Swift - Person of the Year?
Taylor Swift is the Time Magazine Person of the Year. Is this right?
The people who have won it in recent years are the likes of Barack Obama, Volodymyr Zelensky, and Greta Thunberg.
Swift has had a successful year, and that’s putting it mildly. Her Eras Tour has generated enormous revenue for the US and led to her becoming a billionaire. Her impact is widespread - her shows sell out instantly and she has affected the local economies of her shows.
This scale of impact qualified her for Time Magazine Person of the Year. But in the ranks of people such as Obama, does Swift deserve this status? The argument made is that she is a singer, and not a politician or activist or campaigner effecting change in a corner of the world.
In light of the Gaza conflict, many have said that journalists risking their lives in order for the truth to be heard in the West should have been considered, to recognise people who have been going above and beyond in their industries.
The criteria for winning the Person of the Year is someone who has made a massive influence in the world. Even those who do not support Swift have to accept her widescale impact. Nevertheless, as an activist, I think it is disappointing of Time Magazine to not use this opportunity to amplify underappreciated voices.
Certainly, Swift is big, but she has the platform now to publicise her work, an advantage that many activists and journalists and peacemakers do not have. Instead of celebrating someone who already receives praise routinely, why not select someone who is fighting for freedom of speech and occupation, such as the Gaza journalists Motaz Azaiza, Hind Khoudary, Plestia Alaqad, and Bisan Owda?
Time Magazine chose the safe, non-political option from an extremely privileged position. The people choosing to report on atrocities do so for the truth to reach people like us who can actually help, either by supporting boycotts or pressuring governments to intervene.
Swift is not my Time Person of the Year. I prefer to focus on those actively securing a safer, fairer future for all.
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