% can speak some English, but he doesn’t want to. He could give broken English answers but he knows he sounds better in Korean. He doesn’t want the message he cares about to be lost to translation. He’s Korean, and he loves it. They all do. They smile so wide and are so happy when international ARMY’s learn some Korean, know the fanchants, or sing along to Korean lyrics. Why take that joy away from them? They love when other people learn to love Korea through them. Don’t make them give that up. Asking them to make an album in English is like asking them to give up so much of their pride in their culture. That’s asking them to turn away from a place and a country they love with all their hearts. Essentially, trying to make BTS more westernized is… Well… Kinda trying to white-wash them and make them pretend they’re western when they aren’t. And that’s wrong.

It’s Unfair

English may be a very widespread language. So is Chinese and Spanish. Western artists are not forced or pushed into learning another language because they are popular in that country, much less pressured into making an album in a different language. Why on Earth would you expect BTS to do it? Don’t make them set this precedent for Kpop in the Western world. They are pioneers right now, and what they do shape American opinions on Kpop. If another K-artist makes it big in America, they will probably have to follow similar steps to BTS. No Korean artist should be forced to learn English or write English songs unless they want to.

It’s Entitled to Think You Deserve it

You don’t. No one does. BTS are their own people and they give so much to ARMY no matter what. You may think an English album would be connecting with them better, but you’re wrong. Korean fans won’t understand the songs. How will the album fare in their home country? An English album could fucking flop and it’s just not worth it. If you want to know what they’re saying so bad, look up lyric translations that fansites work their butts off to give you, assholes.

You Love The Way Korean Culture Has Shaped Them

Don’t deny it. They’re respectful, sweet, keep their noses clean and never step too far out of line. Korean culture and the Kpop industry is what made them that way. If they were Western, they’d most likely be much more closed off, have less of a bond with their fans. They wouldn’t dance or make covers for you. They wouldn’t make Bangtan bombs or half of the events they do in Korea. They wouldn’t rush to make so many songs and wouldn’t worry about taking a while to come back. Their music videos would be vastly different. Their songs and image would most likely be sexualized worse than it is now. Admit it. You love the way Korean culture and Kpop has shaped them. You can’t have both. You can have a Western artist or a Korean one. Asking BTS to adhere to your American standards and still take what you like about Korean culture with them is appropriating their culture and that’s not okay. BTS may not be a racial minority in Korea, but the U.S. they are, and racism has already reared it’s ugly head on them. Don’t add fuel to the fire.

They Already Accommodate For You

BTS already incorporates English into their songs. If you’ve been a fan for as long as I have, then you noticed that the English in their albums increased the moment they realized how many international fans they actually had. They want you to appreciate that. They want you to hear the English they do put in and know they thought of you. They love international fans, and they try so hard for you. They just try in ways that lets them keep their central identity.

You’re Ignoring What BTS Taught You

BTS have repeatedly said that music is a universal language. Ive heard so many ARMY complain that people don’t understand that not English language music is just as good as English music. How does it look if we demand English music from them now? How does that reflect us as a fandom, us as fans? We seem hypocritical as fuck, and that’s not what we want. BTS taught us that all music can speak to us, no matter the language it’s in. Remember what those seven wonderful young men taught you.

Before anyone comes for me, know I am an American. I like Western Artists. I don’t know Korean, and I only know English. But that doesn’t mean everything I said wasn’t true. If you’re American like me, understand that asking for an English album makes you sound horrible to other ARMY’s. Realize how ignorant and selfish you make Americans sound when you say that stuff. Please. Our reputation already sucks.

Add on if you can, send me asks if you want to ask questions or want me to explain more. Spread this. Please. Reblog this so every ARMY can see it. They need to know why asking for English albums are wrong, not just the fact that it is. Make this known that true fans of BTS only want them to do want they want, not what a society pushes them to do.

BTS deserve their own creative freedom.

[mintchocolateleaves]

Cost of Freedom (20/52)

In which the Tokyo police department get the reports from Solitary. Prison!AU

[Beginning]     [Previous Chapter]    [Next Chapter]

Tokyo MPD - 3.54 pm

“They took their time sending it over,” Aoko’s father says when she returns to division two. She, Hakuba and Ran had left for lunch after Ran’s stomach had started to growl, and after deciding on tempura, they’d left the busy police station behind. “But here are the reports from solitary. I printed copies for you.”

Her father doesn’t hand them to her, but rather to Hakuba and while it irritates Aoko that he’s trusting the teenager who dragged Kaito away over her, she doesn’t say anything.

Maybe because she knows it useless. It’s not like her father thinks she can find KID - she’d not known even when she’d been standing next to him.

Aoko shakes her head, and perches on the chair beside Ran.

“Aoko wants to read Kaito’s first,” she says, glancing at Hakuba. “Before either Hakuba or Ran-chan reads it.”

It’s a selfish request, she knows, but out of the three of them, she feels like she’s the one entitled to know what happened to him. Hakuba hesitates - clearly he wants to read them before the girls, wants to be the first one to know everything, how utterly like him. But he doesn’t hold onto the papers when Ran flicks through the pages, tugs papers from his fingers.

“Ran-san…” Hakuba says, but Ran doesn’t offer an explanation to him, simply placing the papers down in front of Aoko, offering a smile.

“We’ll look over Shinichi’s reports,” Ran says, “you read over Kuroba-kun’s, and we’ll swap in a minute, okay?”

Aoko mouths ‘thank you’ before looking down at the papers. There aren’t that many pages, no more than ten, and one glance at Kudo’s tells her that the ex-detective had gotten into far more trouble than Kaito had. (Either that, or time is a large factor. Aoko isn’t actually that sure.)

She decides not to spare the amount of pages any additional though, and instead, leans forward, both elbows on the desk, immersing herself in Kaito’s report.

Incident report - Prisoner 093253

The inmate was found attempting to escape in the gatehouse at approx. 2350.

Initial period of two days in solitary confinement has been issued by Guard: XXXX

Somehow, Aoko isn’t surprised about this incident. It’s kind of… expected when it comes to Kaito - he’s not the type of person who’s taken much notice of the rules. It’s expected of KID too, the escape artist that he is, who wouldn’t suspect him of trying to scheme his way out of prison.

This report, she skims over with only mild interest. It’s more technical than she’d expected, and Kaito doesn’t really do anything over the days. The reports did say that he was electrocuted though, but the guard who had caught him, so she suspects that he’d probably be quieter. He always did seem to be less outrageous whenever he was sick, recovering from flus and any other illnesses he’d had.

She turns the page, glances over the next incident - there are only two, if the markings (2/2) mean anything - and takes a deep breath.

Inmate was issued three days of solitary confinement following an outburst within visiting room A.

It’s not until she sees some of the transcribed outbursts he’d made that Aoko remembers to breathe again. She shudders, choppy breaths hitched as she glances over claims of innocence and death penalties and-

Aoko turns the page. She can’t keep reading Kaito’s words - they echo in her head, Kaito’s voice ringing out, sounding vaguely similar to the way he’d cried alongside her when his father had died. The next page is less painful to read over.

Well, the first half of his second visit to solitary confinement isn’t painful. He’s mostly quiet, there aren’t many notes written down. From the looks of the pages, he’s a perfect inmate, well behaved when he’s sat inside his cell.

It doesn’t seem very much like Kaito, for the first three days of solitary. He’s never been well behaved. Ever since they’d first met beneath the clocktower, Kaito had been pulling pranks and creating trouble. Never once has Aoko seen him play by the rules; he’s always had a passion for standing out, not fitting in.

Aoko sighs.

Then, she turns the page, and she sees it.

Possible visual hallucinations. Inmate’s grown more unsettled over the course of days 4-5.

Aoko bites her cheek. Her gaze lingers over the word 'unsettled’ before dragging it down to the transcribed conversation they’d written in the report. It’s not complete, starts halfway through, and while she’s certain something big had happened before hand, she’s not exactly sure whether it’s enough to lead to… this.

“The difference is easy to find.” - “Then tell me.” - “Aoko doesn’t want to.” - “Just tell me!”

Despite her best efforts, Aoko lets out a sob. It is quiet, at first. A silent shudder not unlike the tears she’d shed months ago, when she’d first found out, when she’d first learned of the connection between KID and Kaito, and the realisation that Kaito wasn’t going to catch the bus with her to their entrance exams at Musashi university. 

She wipes at her eyes the same way she had when Keiko had promised they’d go together instead, the same way she’d brushed away tears as she’d waited by the phone for her idiot best friend to call and just explain everything to her.

Her body collapses on itself as she turns the page, forcing herself to read everything, the same way it had when she’d spent an entire evening waiting for her father to come home from work. He’d solved the case, hadn’t he, so why had he kept her waiting?

She was always left behind… By the people she love, by time. By life.

Another sob. She reaches the final page, skims the contents until she’s reached the final word. When she looks up, tears blurring her sight, Hakuba and Ran haven’t seemed to notice her - she’s glad. All she needs to do is go clean herself up, and then… then she’ll be able to focus on finding Kaito, that idiot, and reading over Kudo’s file.

She pushes her seat out from beneath the table, stands. Then, at the sight of watermarks on the pages beneath her, Aoko stills. She flips the paper over.

“I’ll be back in a moment,” Aoko says, turning away from the table so that no one can see her face. She doesn’t give either Hakuba or Ran any opportunity to respond and is out of the room before either can respond.

“Ran-san…”

“Yes,” Ran says, turning to look at Saguru. She’s watched Aoko’s departure out of the corner of her eye, had seen the tears soaking paper, “I saw.”

“Should we-”

His phone buzzes in his pocket, and Saguru glances down. He glances down, reads the number on across the screen, before looking back up at Ran.

“I’ll go check on Aoko-chan.” She says, when he says it’s Hattori. “You answer that call, I’ll be back in a while.”

Saguru nods. “…Make sure she’s alright? Aoko-kun… she doesn’t like to let anyone know she’s suffering.”

Ran wraps her hands around her stomach, standing up. It sounds familiar, almost like Ran is the one being described. She remembers how hard it had been the first initial months without Shinichi, and she’d been able to visit him - Aoko… as far as she knows, hasn’t had any contact with him since his arrest.

“I will.” Ran promises, leaving the room in pursuit.

Aoko doesn’t make it to the bathroom.

She curls in on herself halfway down the second corridor, slides down the wall until she reaches the floor and lets herself cry. She’s glad for the urgency within the station, because no one stops to ask if she’s okay, to wrapped up in their own business to inquire about hers.

She can hear the transcript in her head, can hear Kaito’s words as if they’re being spoken right in front of her. She doesn’t know why she’s so overwhelmed, why she feels like someone is twisting her intestines - shouldn’t she be glad that Kaito was thinking about what she’d asked?

“Just tell me!”

His words filled her lungs like water. It was her fault, wasn’t it, for the torment he’d endured? When he’d called, she’d just caused more suffering, when she should have been understanding, should have known he’d been punished enough, that she shouldn’t have added to it by making him question…

“Aoko-chan.”

Aoko stills at the voice, but refuses to look up. Instead, she closes her eyes, trying to ignore the shuffling as Ran sits beside her. Glancing through the small hole between her legs and her arms, she notices that Ran is sat cross legged beside her.

“It hurts, doesn’t it,” Ran whispers after a few minutes of silence, “to read what they’ve gone through?”

Aoko doesn’t respond.

“The last time I saw Shinichi… He asked me to give up on him.” She pauses, chokes on the words. “And… I don’t think my heart would have been able to cope with that if I hadn’t been able to talk to anyone about it.”

They’ve not talked much before, Aoko knows, but there is some sort of link between them already. They both have to live with an absence in their lives, and Aoko wonders whether Ran is hurting as much as she is.

“You genuinely think Kudo-kun is innocent?” She asks, and tries not to sob when Ran responds with a quiet, yet firm, ‘I do’. “Well… Aoko knows that Kaito is guilty. She knows that he’s KID. She just doesn’t know how to feel about it.”

The curiosity behind KID’s identity had created her, has built Aoko into the person she is today. All of the protests against KID, all the time spent hating him and… and then her curiosity had just as easily destroyed her. How stupid that she’d told herself to never trust a liar - to never trust a thief - and yet… here she is… unable to figure out where she stands.

“What was Kuroba-kun like?” Ran asks. “I always find that it’s easier to figure out how you feel, from the memories you first come up with.”

Aoko closes her eyes, lifts her head up from her arms and leans back against the wall. She wipes away her tears, and she thinks.

“Kaito was…” She racks her brain for words, pictures him in her brain and scratches at her arm with nails. “Aoko doesn’t think he loved anything more than a crowd… He probably cared more about what everyone thought than what Aoko ever did.”

Beside her, Ran reaches out a hand, taking Aoko’s. She gives it a soft squeeze.

“And… he was always close enough to touch, but never close enough to Aoko to let himself get hurt,” she says, “Kaito was always the one saving Aoko, all the time. Even though he was always such a nuisance and constantly embarrassed Aoko daily, he never let anyone else make fun of her.”

Another squeeze, and Aoko falters as she searches for words.

“We went to find a monster in school once, and Kaito tried to keep Aoko safe…” She hesitates, “Aoko just wishes…” No, the illeism doesn’t seem right… not at the moment. She pushes it away. “I just wish that I hadn’t put all my faith in him.”

Emotion crashes over her like waves to the shore - hatred for KID, guilt that it means all this time Kaito has been conflicted, sadness now he’s gone… Fear that she’ll never see him again.

“We give away things we won’t ever get back,” Ran says, and when Aoko opens her eyes, there are tears in the other girls eyes as well. “But it’s okay… Those boys probably need it more anyway.”

Aoko glances at Ran, chokes on another sob. She says, “We need to get back-”

“The investigation can wait a little longer.” Ran says. “It’s okay to have a bit of time to ourselves.”

Aoko blinks, shudders again. This time, when Ran squeezes her hand, Aoko squeezes back.

“Aoko doesn’t know who Kaito is anymore…” She whispers, and then she is sobbing again, fingers wrapping around Ran’s jumper, tears staining fabric. She lets out a wail, pain bleeding from her - the thought of never hearing Kaito’s laugh again overwhelming her until she feels like her heart is disintegrating, turning into ash.

And it hurts, because even if she doesn’t know who he is anymore, she’s still willing to love him endlessly. Because even after everything that’s happened with KID she’s still unable to let go of the red string of fate that binds them together.

It’s agonising, because in the end, he still matters the most.

[niamhhannaho-blog]

Interviews

WILL F Tell me about yourself?

Having grown up in an ex-pat family, I had the opportunity to live in Asia and Europe. I have always been creative whether its art, music, film or fashion. After failing handsomely at school and barely making it into University I realised education wasn’t for me, after dropping out of University and having the opportunity to work in advertisement and film for some time I decided to co-found a creative agency. Since then I have had the opportunity to work with some the UK’s most influential people and brands, aiming to share my thoughts and knowledge with other millennial and the older demographic.

In your opinion what are the stereotypes of millennials?

I think my understanding of the millennial stereotype is that millennials have created a new culture and behaviour that has not been recognised before. I think we are categorised as a dysfunctional, unmotivated and unwilling generation that is incredibly selfish.

I do believe that is a statement that targets millennials collectively however I feel its only a certain categorisation off that generation who live up to the stereotype. I do feel with the move in the digital world millennial's are creating new and imaginative ways to work, In a lot of peoples eyes I think due to it being unconventional, its seen as wrong.  

What does it mean to be a millennial?

I think there are many answers to this question, although “millennial” is a term for the generation born in between the 80’s and early 2000’s. Its seen today as more of a categorisation of the “future”. Being the most connected generation, I feel we are the most progressive out of any other previous generation. Having more opportunities, more freedom and defiantly more of a creative mindset I think that Millennial’s have recently started to disrupt and question convention which in my mind is progress for the future to come. We’ve always been told to be unique however convention tells us not to, I feel we are the first generation that has done exactly that.

What inspires you?

People. A lot of people will generically say art, fashion, music or culture. Which is all great, but I believe that the source of those mediums are the most inspirational subjects. To me a persons story is the most valuable knowledge or inspiration you can obtain, because unless they write a book about their life you will never have the chance again to hear it.

If you could impact something significantly within society what would it be?

I believe the biggest fault in society today is people not listening to one another, especially between young and old generations. I would love to see more members of the younger generation being able to make decisions that can impact our societies.

If you had one piece of advice to give to other millennial what would it be?

A really important word to me is self-awareness, I think so many people lie to themselves about who they are. Until that person understands who they are as a person and acknowledges their identity and values, they won’t be happy with anything they do.

Do you think you fit the stereotype of millennial’s?

Absolutely!

Why?

I believe being unconventional and creative is exactly what it is to be a millennial, I like to think I do exactly that every day. LIZZIE

Give a bit of an intro about yourself (not part of the question but literally talk about anything uni school travelling your freelance illustration)

I’m Lizzie, I’m 23 and I’m currently living and working in Wellington, New Zealand. I had an idyllic upbringing and was always academically bright, but way more interested in art. My family were always super supportive but I felt a lot of pressure growing up to achieve and be perfect. I went to Uni to study graphic design, but got very disillusioned and ended up dropping out in my 3rd year. I moved to New Zealand and converted a van which I travelled and lived in for 6 months, it was pure freedom. I’ve recently got back into illustration and won a poster competition for the street art collective Vivid Wellington, I’ve met a bunch of local artists and it’s been so inspiring. I’ll be moving back to England in July to study as a tattoo apprentice.

What does it mean to you to be a millennial?

I think we’re in this weird transitional generation, we’re the first kids to grow up with technology dominating our lives, we’re at the forefront of unexplored territory and we’re just trying to figure it out. The truth is that the world is entirely run by the post-war generations, they’ve had an incredible impact on the world physically and economically, it was all about this ethic of working hard your whole life, contributing to society, everything has to be bigger, better, newer. As a generation I think we’re questioning this, we’re less motivated by money, more creative and forward thinking, and in a growth driven society this can be easily misinterpreted as being ‘lazy’. I think in general we’re tolerant, emotionally intelligent and amazingly bright. We’re opening up about sexuality, race, gender, mental health…we have all these great ideas we’re just struggling to find a platform for our ideas to be heard.

What inspires you?

Mostly people, I find people fascinating. I try not to rely on inspiration when I’m drawing, you can end up staring at a blank page for a long time if you do. Inspiration comes from practice, trying everything - new ideas come from that. It took me a long time to realise! I’m definitely inspired by self-makers, that DIY aesthetic and attitude. Counter-culture, punk, hip-hop, ravers, street art, drag queens, comics, nature…oh and smut - Lots of smut.

If you could impact something significantly within society what would it be?

That’s a tough one. I’d like to get people to question what’s going on around them, not just accept the way things are. That’s the first step to changing things. We’ve thought the same way for so long, we need a new perspective. I’d love to see women’s ideas come into consideration, I think we could really use a feminine approach.

If you had one piece of advice to give to other millennials what would it be?

Be yourself! It’s cheesy but I think it’s so important to do your own thing when everybody around you is trying to make you into something else. Lead by example. And love yourself, that’s very important.

Do you think you fit the stereotype of millennials and why yes or no

I’m going to be annoying and say yes and no, I’ve definitely been guilty of feeling entitled, I’ve only recently started to understand the value of hard work, and working hard for yourself too. I try and keep away from the trappings of social media…most people I know don’t seem to fit the stereotype. It’s going to be harder for us to coast through life with wages and housing prices being what they are. I could definitely work harder though.

SOPHIE RISCH

Give a bit of an intro about yourself?

My name is Sophie Rischmiller, I am 18 years old. I am a full time student at Bournemouth University, an Affiliate Marketer taking my foundation certificate in marketing at The Chartered Institute of Marketing and the owner of a startup marketing agency called Social Zest.

In your opinion what are the stereotypes of millennials?

Millennials are constantly stereotyped as not really experiencing life because they are always looking at social media or things online. We have been bought up in the digital era so everyone assumes we don’t really know how to communicate, which isn’t the case. Because we spend time online older people thing we are lazy, under motivated and introverted.

What inspires you?

I am inspired by young entreprenuers documenting their life online and giving valuable advice to younger people or people they same age as them - other millennials! They inspire me to be motivated and better myself in everything that I do.

What does it mean to you to be a millennial?

Being a millennial means being at the forefront of the digital era, we have the power to create communities and influence people like never before. If we use the tools we have been given, growing up in a smarter society, I think we can really make a positive difference.

If you could impact something significantly within society what would it be? In other words what is an issue that is close to your heart?

One thing I would choose to impact would be mental health in young people, there are so many amazing charities working hard to correct mistakes that previous generations made - for example making it difficult for people to talk about their sexuality or for men to talk about their feelings openly. I think that this new generation is far more advanced and accepting of everyone so we have the ability to encourage those with mental health issues to feel they have a voice and that they are not alone.

If you had one piece of advice for other millennials what would it be?

My advice for millennials would be to say yes to every opportunity you are given, we have all the resources to succeed given to us by this new digital age so it would be wrong of us not to utilise them.

MARIE

Tell me about yourself?

Okay, so my names Marie, Marie La - Anyane. I’m not French, even though my name sounds French. Im 100% Ghanaian. I am an abstract artist and I run a fashion blog. And thats pretty much it, I just paint during my free time, do some artwork. I edit a lot of photos and I have a little taste for photography. I don't take all of the photos for my blog myself, but I do edit them. I just quit my job of three or four years. Im hoping to get an internship within fashion. I don't want to settle for something which isn't related to what I want for my future which is get a career within the fashion industry.  So if its not something thats not dear to my heart I'm not going to settle and just do that to kill time.

What does it mean to you to be a millennial?

I mean we are the generation that made money out of youtube, theres people making thousands on instagram every single day and back in the day our parents probably thought we were crazy for just being on platforms like Facebook. And now people are getting paid just to post a photo and just to advertise. So I mean we should be proud of that, and we are making so many changes in the world. We have had some of the biggest protests and marches in history and thats just us!

What inspires you?

My culture and my play on colours. I think my background inspires me, being Ghanaian using colours in our everyday life and all celebrations use a lot of colour so thats really where I get my inspiration. I have never been able to draw certain things and so because of that I often take an abstract stance, because thats what works for me.

If you could impact something significantly within society what would it be? In other words what is an issue that is close to your heart?

I don’t think I can personally impact society as a whole, but I can work with people to make changes. Going to protests and letting the government hear what we have to say, because I cant do that on my own.

If you had one piece of advice for other millennials what would it be?

I think we shouldn't let the negative comments and negative views by previous generations affect us, because we have achieved a lot, we are going to achieve a lot. I know its the social media age but we have achieved so much just through that. Its crazy you don't even have to go and watch the news anymore you just have to go on twitter! I mean Donald Trump is tweeting and he's probably part of the generation that thinks that we are not doing anything with our lives and all we know is social media. So I think we should just look at it as a positive thing, we have done so much for ourselves and we should be proud!

DANIEL BOOTH

Tell me about yourself?

Okay so my names Daniel Booth, I run MPR Communications which is a PR and social media company. We handle, publicity and brand relations for celebrities, influences, professional athletes, high profile individuals. We also do PR for brands and we do social media for brands as well. I started it four years ago, and yeah its going well. We work with musicians, athletes, models, presenters, footballers, rugby players, golfers. So I have been working in the industry for probably about seven or eight years now. So I started out in fashion PR and beauty, peddling Chanel lipstick, Champneys and stuff like that. And then I did whats called agency hopping, so each six months to a year id move to a different agency, and slowly worked from beauty to fashion. Ive worked numerous London fashion weeks, which is stressful to say the least. And then from there I hopped into entertainment and sports. As I say yeah about four years ago I was made redundant from my last agency. I came into work one morning, by 9:15 I was in the boss’ office and he basically just said sorry we have no money this will be your last day. They couldn't even afford to pay me for the rest of that day. So the second I stepped out of the front door I was wondering round London on my phone sending emails, texts and phone calls to see if anyone had a job for me. And it was happening to everybody, because it was around the time the financial crash hit and businesses sort of panicked. So I moped around for about a week, I was super stressed out because I had never been out of work. I never went to university and I sort of lounged around the house for a week wondering what to do. And my problem was that I wasn't good at anything else, the reason I got into PR was because I'm good with people. I can talk to anybody. So my girlfriend said to me you just need to get up and go back out there, so I did. And for the last sort of two years of my agency career I saw how they didn’t really care about the clients. It was just the case of how much money you pay us defines how much time and attention we will give you. I didn’t like that because I mean we had clients for instance that were paying close to £10,000 per month and then you had a little designer that was absolutely phenomenal but all she could afford was £1,500 per month and she would get nothing. And like that is still money, that that person is paying out of their own pocket but just because its not big enough for the agency, they don't get anything. So I decided to make that my mantra, that we were going to work with everybody and anybody, if they were talented of course. And it didn’t matter what their budget was, we would make it work. So far its going alright.

In your opinion what are the stereotypes of millennials?

Well ever since you reached out to me I've had all these articles, about millennials and to be honest its all the same. They are self entitled, they don't want to work, they are narcissistic,all they care about is what their instagram looks like and all that sort of thing. But to a certain extent theres a minority that are exactly like that. But i think for the grand scale of millennials, its completely wrong. I mean I meet people everyday who are your age, my age and they are driven people. I mean the thing is millennials face so many issues that no other generation has had to face, I mean today you can at 21 years old you can be a millionaire. You can create an app and it can get picked up overnight and all of sudden your a millionaire and theres so many different opportunities and avenues that people can go down and its confusing for a lot of people. I mean my younger brother is 21 and he's in uni studying fine art and if you ask him what he wants to do he has got no idea. He just wants to do something in art because thats what he likes, and its not because he's lazy, its not because he cant be bothered, its because there are so many options and its one of those things i mean when i was at school like forever ago now, when it came to career day they said be electricians, be plumbers, be carpenters, be a fireman, a police officer because all those are in need at the minute. And the thing is, everybody went after those jobs and now they are over planned. Millennials have come to a realisation that you know what you don't have to break your back to earn a decent living. I mean me, if you ask any of my family what I do, they have no idea, they literally don't have a clue. Millennials i think are misunderstood massively, they get the raw end of the deal i think. I mean theres a lot of stuff they have to put up with and get through, I mean most people wont ever own their own house and all that sort of thing. I read an interesting article the other day where the title was the 20k somethings and it basically said that millennials are the generation that are happy to earn 25 - 27k for the rest of their life as long as they have experiences. So they get to go travelling, they get to swim with dolphins they get to go look for humpback whales and all that sort of thing. They would rather have these big experiences in life than have massive amounts of money. Now my question is why is that such a bad thing? Theres people that get by on less than 25 grand a year, i mean a lot of them do struggle but you can make it work! I mean I know somebody, who him and his other half, between them earn 45,000 a year, they are happy. They’ve got a house, they have a car, they go on eight holidays a year but the thing is they both work remotely and they both work remotely so they can have that life because they are able to do that. I don't see what the big deal is. I mean my mum when I was younger she was like don't get tied down too young, go travelling, go see the world. I mean my mum had me when she was 22 years old, she was married when she was like 21 so her whole thing for me and my brother and my sister was go see the world don't get stuck into your career or anything. I mean I slightly ignored her. Its the way it is.

What inspires you?

Potentially failing, I don't like to loose, ever. I am one of the most competitive people ever. I don't let it show too often but if i loose inside me its like argh, i hate it. So yeah I think failing, theres a constant drive there to prove that you can do it.

If you could impact something significantly within society what would it be? In other words what is an issue that is close to your heart?

For me, i mean I started working with women football players when i first started working for myself. Because it was an up and coming game. And I was lucky enough to get one client at chelsea football club and the ladies train at the same place as the mens football team and on my second visit, when I went down to the training ground. but i think one thing I'm passionate about is helping women sport. The thing is in all sports the women train as hard if not harder than the men because they have to. They are constantly fighting against society saying. Footballs a mans game, women shouldn't be playing rugby, women that play sports look like lesbians, i mean what does a lesbian look like? So I think it would definitely be womens sport, I think there needs to be more understanding about it, there needs to be more promotion for it. There needs to be more commercial drive behind it. I mean the thing is a bit of insight the top top england womens football players in salary a year, not a week, a year get paid £30,000 per year. Now I've got players that i work with that are 17 years old that get that a week, so i mean now its becoming that they can earn more from commercial deals and that sort of thing but even then, brands aren't willing to pay that kind of money. One of the girls I work with was on the same campaign as joe hart the goalkeeper, she got paid i think it was like 6% of what he got paid, it was minuscule. And it needs to be a lot fairer, it needs to be on the same level for men and women. Women sport is massive and its growing every year. I mean i like to think that I'm helping but I'm still not having the impact that i want to have, thats definitely where I would go.

If you had one piece of advice for other millennials what would it be?

Do the grunt work. The thing is, this is no joke, i get about 30 emails a day requesting jobs, internships from people my age and younger. And occasionally when I'm feeling generous, ill go and meet them see what they are about, see how they fit. I mean I've only ever met one person who has been happy to do the back breaking work, to go grab coffee and this sort of thing. And unfortunately she's moved back to the states and she worked with me for 6 months. She was studying law and came over here as part of her degree and she just wanted an insight into the sports world, she's passionate about sport she loves football. So i met with her and straight away you could tell, you know what this girl has got something special about her, she is willing to go the extra mile and honest to god when she left it felt like I had lost my left arm because she was there and she preempted anything that I ever could have needed. Im still in contact with her now, I consider her a friend. But I meet people every day that literally just want to walk into a job, they have come straight out of uni and they have gone right okay I want 30,000 a year I want my own office and I want 5 projects a year to work on.Its like, the world doesn't work like that, and this is where i feel millennials as a whole get a bad name because of some of the people that are like that. I mean for me I interned in fashion and beauty PR for almost a year. I wasn't paid, I was working 16 hour days, I was working for fashion week, when id finished work I was asking if I could go to the events with the PR managers and they would party till like 3 - 4 o clock in the morning. And id stay out with them, id meet people. But as i say as up till now after 4 years I've only ever met one person that was willing to do that. I mean one kid i actually met he came to me and was like, I want 45,000 a year, and i want to work from anywhere in the world. And I just looked at him and was like mate, really? Like thats the first thing your gonna say to me? And he was from a very privalliged background and he had it installed in him that that is the way it is. You walk in and demand what you want and somebody will give it to you. And its like i said to him, you have no position you've just come straight out of uni. I think he had studied something like talent management. Some obscure degree that in the grand scheme of things doesn't mean a lot. And I said to him right, name me five people right now that you could call and you could get one of my clients into this event, that event or on that tv show. And he said well I don't have any. So I said well then come back to me when you do. Because thats what it is in my job and in a lot of jobs its about the connections that you have with people. The relationships that you have. Its being able to call on those people at a moments notice you know you can pick up that phone and say I need help and them say okay what can i do. And thats what its about and you get that from doing the interning, the working for free, the making coffee and all that sort of thing. It sounds degrading, but you learn a lot from it. Its the one time in your life when you can actually just sit there and soak up everything. I learnt more in my first two weeks interning, than I did in my entire school life. The thing is I wasn't academic, i never have been, i didnt like the thought of having to study. Now I read more books than i ever did when i was in school. Im always reading I'm always learning I'm always trying to better my knowledge of PR, social media, the digital landscape, marketing, everything. But its because I'm studying something i love and its completely different. When you start reaserching things about something you really love it becomes addictive. If you work in something like design, or digital or something like that because it grows so rapidly that you cant keep up. I think thats the advice that i would give to anybody. Just do that work, be a sponge. If you can get 5 minutes with i don't know if you wanted to be a football agent for instance, if you can get even five minutes with a professional football agent that has been in the industry. Just sit and listen to them for five minutes. Just ask them one question and then just sit and listen because you will learn so so much. So that a the advice.

Do you think you fit the stereotype of a millennial?

Well my jacket and hightop converse would say yes. I would probably say yeah. I mean if you had said to me when i was 15/16 years old, you will be working for yourself, you'll be working with the England rugby team all these cool people. I mean i would have laughed in your face. You say am I a millennial stereotype i mean yeah because in the grand scheme of things millennials have this mind set that they can do absolutely anything and yeah thats me.

GENEVIEVE SWEENY

Tell me about yourself?

I have been knitting since i was 5 and I used to live in Europe with my parents, I sort of followed them around with work so I used to sit in the back of the car knitting all the time because my nan taught me to hand knit. So i did that, I hand knitted all the time sort of secretly for like 11 years, until i met a girl at Nottingham trent who was doing a degree in knitwear and i was like omg this is amazing. So that then  kind of really started my path. Because I was doing this thing that i loved doing but i didn’t really know how to apply it. Then I did a four year degree at Nottingham trent which was amazing we learnt about the machinery and actually how to make something which was really cool. And i did a year in industry in my third year, so i went to work with a really creative consultancy that did kind of swatches, which back then in the 90’s were really big. So companies like m&s would buy like 20 of them and it would cost like £600 for a swatch which was like crazy money. Then after the recession hit that kind of industry died a bit. So yeah I worked for them which was amazing like really creative and explorative and we did loads of exhibitions like in Shang Hai and florence and things which was amazing. And they also gave me sponsorship for my final collection, so i had like cashmere to knit with for my final collection, which was crazy! and i didnt even think about it too much then i was just like yeah ill have all the colours, now I'm like wow that was like the most luxurious collection in the world. After that I went to work for m&s and new look which was like just three months in each but it was amazing to see a real high street but fashion thats run from figures. To me being at uni and being in this creative world i was like what the hell, it was a real eye opener but a kind of good understanding of the connectivity. So yeah finished my degree, got a first which was cool. I specialised in menswear, so then i was selected to go to a trade show in Shang Hai to show my collection and also to do some work for wgsn to do some swatches and things. And there i met kind of randomly all the people id end up working for in the future which was really weird. I met a gentlemen who was an agent for rag and bone and he said they were looking for a menswear designer, so literally as soon as i got back i called them up and was like do you fancy interviewing me. Then a month later I was on a flight. So the march after graduating i went out and was the menswear assistant. The role kind of ended up changing and i was doing menswear and womenswear but it was amazing working for a really creative, contemporary brand. And it was before they had this recent investment, so there was kind of no budget, an endless amount of money and no restrictions. So yeah it was crazy you could find like three hundred pieces for spring, just for knitwear and I think only like eight went on the catwalk so it was a crazy amount of work. And then i got head hunted by Hugo Boss and i was offered a job in switzerland which was a lot more technical, kind of more the development, production side. But i always wanted to do my own thing, but i kind of never really, knew what wholesale price was, how would i actually manufacture something and do kind of quality control. So I took the job because i felt it was the next step to me building up my knowledge and working on something that i didnt really know anything about. So I lived in Italy and commuted to switzerland every day, and it was just an incredible job, I literally did everything from sketch to production. So I would work with a freelance designer who was based in london and she would give me all her concepts and i would go and work in this like knit lab, where they had all this machinery that they taught me to programme. So id kind of come up with ideas for her and then i would look after the product all the way through photo sampling production. I spent a lot of time in Turkey, in factories testing out lots on things. So i did a lot of travelling it was amazing, it was such a broad view of the industry. Since then different roles I've had are very split you would have like 8 people doing that one job. So that was the kind of main thing. But i looked after the Boss green, which was sports knitwear, so it was quite small only about 40 pieces per collection. So for my second job it was quite manageable. Then i got engaged and felt like I had to move back to England so i did a quick stint at burberry kids wear. That was mainly computer work so i didn’t really last long there. And then I went to Lyle and Scott to work on there scottish programme they wanted to bring the knitwear back to scotland, my role was to look after the knitwear team and build back the relationship with scotland. So as i moved back to England I decided i wanted to get my studio back and kind of wherever i went I had like a car full of yarn and i wanted the big machines. So i went on eBay and bought these really old machines that were up in scotland and drove up there and met this amazing old man who was in his 80s. I got chatting to him and found out that his nephew was a hand tartan knitter but lost his job in the 80s and actually all his family members used to work in the mills. So we went to th pub and i met a few other people and i met some people with more machines. That sort of really started the beginning of my brand, I just felt so awful that there were all these amazingly skilled people that were now like bus drivers. They were cutting lengths of this imported woollen fabric and then calling it scottish fabric. It just felt really awful. So i decided to do a couple of projects with them because there style was like really 80s so I said if you want to work with new brands you need a bit of an update. So yeah we were working on a design and we ended up having like 5 pieces by the end of it and i was like gosh this is the start of my collection, but that was all happening whilst i was working for lyle and scott which ended up using no scottish knitwear because they couldn't afford it and ended up doing a lot more stuff in Italy. And then Ian got made redundant and I got really jealous so i quit my job as well and took the plunge. So it kind of felt like everything had come into piece but it did take about 18 months to find the right supplier and just get an understanding of where i wanted my work to be in the market and if there was a market for it. But actually a lot of the manufacturers in the midlands wouldn't work with me because they wanted like 400 pieces. But like even at lyle and scott we wouldn't order 400 pieces for some like fashion pieces. So even in scotland I could find people to knit it but not to put it together. So i had to go through this like interview process with one of the manufacturers but i think he had been so screwed over by young designers in the past that he was just like over cautious. So i literally drove up there and met him and he was like okay we can work together and then i drove back again. Yeah so it took a while but it kind of worked out. So i launched in september 2015 and worked with a really amazing range of manufacturers, so id design everything here in house and then often hire a machine to test out ideas for patterns and things and then gove the production to them. They are such an amazing manufacturer they are all kind of like family run. I feel like they are more invested in what your doing and kind of look after you more, where as the factories and especially when i worked in factories abroad its just all about numbers and margins and your killing yourself over 10p. Where as I've got more of an understanding of how much they do and how much stuff costs so I'm quite like, I see the value in what they do and vice versa.

In your opinion what are the stereotypes of millennials?

I feel like it changes every five or ten years. Like a lot of the younger millennials don't drive at the moment which i find crazy. But i don't know if its because now things are a lot more accessible, like when i was 17 i learnt to drive because it was the only way i would be able to get out and do something. So i don't know maybe with the internet changing its more accessible now.

What inspires you?

Inspiration comes a lot from archetecture, so could be the structure or patterns in plaster. It seems to be a lot from archetecture or sometimes ariel views or kind of natural patterns. Its definitely always something that breaks and repeats, thats sort of always the theme.

If you could impact something significantly within society what would it be? In other words what is an issue that is close to your heart?

For me its the whole made in britian, sustainability and slow fashion. So i support made in Britain because it brings jobs to the area. We have got this amazing skill set thats really dying out. So the hand knitter i work with he's the youngest that we both know and he's 52 years old. So for me its really important to keep these skills going. And theres a lot of factories that have started employing people from China and stuff which is fine but also their way of linking and construction is different to the scottish way. So slight things, and like how you wash a jumper. Its really done by learning and its not just a program you put in its kind of like a sixth sense so those parts of the made in britain i really want to keep going and support. And then also on the other side the slow fashion is a really important issue. So not having fast fashion like in the last couple of months but having something that will last 10-15 years and will reduce the environmental impacts.

If you had one piece of advice for other millennials what would it be?

I think networking is really important, reaching out to other people weather its more mentors and people that you aspire to. Or even just like peers, people in the same situation or going through the same things, i find it so helpful to talk to other designers.

What does it mean to you to be a millennial?

I guess the opportunity that you've got from technology, I feel very lucky to have that. To be able to have a business that reaches america and hong kong, thats amazing. I cant imagine how i would really be able to do something without it just being local.

[carriefoulkes]

An Unforgettable Sweetness. Thoughts on Mary Oliver.

Stepping out into the world, into the grass, onto the path, was always a kind of relief. I was not escaping anything. I was returning to the arena of delight.

In her book of selected essays, Upstream (2016), Mary Oliver turns her attention to the everyday wonders of the natural world. Whether observing a spider in her web, looking for great-horned owls, recounting the rescue of an injured seagull, paying homage to writers who have influenced her, or reflecting on the nature of creative work, Oliver’s bright prose is conscientious and joyful. This is a person who believes names are important, that to name is to acknowledge, to move a step closer to knowing. ‘Attention is the beginning of devotion’, she says. It is this calm attentiveness that strikes me most. In her prose and poetry, Oliver shows us the world. Her descriptions of the things she sees are never dry, but neither are they laden with manufactured import or narrative. The things themselves are enough.

The poet draws on her surroundings in her writings. She readily admits that the universe ‘does not give its delicate landscapes or its thunderous displays of power, and perhaps perception, too, for our sakes or our improvement’. Nature is not there purely to serve us. We mustn’t forget that all beings have a life purpose of their own. The universe is, however, ‘full of radiant suggestion’ and if we live with awareness we may be offered many metaphors by which to guide our lives.

Upstream is a quietly illuminating book. This is transcendental writing firmly rooted in the soil, utilising the writer’s powers of perception and a meditative attention to the present moment. Transcendence, then, is not about being somewhere else, but about being right here. The message: if humans can transcend their materialism, their all-encompassing distractions, there is much beauty to be encountered and sustenance to be had.

In her essay on creativity, ‘Power and Time’, Oliver asserts: “The most regretful people on earth are those who felt the call to creative work, who felt their own creative power restive and uprising, and gave to it neither power nor time’. I feel this in me, a restless creativity, a second pulse that goes haywire if I don’t give it the space and freedom it demands. But to what end? I often wonder. Why am I doing this? Does the world need more art, more writing? Am I even at all talented? What if I’m no good? This voice is my ‘intimate interrupter’ – the distraction present even in moments of solitude and focus. This voice is critical and destructive. It offers nothing. It exhorts me to cease everything, to cease working, sometimes even to cease living.

The world’s working artists ‘are not trying to help the world go around, but forward’. This is something to remember when I question the utility of my making. Mary likens creative work to a spiritual practice in which discipline, seclusion and concentration are essential. It requires a loyalty to one’s inner vision ‘as complete as the loyalty of water to the force of gravity’. Where did the idea come from that to value my creativity, to prioritise it, is to be egotistical, irrational, immature, selfish, entitled. When my whole being cries out to make and to be, to observe and to write, how can I deny myself this? Why should I? In so many forms I’ve received this message that I should do something useful, find a real occupation. But then I question what is meant by ‘useful’ and ‘real’ and I find these concepts so neatly aligned with destructive economic values. Would anyone have a problem with me being an artist if I were generating lots of money?

But what about these other, more equitable currencies: our perceptive and emotional capabilities? Our capacity for kindness? Who will nurture these, encourage communion with land and sea and sky, with birds and insects and flowers? It is a radical and purely rational stance to assert that what we have been given by the earth is enough. That our souls need no material acquisition. In such a view we are liberated.

I delight in Oliver’s use of language, have noted countless musical phrases, unusual and sparkling assemblages: ‘pewter water’, ‘the pond’s black oils’, ‘the rising, unopposable sea’, ‘nature’s dark throat’, ‘my wild body’.

I am sitting at my pleasingly large desk at my pleasingly large window looking out at a Finnish morning in early stages of awakening. I envy Mary her mornings. Witnessing dawn is a rare occasion for me. Today I am awake for the arrival of the light and I relish it. Pine and birch, birdsong, snowflakes coming down – the tiny freezing ones. I have with me as my aids a big mug of coffee, a miscellaneous assortment of pens and ink cartridges, a packet of ibuprofen and a hot water bottle. I am ill, but not too ill to sit here and write. I am grateful for this. I want always to be ready. I write daily and much of what I write is not worth the paper it’s written on but I view it as essential approach work. Like an athlete I must train regularly as ‘so quickly, without a moment’s warning, does the miraculous swerve and point to us, demanding that we be its willing servant’. I will aim to get (and keep) myself in shape for when the ideas arrive.

I went on an ayahuasca retreat a couple of years ago. Over the course of three nightly ceremonies I had many experiences and insights. In one of my visions, tall and magnificent beasts with massive eyes turned to face me. One by one, over and over, the beings lifted their arms and pointed at me. I was surrounded by a forest of indescribable flora and fauna, all with hands, all pointing at me. We see you. We acknowledge you. You are wanted. You are loved. You belong here. The sensation of being deeply loved and needed moved me to tears. This memory, although faded and gappy, has never left me. I call on it in times of darkness, to remind myself that I have a place in this vast web of existence. I know this in theory but find it hard to feel it sometimes. I get so disconnected. So lost in myself. When I walk in the woods I like to touch the trees. To hold them. I feel supported by the ground beneath my feet, the frozen ice. I breathe our common air. Maybe all I can offer the world are my tiny poems, my small pictures, my readiness to serve when called, with humility and trust and hope.

Mary Oliver speaks of our inherited wealth, the ‘immeasurable fund of thoughts and ideas, from writers and thinkers long gone into the ground’. She writes reverently of Emerson, Poe and Whitman and considers ‘the responsibility to live thoughtfully and intelligently’ a part of our cultural inheritance.

I think of Mary’s exquisite work and hold this responsibility in my mind. Whether it’s our shared fondness for Cape Cod landscapes, or the way in which nothing is too small for her heart and pen to seize for poetry, I feel a connection with her. She calls on me to keep looking, to write as well as I am able and, wherever I can, to enjoy whirling in the ‘beauty and strangeness’ of the world.

[shannon-jeanna]

Since Swift is sueing over this article, I might as well signal boost the article in question! You’re welcome!

The day the song came out, Breitbart jumped on the lyrics on Twitter: “I rose up from the dead, I do it all the time,” a line that they interpreted as racism and racial hatred rising from the dead. Those tired old beliefs about protecting the white race have found new racists to carry the torch (literally) and their beliefs into the 21st century. Breitbart and their loyal followers are central to the movement to be proud of being a racist, white supremacist and have the audacity to equate that with patriotism. And for liberal Bay Area natives like myself, who grew up with a healthy dose of 90’s era “racism is dead” propaganda, it feels like racism has risen from its grave with the stamina of a White Walker. While society at large seemed to reject racism as an abstract concept, the internet provided an “underground” space for racists to congregate without fear of retribution until Donald Trump encouraged them to come out in the open.

Taylor’s are lyrics that connect with whites that are concerned with what they see as the white dispossession of power. Breitbart highlighted another lyric on Twitter, the line, “but I got smarter, I got harder in the nick of time. Honey, I rose up from the dead, I do it all the time.” The lyrics were paired with the image of a story about a loophole for buying AR-15s. And the lyrics speak to even more than just unnecessary gun glorification but also to the white people who have been closeted racists for years.

Later in the song, there is another telling line: “I don’t like your kingdom keys. They once belonged to me. You asked me for a place to sleep. Locked me out and threw a feast (what?).” These lyrics are the most explicit in speaking to white anger and affirming white supremacy. The lyrics speak to the white people resentful of any non-white person having a position of power and privilege. Think of Barack Obama: the fears of white dispossession of power were actualized in his success, which was a huge factor in the appeal of candidate Trump. He is a patriarchal, rich white man that embodied the anger and white supremacist ideology.

From the White House to the streets, chants like, “ you will not replace us” and call and responses like “whose streets” “our streets” were yelled by white men carrying torches in the night in Charlottesville a few short weeks ago are reminiscent of Swift’s lyrics. “I don’t like your kingdom keys, they once belonged to me,” is another way of saying, I will not be replaced and anger over white dispossession of power.

The lyrics validate those who feel that have been wronged, e.g. white people angry about a black president. The chant, “our streets” is similar to saying “you locked me out and threw a feast.” It is about feeling displaced, feeling wronged.

In other words, these lyrics became the voice of the lower case kkk, and Taylor’s sweet, victim image is the perfect vehicle and metaphor for white supremacists’ perceived victimization. With the song at the top of the charts, it makes one wonder: how large is the lower case kkk? How much are people paying attention to the lyrics of the song? It is clear that Breitbart has embraced the song as being a white supremacist anthem, so why wouldn’t Trump’s base — and other white Americans that believe they deserve their white privilege — embrace it as well? And considering Taylor’s fan base is mostly young girls, does the song also serve as indoctrination into white supremacy?

It is hard to believe that Taylor had no idea that the lyrics of her latest single read like a defense of white privilege and white anger — specifically, white people who feel that they are being left behind as other races and groups start to receive dignity and legally recognized rights. “We will not be replaced” and “I don’t like your kingdom keys” are not different in tone or message. Both are saying that whites feel threatened and don’t want to share their privilege. And there is no way to know for sure if Taylor is a Trump supporter or identifies with the white nationalist message, but her silence has not gone unnoticed.

“Quiet racism only needs subtle encouragement, and it seems that ‘look what you made me do’ fits the criteria perfectly.” Swift is not one for politics. She did not endorse Hillary Clinton until November 8th, 2016 on the eve of the election. She has stayed away from race conversations directly, but her music has been interpreted as racially offensive before. Her song “Shake it Off” has come under fire many times [salon]. The song has long been considered an insult to black America, yet it debuted at the top of the charts and is one of Swift’s biggest hits. It is clear her message of being white, pretty, and consequence-free is one that many in America have embraced. And like the quiet support that Trump received to the surprise of polls, Democrats, and the world, Taylor is giving support to the white nationalist movements through lyrics that speak to their anger, entitlement, and selfishness.

When Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, and Beyonce openly campaigned for Hillary Clinton, Taylor’s political silence appeared to be a rejection of her peers’ support of the inclusive Democrat platform. And when one of the most popular female artists in the world declines to join the many in her field in voicing for progressive politics, it could well be construed as her lending support to the voices rising against embracing diversity and inclusion emblematic of Trump supporters. Further, the single attacks other pop stars in the same way that the alt-right has attacked the “liberal” media. Taylor’s song identifies with the oppressed conservative trope, and the song is indeed their anthem.

Taylor Swift was called “Nazi barbie” by Camille Paglia, who stated that Swift is “a silly, regressive public image of white 50’s America.” That seems to fit nicely with the imagery of the alt-right. Her lyrics are like an affirmation for everything the alt-right has been feeling for years: oppressed, afraid to come out, and made to look like a fool. And now that they feel empowered, it befits the movement to have a white, blonde, conservative pop star that has no doubt been “bullied” by people of color in the media, singing their feelings out loud. And with a president that openly addresses hate groups and justifies racial hatred, this is not a time for neutrality.

And while pop musicians are not respected world leaders, they have a huge audience and their music often reflects their values. So Taylor’s silence is not innocent, it is calculated. And if that is not true, she needs to state her beliefs out loud for the world — no matter what fan base she might lose, because in America 2017, silence in the face of injustice means support for the oppressor.