I would bet that the vast majority of Taylor Swift superfans, aka Swifties, have no idea what that headline means. But they should, if they intend to closely follow the reputed romance between their girl Taylor and Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.

Taylor’s main man Kelce uttered those words after the Chiefs won the AFC Championship in January upon defeating the Cincinnati Bengals. The mayor of Cincinnati had made a weak attempt at trash-talking with an awkward “who’s your daddy” joke that he aimed at quarterback Patrick Mahomes. So after the Chiefs took the W, Kelce had words for the mayor. They’ll go down in Chiefs history as classic Travis Kelce smack talk.

“I got some wise words for that Cincinnati mayor. Know your role and shut yo mouth! You jabroni.”

Travis Kelce is too turnt right now 😭 pic.twitter.com/r9C1pf4EdX

— Complex Sports (@ComplexSports) January 30, 2023

“Shut yo’ mouth” is what I would tell slavish Swift fans who worship her and believe her to be the ideal woman.

Swifties in general know very little about football, and when they insist that Taylor Swift “put Travis Kelce on the map,” I roll my eyes.

Check out this woman at the Chiefs-Jets game last Sunday who misspelled Kelce’s name on her shirt. At least she got his number right, though.

Screenshot: Facebook.

The football knowledge displayed by these college Swifties is, well, laughable. But they love their girl!

Yes, they adore Taylor. And that’s a cultural problem.

How Dare You Criticize Tay Tay!

In early September, Mark Hemingway of The Federalist wrote an article critical of Swift’s music, in both music composition and lyrics. In his article, “Taylor Swift’s Popularity is a Sign of Societal Decay,” Hemingway pointed out that Swift’s music is cliched and narcissistic:

It’s utterly defined by self-obsession rather than introspection. Where other artists will occasionally do a Christmas album, it seems like every Taylor Swift album is a Festivus record devoted to the airing of grievances and feats of artistic strength.

Ouch. But what really stood out for me was his comparison of Taylor’s trite songs to “Eleanor Rigby,” the Beatles classic by Paul McCartney:

And it’s not just that this is all a thousand times more sophisticated than anything Swift has ever done. Yes, it is that, but more importantly, it is just two minutes and six seconds long and STILL ONE OF THE CATCHIEST POP SONGS IN HISTORY.

Did I mention McCartney was 23 years old when he wrote this, and multitrack recording was in its infancy?

Another one of the Beatles hits, “Yesterday,” is now 58 years old, and has stood the test of time. Would anyone say the same of “Shake It Off” decades from now?

Hemingway concluded that “the over-the-top celebration of Swift’s success says volumes about the stagnation of pop culture.”

But how dare anyone criticize Tay Tay!

Hemingway stirred the indignation of Monica Hesse, who writes about gender for the Washington Post. How dare anyone — especially conservative men — criticize Taylor Swift for being a girl boss. Grrrrl Power!

Swift’s power undoubtedly has something to do with it. To those lamenting the relationship, Swift’s wealth and fame do not appear to be assets but rather threats, and signs that what she needs is a relationship that will take her down a peg or two …

The Taylor Swift backlash is a heightened illustration of the tightrope many famous women find themselves walking. She should be beautiful but not know it, have a lovely voice but not a loud opinion.

Oh stop. Feminists want to be in the same league as the big boys of entertainment? Then stop wailing “misogynist!” when someone brings receipts critical of your girl.

Swifties Do Follow Taylor’s Loud Opinion

Hesse may have complained that misogynistic men don’t want Taylor Swift to have a “loud opinion,” but the truth is — Swift does.

Consider that Swift successfully encouraged some 35,000 members of Generation Z to register to vote. Moreover, these Swifties will vote for whomever she encourages them to support. Even though Swift herself is hardly an example of political percipience.

PJ Media contributor Christopher Skeet observed:

As for her politics, they are a jumbled mess of tired cliches and contradictions. She remained amiably silent about her personal politics until 2018, when she succumbed to the woke mob and started parroting their platitudes. 

As for Gen Z, where the bulk of the Swifties are found:

What sets Gen Z apart is that (with significant exceptions, of course) they don’t appear to be maturing past this phase in any aspect of their lives … They are more isolated, more depressed, and more obese. Managers report that many Gen Z employees lack the initiative, emotional maturity, and social skills needed to perform basic work. Their understanding of American history and basic economics is almost as non-existent as is their patriotism.

Okay Boomer. So what about your Beatles, huh?

No doubt the Beatles influenced my Boomer generation, and not always in a good way. Rejection of parental values, drugs, promiscuity — the band also brought rot to Western culture.

But the big difference is that most of us Boomers grew up in intact families, unlike too many members of Gen Z. Plus, we didn’t have social media — and for that I literally thank God. There were no such things as getting clicks, or “likes,” and no one would ever claim that becoming a “social media influencer” would be their life goal.

As For the Swift-Kelce Romance …

Frankly, I wouldn’t recommend that Swifties wait for any announcement of pending nuptials between Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift. She’s obsessed with being Taylor. And Travis Kelce? While he’s made noise about following his big brother Jason’s path in marriage and fatherhood, Kelce embraces his role as the wild man of the Chiefs.

Besides, this supposed romance is good for the NFL and good for the Chiefs as an organization. Sales of Travis Kelce jerseys soared over 400% since Swift appeared at the Chiefs-Chicago Bears game at Arrowhead Stadium. When the Chiefs played (and defeated) the New York Jets last Sunday at MetLife Stadium, ticket sales also spiked and prices went up.

That’s due to the effect of Taylor and her loyal Swifties. The NFL knows how to promote its brand, too. So this budding “romance” is a win-win for the Chiefs, the NFL, and Team Taylor.

As a resident of the Kansas City metro, I live in the belly of this beast. And as a Chiefs fan, I want to return to hearing only about downs and distance, not whether Taylor Swift is in an upper level box watching her “boyfriend” catch a long bomb from Patrick Mahomes.

Featured photo: “Teenage Girls Saved By Taylor Swift Bracelets” by thedailyenglishshow is licensed under CC BY 2.0. Cropped and altered.