‘Pls someone tell me this is a joke’: Taylor Swift lyric about wishing she was alive in the 1830s divides viewers
Taylor Swift's song "I Hate It Here " from her newly released album The Tortured Poets Department seems to have rubbed people the wrong way.
This morning, Twitter exploded with criticism of lyrics in the new ballad.
The criticism began in the wee hours of the morning when X user @attentionforari shared the lyrics in a tweet and wrote "there is no way these are the real lyrics...right?"
The tweet received over 1.9 million views and over 31,200 likes.
It also shared the lyrics which read:
"I'd say the 1830s
but without all the racists
and getting married off for
the highest bid"
Other X users shared harsh critiques of the lyrics.
"Pls someone tell me this is a joke," user @Johannnavision_ wrote.
"This is real and the new Taylor album is filled with lines like this. It’s the most raw representation of your white woman coworker. 'Coworker music' has never been more back," user Joshua Minsoo Kim caption his retweet.
In the tweets' comments, X users chimed in and mostly agreed with the hot takes.
"She is simply the most white woman to ever white woman," user @xoxogossipgita wrote.
This is not the first time Swift has faced backlash for "insensitive" content of this nature.
After the release of "Wildest Dreams," the singer was accused of romanticizing bygone eras, exhibiting white privilege, "channeling colonialism," and being "tone deaf."
In the video, Swift depicted an early 20th century movie star who fell in love with her co-star while filming a movie in Africa. Scenes are filled with exotic African animals and landscapes, but were criticize for failing to feature a single black person.
A writer for the Daily Dot blasted the video when it was released.
"Featuring Scott Eastwood (son to Clint), the video wants to have its old-school Hollywood romance but ends up eating some old-school Hollywood racism, too," Nico Lang wrote. "And it’s sadly indicative of its star’s own shoddy racial politics."
The singer was also accused of of “perpetuating black stereotypes” after her video for “Shake It Off” was released in 2014. In the video, Swift dressed up in gold chains and hoop earrings while sliding underneath the legs of a twerking Black woman.
The Daily Dot reached out to Taylor Swift's management company via email and X users Joshua Minsoo Kim, Keegan and @attentionforari by X direct message for comment.
This story will be updated with all responses.
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