• Light/Dark
  • Ever wanted an RSS feed of all your favorite gaming news sites? Go check out our new Gaming Headlines feed! Read more about it here.

Taylor Swift Accused of Cultural Appropriation For Using a Marching Band

Status
Not open for further replies.

Vector

Member
Feb 28, 2018
6,631
So I didn't think this would be worth discussing, but it's getting a ton of attention on Social Media and various online papers.

Taylor Swift performed her latest song ME! last night at the Billboard Music Awards with a marching band. Sounds innocent enough, right?

Apparently not. Right after the performance Twitter started saying she copied Beyonce's iconic Coachella performance from last year with the marching band, and now some are saying it's cultural appropriation. The same marching band motif can be seen in Beyonce's Homecoming special released last week. Some people are calling Swift's behavior "Gentrification," and the Breakfast Club awarded her Donkey of the Day. Soon after the performance, the #Mayochella hashtag started trending on Twitter with attacks to Swift.

Link to the performance.

Worth mentioning is that the marching band in question is clearly racially diverse and doesn't seem to be calling back to Beyonce in any way besides... being a marching band.

Now several online publications are criticizing her, perpetuating the #Mayochella hashtag and saying she's gentrifying marching bands.




She's also being dragged by locals on Twitter





I happen to think using marching bands as part of a performance is perfectly OK and not something that is exclusive to black culture or insensitive in any way, as Swift has previously used a lot of marching band imagery in her music and performances, but I'd like to hear ERA's take on this!
 
Amnixia

Amnixia

▲ Legend ▲
The Fallen
Jan 25, 2018
10,407
Wait what, not a fan of either singer's music but I'm 99.9% sure Beyonce wasn't the first person to use a marching band.

Edit:
Even worse, stuff like this will give the anti-SJWs more ammunition when examples of actual cultural appropriation get noticed.
 
Mullet2000

Mullet2000

Member
Oct 25, 2017
5,891
Toronto
I've never felt older than I just did reading those tweets. Honestly would have no goddamn idea what they were talking about without OP's context.
 
linkboy

linkboy

Member
Oct 26, 2017
13,676
Reno
Fleetwood Mac used the USC marching band in a concert in 97. Beyonce isn't the first performer to use one in a concert.
 
chandoog

chandoog

Member
Oct 27, 2017
20,071
sJJpqFY.jpg
 
devilhawk

devilhawk

Member
Oct 27, 2017
1,536
The oldest college marching band is Notre Dame. You aren't getting whiter than ND in the 1800's. Military bands from countless countries existed long, long before that.
 
Kalentan

Kalentan

Member
Oct 25, 2017
44,579
Maybe I'm really sheltered but I had no idea marching bands could be considered cultural appropriation. When I read the title I assumed they were dressed up or doing something that was inherently trying to invoke a specific culture. Not just the use of a marching band in general.
 
Another Castle

Another Castle

Member
Apr 9, 2019
552
CLT
This is a weird one for me too, but I'm not really versed enough in the subject to form a salient opinion on my own. Waiting to hear from some folks of color on this one-- it's important to note that the criticism pertains to black marching bands, not marching bands in general. They do have a strong cultural history in places like New Orleans.
 
Ziltoidia 9

Ziltoidia 9

Member
Oct 25, 2017
6,140
Congrats, they got the clicks they were looking for.

Edit: I'd like to apologize for being in marching band when I was in high school.
 
Star-Lord

Star-Lord

Member
Oct 25, 2017
6,754
Wait having a marching band is not allowed for all artist to use as a stage performance? I think that's a bit crazy. I saw muse a month ago they used matching band as well :/
 
Cranster

Cranster

Prophet of Truth
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
9,788
Geez, people really have been on the hate train for her since Kanye made an ass out of himself 10 years or so ago.
 
SolidSnakex

SolidSnakex

Member
Oct 25, 2017
23,301
Beyonce really has some of the most toxic fans in the music industry. Right up there with Nicki Minaj.
 
_ifigured

_ifigured

Member
Oct 29, 2017
2,301
Singing and music of itself is appropriation of culture in an offensive way. Fans of Gregorian chant have been victims for centuries.
 
Kirblar

Kirblar

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
30,744
There are people trying to culturally appropriate marching bands here. But Taylor Swift isn't one of them.
 
The Driver

The Driver

Avenger
Oct 25, 2017
1,579
Damn Taylor sucks for a lot of reasons but people always tripping over themselves to kiss Beyoncé's ass is crazy to me lmao.
 
Dice

Dice

Member
Oct 25, 2017
22,155
Canada
I, too, enjoyed Drumline.

This is a pretty luke warm take though.

Nylon just linked me to an article that spells hope for a gay Captain Marvel because she was recently sporting a "bisexual bob" and pant suit. Not that I ain't for a gay CM or LGBT representation... but these writers can reach at anything in this case. ô_ô
https://nylon.com/brie-larson-short-haircut
 
Rvaan

Rvaan

Member
Oct 25, 2017
13,734
I can point you to much worse things that Taylor Swift has done to black culture. Her cover of September for instance. It should count as a hate crime.
 
Broken Hope

Broken Hope

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
1,316
How exactly do some people go through life being constantly offended or finding fault in everything?
 
Status
Not open for further replies.