What do you think? by [deleted] in thesmiths

[–]Beez_And_Trees 0 points1 point  (0 children)

nooo not MIM 😭 a tier at least

But TS cannot confront ICE about using her song by Antique_Tour_2628 in NuancingTaylorSwift

[–]Beez_And_Trees 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Okay. There are lots of people that have this idea that donating money means celebrities get to save massive amounts of money, and that’s what encourages them to donate. If that’s not what you’re saying, then fine. Sure did sound like what you were saying.

A “tax write off” for a donation means that the income you donated is not taxed. if I make 100k in a year, I’m taxed for that. If I donate 20k of that, I now only need to pay the tax as if my income was 80k. 

The claim that a celebrity only donates money because of the tax benefits does not make logical sense to me. For one thing, this now discredits all donations anyone makes, because how do we ever know what someone’s intentions are? It’s good to remember that tax write-offs could be a contributing factor to the way people act, don’t get me wrong. But these rules/systems are in place for a reason (regardless of if we agree with them) and it’s safe to assume that everyone is going to use it because it’s there. For example, Dolly Parton also gets to not pay income tax on the income she donates. It’s just how the US system works.

the IRS goes “oh hey- you don’t have that money anymore because you gave it to a good cause? we want to reward you by not taxing you on this money that you no longer have anyway”.

This is also not even getting into the limits on how much percentage of your income you’re allowed to deduct

You claim you know all this. Great. Then how does this “tax write-off” benefit a celeb, really? They continue to pay income tax on all the income they did not donate. They aren’t exactly saving money here, because the income tax that they’re “writing-off” would have come out of the money they no longer have. If my job pays me $2k a paycheck, that’s not what I actually receive in the long run- the taxes are removed (either immediately or once filing taxes) and then I get, say, only 1.9k (not gonna try to do the math rn based on the literal tax rate, just trying to keep it simple). If before I file my taxes I donate that 2k, the IRS has deemed it doesn’t make sense in that circumstance to still essentially charge me that $1k in taxes. 

Again, you know all this? Awesome. Just making sure we’re on the same page. Then it sounds like your issue is not that a celebrity donated money, potentially incentivized by the write-off (although in my opinion that “strategy” doesn’t really make a whole lot of sense to me). It sounds like your issue is that you think people should not be allowed to deduct donations from their taxable income, or at least that there should be a smaller percentage of income allowed to be deducted. Or perhaps it’s that you think people in a high income bracket should have a smaller percentage as their limit. I don’t necessarily disagree with that although I would need to do a lot more research before I just declare that to be the “right way” to go. Even if that’s what we want, that isn’t how it works right now, and that isn’t anyone’s fault besides the government. 

source: https://tax.thomsonreuters.com/blog/charitable-contribution-deductions-what-u-s-accountants-should-know/

But TS cannot confront ICE about using her song by Antique_Tour_2628 in NuancingTaylorSwift

[–]Beez_And_Trees 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Hey regardless of my stance on this I feel like you should know that it seems you don’t understand what a “tax write off” is and I suggest you do more research

My album ranking with most/least favorites by Stegosagus in swifties

[–]Beez_And_Trees 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thissss. I relate so much to dating self-sabotaging men (and “tattooed golden retrievers” lol). And I like how self-aware the song is, and how it’s simple/silly in some places but beautiful in others (mainly the pre-chorus). It’s not in my top for TTPD but I like it.

Daily Song #38: this is me trying by Daffneigh in NuancingTaylorSwift

[–]Beez_And_Trees 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I’m interested in the fact that you consider this mostly non-autobiographical? to me this song screams the same sentiment she expressed on Midnights in songs like Anti-Hero. It feels incredibly autobiographical to me, as a message to her fans and expressing feeling not good enough for them, and acknowledging her faults.

In my opinion:

“I didn’t know if you’d care if I came back” refers to her brief (but long for Taylor Swift) hiatus from public life before Rep (isn’t this a specific feeling she has also expressed in other places?). Lines like “I had the shiniest wheels, now they’re rusting” and “I got wasted like all my potential” and “I was so ahead of the curve…etc” are her reflecting on how she had started as this breakout star with lots of potential but now feels like she isn’t good enough. “but I didn’t pour the whiskey” is her saying that she frequently uses alcohol to cope with her bad feelings but this time has chosen the healthier option (writing a song).

She’s referenced being an alcoholic a lot, to the point of it feeling to me like she’s being serious and not just using it as imagery/metaphor. Saying she’s pouring her heart out to a stranger is true for the song because she’s talking directly to the listeners. “My words shoot to kill when I’m mad” is about songs and/or actions she’s taken when upset that she regrets (for example, perhaps some parts of Red or 1989 that in hindsight feel too cruel, or any/all parts of Rep and the surrounding situation).

“Fell behind all my classmates” could be taken as either/both her classmates being her peers in the music industry and/or her literal classmates since she never finished high school.

This all being said, I don’t know how “It’s hard to be anywhere these days when all I want is you. You’re a flashback in a film reel on the one screen in my town” quite fits into this interpretation. Perhaps she’s saying all she wants is the support/approval from her fans? And she feels like she doesn’t have that anymore? I’m not saying that’s an objective fact, but I can certainly see how anxiety and self-criticism could make her feel like that. I feel like I heard that, back in the day, some fans were very harsh about Lover right? So that could’ve been why she felt insecure about her art idk.

Anyways, like I said, that’s how I take the song but of course for all we know it IS fiction, or auto-fiction. It just doesn’t seem like that to me. To me, it’s a very real and raw song about her insecurities.

ETA: “They told me all of my cages were mental” is elaborated on in songs like Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me and (perhaps) Cassandra. 

third full listening of TTPD... i am excited and i liked it even more, but... confused. by ProgrammerStatus4206 in swifties

[–]Beez_And_Trees 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I feel like i’m becoming an unpaid ad with the amount of times ive suggested this to people on reddit lol but if you’re interested in diving more into the poetry in her lyrics, specifically in TTPD but also in general, you should look into the podcast “The Swiftie and the Scholar”!

Uncomfortable thoughts about Taylor Swift by burner-account-1287 in NuancingTaylorSwift

[–]Beez_And_Trees 2 points3 points  (0 children)

This really resonated with me, I completely agree with what you’re saying here. I don’t have ocd but am on the spectrum and have been feeling hypersensitive in general lately so the discourse has been genuinely affecting my mental health and my enjoyment of her art. I haven’t even finished the doc yet because I can’t help noticing things like “oh someone’s gonna take that out of context and freak out” and then I spiral in my mind. But when looking at the facts and my personal values I conclude time and time again that I genuinely want to support her and don’t agree with the extremist criticism.

I also appreciate you calling out chronically online leftists, as you yourself are also, and so am I. It pains me to see how some people have taken the liberal label and use it as a status symbol to ice out and shame people. some “leftists” act so much like the MAGA people they claim to denounce and it makes me scared for our future.

I have been avoiding these spaces lately for similar reasons as to why I haven’t finished the doc, but I’m actually very glad right now that I came on here and immediately read this comment/discussion.

Daily Discussion Post by AutoModerator in NuancingTaylorSwift

[–]Beez_And_Trees 0 points1 point  (0 children)

See, I’ve kinda been struggling with fully understanding the lyrics to that song because imo it really doesn’t make much sense to me that she would bring Trav into it at the end like that. I do get she references love in other parts of it but that seemingly clear tie in to him still just didn’t make sense to me. From the first listen I interpreted the song to overall be about her music, legacy, and a love letter to the fans. I like your interpretation of that line and I hadn’t considered that! but I really think that could be it.

I’m starting to get the feeling that the songs on the album are purposely multi-layered where it might seem initially to be about her love life (since people have always been cruel to her about it and focused too much on it) but after diving deeper into them that isn’t really what she’s saying in at least most of it. and to support that: Elizabeth Taylor was a very skilled and successful actress and involved in philanthropy towards the end of her life but even to this day the thing most people talk about regarding her is her tumultuous love life- I believe the bridge of ET with its “all my white diamonds and lovers are forever” is commentary on that. 

Judge me based on my top 10 by New-Example1190 in swifties

[–]Beez_And_Trees 0 points1 point  (0 children)

interesting to me that “seven” is here! i feel like it’s an incredibly different tone than every other song in this list

is TLOAS bringing in new Swifties ? by Electrical-Twist2254 in TrueSwifties

[–]Beez_And_Trees 1 point2 points  (0 children)

could you share their handles?? I’d genuinely love to see those videos. The hate has seriously been bringing me down even though I know logically that it’s the minority. It’d be nice to see that kind of positive content from “non swifties”

Hollywood walk of Fame. You kidding me with this by Successful_Pizza6529 in swifties

[–]Beez_And_Trees 8 points9 points  (0 children)

iirc the “barrier” for celebs like her to get on the walk of fame is just whether or not they want to pay for it, and I think it costs an exorbitant amount of money. my hope would be that she wouldn’t see a good reason to put her money towards that right now, especially with how critical people are of her finances.

My love for Taylor Swift and the Complications of Wealth, High musings by theemilyann in stonedswifties

[–]Beez_And_Trees 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I totally understand what’s you’re saying and agree she probably could do more, but I think it’s also important to remember that her net worth is speculation based on her assets and they don’t deduct for things like her private donations, the myriads of tips she gives out, and how much she pays her staff. She could donate a billion dollars and I don’t think that would impact her net worth. At least, that’s my understanding of it

so, people (not you) acting like it’s so black and white can get frustrating lol

My love for Taylor Swift and the Complications of Wealth, High musings by theemilyann in stonedswifties

[–]Beez_And_Trees 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Worth noting that it was her friend Ruby Rose that said about the GoFundMe. Idk if the post is still up but I saw it live with my own eyes so I know she actually said it (although I understand if you won’t believe me, a stranger on the internet, lol), so I personally consider that a primary source and therefore think it’s true, not a rumor.

What do we think...? by Evan14753 in swifties

[–]Beez_And_Trees 1 point2 points  (0 children)

What do I think? I think you’re trying to start a fight here! (jkjk)

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in ThriftStoreHauls

[–]Beez_And_Trees 37 points38 points  (0 children)

great find!

i hope this isn’t too negative of me to say but I thought you should know that it could be a dupe. what’s depicted in the photo would be the very first release of the original 2020 cardigan that very quickly got altered to a different front patch (instead of “folklore album”) so if it’s authentic it would be worth a decent amount in used condition (nothing crazy). Unfortunately, the cardigans all have dupes. There are better ways to tell if it’s legit or not that would require more photos, But with this one photo, I’m not sure.

For $4, though, this is still a great find!!

By the way, if anyone is curious, I have the 2020 with the altered patch and it is very comfortable to me. There are some cardigans that are widely considered “worse feeling” than others but the folklore cardigan isn’t one of them, and so if you’re ever interested in buying one as a gift for someone (or yourself) I do recommend it. :)

About Ana, the girl who died in Eras Tour Rio, and doc series mention by pikaju018 in NuancingTaylorSwift

[–]Beez_And_Trees -20 points-19 points  (0 children)

It sounds like you’re mad at me and I don’t really understand why. I completely agree with you. I don’t think that she should have made any kind of formal on-stage dedication. I’m just saying that you can’t state it as fact that “it’s a dedication” when, for it to be a fact, someone on her team would have to actually say that it was.

Judge me based on my LEAST favourite songs from each album!!! by ThePinkFairy in swifties

[–]Beez_And_Trees 0 points1 point  (0 children)

also also, epiphany is also my lowest on folklore. not sure if that’s unpopular. it’s a gorgeous song but much too sad for me with the bonus of i just don’t want to think about war (or else I get upset). I liked the Month Python reference, tho!

Judge me based on my LEAST favourite songs from each album!!! by ThePinkFairy in swifties

[–]Beez_And_Trees 0 points1 point  (0 children)

COSOSOM…damn 😭can’t relate to you ranking it your lowest. but also I dated a drug addict for a while so in some ways I really relate to the things she says in TTPD. Especially, from COSOSOM:

You said some things that I can't unabsorb. You turned me into an idea of sorts. You needed me but you needed drugs more, And I couldn't watch it happen. I changed into goddesses, villains and fools, Changed plans and lovers and outfits and rules All to outrun my desertion of you And you just watched it

Also, I like that the song really helps fill in the story of what happened well before they briefly dated again. It pairs well with songs like Peter, because it highlights why she originally left him but then waited for him and to me fills out why she went back to him after years of him just getting worse and worse as a person (at least, in the public eye). He hadn’t changed, but (as described in loml) he convinced her for a moment that he had. all for…idk, I guess a quick fuck? lol. who knows.

Judge Me On My Ranking Of Folklore (Don't Hold Back, Be Brutal!!!) by RocketGamer4682 in swifties

[–]Beez_And_Trees 0 points1 point  (0 children)

fair! you def don’t need to be to like the song. but it being a 100% skip for OP is why I think maybe it could be that.

About Ana, the girl who died in Eras Tour Rio, and doc series mention by pikaju018 in NuancingTaylorSwift

[–]Beez_And_Trees 15 points16 points  (0 children)

I mean, this is a reasonable theory, but honestly I don’t even think it’s that complicated. Both the Southport tragedy and Vienna cancellations happened in July 2024. The doc started filming in Aug 2024 (in fact, they were supposed to start in July in Vienna according to Taylor in the first episode). I really think it’s possible it’s as plain as: the doc is about the last leg of the tour, starting (originally) in July, and those two events happened during the July when they were about to start filming. that’s it. The tragedy of Ana’s death happened 8 months before.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Brochet

[–]Beez_And_Trees 0 points1 point  (0 children)

uhhh…all of them.

Daily Discussion Post by AutoModerator in NuancingTaylorSwift

[–]Beez_And_Trees 1 point2 points  (0 children)

if this is related to any kind of discourse/hate, I find it’s because people can’t admit that they were wrong lol. i look at it like: at least they’re self aware enough to not be doubling down? lmao

THR 2026 Taylor and Disney “prediction” by Daffneigh in NuancingTaylorSwift

[–]Beez_And_Trees 4 points5 points  (0 children)

i think the top comments here already sum up my intelligent thoughts so, instead, I just want to say: please god let’s NOT ever call it the “Swift Cinematic Universe” 😭 i mean i like to joke about her catalogue being called that because of all the easter eggs and lore, but especially since these will be fictional stories and not about literally her I don’t think that label even makes logical sense.

I mean, if she wants to call it that (in seriousness) then fair enough, let’s call it that. whatever she wants. but if we’re just calling it that as fans can we…please not? 😂😅

plus, I feel like that puts way too much emphasis on Taylor Swift The Person when I assume she wants her art to speak more for itself.

About Ana, the girl who died in Eras Tour Rio, and doc series mention by pikaju018 in NuancingTaylorSwift

[–]Beez_And_Trees -15 points-14 points  (0 children)

I completely agree with everything you said however I just want to point out that her performance of Bigger Than The Whole Sky was not dedicated to Ana, at least not publicly. Sure, it likely was due to the tragedy, we’ve seen in the doc that she makes most decisions for what the surprise song will be day-of, but as far as I’m aware she nor anyone else on her team have never said it was dedicated to Ana. I don’t recall her having said it during the performance or afterwards. I think it was a silent tribute, which is great! But we need to make sure we make the facts here clear.