In a recent concert in Budapest, Hungary, Metallica's Kirk Hammett wore a T-shirt that had a caricature of Taylor Swift's face on it with the words, "Taylor Swift is a CIA Psyop." On social media, Swifties aren't reacting too kindly to the situation.
What's being missed by social media users is that Hammett wasn't trying to make a statement about Swift, clearly. What he was likely doing was, well...nothing. He probably thought the shirt was funny, and he wore it.
If anything, the shirt is a sarcastic take on celebrity and how the world sees that, not about Swift as a human being. In other words, the shirt was mostly a joke, and Hammett wasn't trying to make a political statement.
Metallica's Kirk Hammett wears a Taylor Swift shirt and some Swifties have strong reactions
Yet, the rage in reaction to a post on a Taylor Swift fan account that posted a photo of Hammett is quite real. And, well...a bit ridiculous.
One response read, "Why are men incapable of being normal about her. they can’t just be indifferent, they have to be so loudly performative of their stance that always exposes how little research they’ve ever actually done on her."
Avoiding the charge of sexism here, again...this is almost certainly not Kirk Hammett having a real stance on Taylor Swift. Ironically, for those fans, Hammett has actually been outspoken about his positive views of female leadership and "toxic masculinity." It is the social media poster who didn't do the research that's the issue with the above comment.
Another response was an example of a common theme, "If they’re has-beens, why do you care?"
Again, this is silly. Metallica is anything but a "has-been," and the group has been in the midst of a long sold-out tour. The truth is that both Kirk Hammett and his band, as well as Taylor Swift, can be extremely popular at the same time. That is the current case, of course.
The hope is that the overall view of Hammett and the T-shirt is seen as a joke, as that is what it was. Social media can be an icky place for many, partly based on some espousing views with little research. Knee-jerk reactions do well in such a setting, whereas in more important matters, they do not.
Kirk Hammett does not dislike Taylor Swift, and he might not have a strong opinion on her at all. The same might be true in reverse, and nothing else matters.
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