Ok, hear me out. I just watched Taylor Swift’s Netflix documentary; “Miss Americana,” and I have much to say…and it’s not all about Taylor.
I begin by saying “hear me out” because though many of you know that I am a Taylor Swift fan… what I am going to say is (hopefully) going to speak both to those who are fans with me as well as those who are not.
“Miss Americana” is a well-documented glimpse into Taylor Swift’s journey as a female singer/songwriter who has worked very hard to get where she is today. It is also a stark example of what it looks like to speak truth to power.
The documentary details the shift in Swift’s public persona going from “people pleasing” to a type of truth telling that allowed her to live more authentically. In doing so, continually educating herself on matters that affect the lives of us all, she has been able to share her findings publicly. She has directed attention to how much of what she has seen and experienced coming especially from those in positions of power is counter to the values she holds… the values which many of us hold.
And, as if too often the case, as she pulls the curtain away and exposes the injustice seated firmly in positions of power on both the state and national levels, she then becomes the target for those who have much to lose if the truth takes hold.
Swift made a potentially career-threatening decision to bring politics into her work because she couldn’t be silent any longer. The lives of too many people were being affected in negative ways, and she needed to do what she could to change that.
It is that fire, that passion, that unwillingness to live the status quo that fueled Swift and fuels us in the ways that we speak up for ourselves and for others when being wronged. And it is that fire that far too many others seek to douse with lies and character smears and sometimes even with violence.
I’ve experienced it and I’m sure many of you have as well.
When advocating for basic human rights for others, we’ve been labeled as “socialists,” “snowflakes,” and my least favorite; “libtards.” We’ve been called names instead of being invited into legitimately respectful dialogue on issues that affect us all.
That shouldn’t stop us.
When calling out injustice in broken systems, we’ve been attacked, dismissed, gaslighted and threatened if we don’t remain silent.
That shouldn’t stop us.
When in the presence of others who live loudly their ignorance (in its true definition), their racism, their misogyny, we are often overpowered by voices much louder than our own.
And that shouldn’t stop us either.
We cannot stop being bothered by the wrong we witness.
We cannot stop speaking the truth to power.
We cannot stop fueling the fires within us that are burning for change.
And as Taylor Swift models in her documentary and in her life… we cannot stop reinventing ourselves for the sole reason that it makes others uncomfortable. There are facets within us that are vital to living out our truth, our authentic selves… and they must be incorporated into our public selves.
And yes, there is a cost associated with making others uncomfortable… a cost associated with calling out the wrong in the world.
There is also a cost for remaining silent.
I’m willing to incur a cost that is challenging for me and my life if it means that others are able to live more authentically, to live without fear, to live fully and beautifully in a world that affirms their worth. That makes it all worth while.
Are you willing to incur the cost as well?
Let’s do this work!
Let’s get called some names.
Let’s acknowledge when we are being dismissed and gaslighted.
Let’s strengthen our voices and speak the truth so loudly that the lies and the hurtful taunts are heard only in the minds of those unwilling to listen to anything other than their own point of view.
Let’s reinvent ourselves using the fire burning deep within us for justice and change to forge a new way of being, a new way of living.
We can no longer be silent. Because far too many lives depend us.
Continue to speak the truth to power.
Continue to reinvent, reorient yourself toward change.
Continue to challenge the status quo.
It is the only way that things will ever change.
“Cheers to the resistance.”
Oh, and Taylor fan or not... watch the documentary. Let me know what you think.
