‘I hate it here' by Taylor Swift sparks a row over her presentation of American history about racism and slavery.
Taylor Swift's latest album, “The Tortured Poet's Department,” released on Friday, has ignited controversy not related to her past relationships but rather her perspective on American history, including its darker aspects. With one line of her song, ‘I hate it Here' Swift's critics and some fans are miffed by singer's perspective.
While many fans are enjoying the album's music and speculating about references to Joe Alwyn, Matty Healy and Kim Kardashian, others are criticizing the song “I Hate It Here” for its provocative lyrics.
In the song, Swift sings, “My friends used to play a game where
We would pick a decade
We wished we could live in instead of this
I'd say the 1830s but without all the racists
And getting married off for the highest bid
Everyone would look down 'cause it wasn't fun now
Seems like it was never even fun back then
Nostalgia is a mind's trick
If I'd been there, I'd hate it
It was freezing in the palace”
Many unhappy with Taylor Swift's choice of words
It appears Swift is making a statement about nostalgia, but her listeners are not pleased with how she has conveyed it, expressing their disapproval on social media platforms. Her song of the 1830s might mention ‘palaces' but people are pointing out what else it involved. Thirty years before the Civil War took place, slavery still was legal throughout the American South.
The trending topic “1830” on Twitter reveals a range of reactions, with some genuinely outraged at Swift's perceived insensitivity and others mocking her for the peculiar sentiment.
“Pretty astonishing to stipulate that she wants to live in the 1830s, ‘except without the racists,' and not mention slavery, so slavery still exists but everyone's chill about it,” An X user wrote
“IS THIS REAL ??,” a baffled fan commented, as another wrote, “This can't actually be real?”
In a Reddit thread dedicated to the song, one person wrote: “Why would she pick the decade lol??? Like all the bigotry aside, there wasn't even proper plumbing back then, medical care was primitive and little to no proper infrastructure.”
What's the problem with Taylor Swift's I Hate It Here?
Critics point out two significant issues with Swift's reference to the 1830s. Firstly, the intolerance in America during that period extended beyond racism, with slavery reaching its peak.
Secondly, Andrew Jackson signed the Indian Removal Act into law in 1830, leading to the Trail of Tears, a genocidal march that displaced many Native Americans from the American Southeast to Oklahoma.
Although Swift attempts to clarify her perspective in subsequent lines of the song, many listeners remain focused on the initial lyrics and are unwilling to consider her explanation.
