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TIME's Person of the Year 2023 is....

efyu_lemonardo

May I have a cookie?
What was she supposed to do? Despite what some of her fans may think, she's not a witch and can't raise the person from the dead.

I really doubt she was the one who set water prices at the stadium.
How about make a public statement that from now on she will only perform in venues that sell water at an affordable price?
 

Mohonky

Member
Time also named Adolf Hitler as person of the year in 1938 and Josef Stalin as person of the year in 1939 (and in 1942).

They do know how to choose them.
Person of the Year doesn't necessarily have to be 'best' person, it's more about influence.

Still don't personally get Taylor Swifts influence or why people are so into her.
 

Nobody_Important

“Aww, it’s so...average,” she said to him in a cold brick of passion
"Old men yelling at clouds" - The Thread


She was by far and away the most influential singular person this year when it comes to pop culture. She was on every magazine cover all year, influenced the viewership of fucking football games just by showing up, will have a SIGNIFICANT hand in US elections next year, and she did it all with a smile and none of the usual star-studded bullshit. She is the most famous person on earth and sold out stadiums across the planet. In a shit filled year with war, genocide, terrorist attacks, prejudice, political extremism, and as ever the always slow decline of civilization lets just have a light hearted moment for once and put a fucking pop star on the cover. And I say all this as someone who doesn't even like her or her overhyped as hell "music".


She doesn't have one TENTH the skill and showmanship of true female legends in music, but we will survive a bit of fluff for Time "person of the year" this time around I promise lol
 

Locutus

Member
Wow, a lot of salt in this thread. Like it or not,Taylor Swift was objectively one of the biggest stories of 2023. She was clearly one of the best candidates for this “award,” and the obvious choice in a lot of ways.

All you super cool bros who say you’ve never even heard a Taylor Swift song…I’m not sure that is the flex you think it is. It’s like bragging you’ve never seen Star Wars, read Harry Potter, or played Super Mario Bros. It just means you have a big gap in your basic popular culture knowledge. There isn’t anything wrong with not liking her music, but if you’ve legit never heard a single song from the third highest selling female music artist of all time, you might want to broaden your horizons a little.
 

ssringo

Member
if you’ve legit never heard a single song from the third highest selling female music artist of all time, you might want to broaden your horizons a little.
I'm old and broadened my horizons for long enough. I'm stuck in my ways now. And get off my lawn. *shakes cane*

*I have listened to a few of her songs. I'm firmly in the don't like them camp.

Though on a similar note I was scrolling through the highest selling artists on wiki and there's a few outside the top 10ish that I don't think I've ever listened to. I've never heard Kanye's Gold Digger but I know of the song because of Weird Al using it in a polka medley years ago. Funnily enough I listened to Rihanna's DJ song for about 20 seconds because of that same polka medley and I think that's the only time I listened to Rihanna. It's certainly possible I've heard songs by famous artists and simply don't know who it is. Kinda nuts the amount of times I've heard someone say they never heard a song by Queen have to back down on that claim as soon as they hear stomp stomp clap.

I'm just rambling because I got called into work with about 30 minutes of sleep and struggling to make it another couple hours.
 

KrakenIPA

Member
I'm old and broadened my horizons for long enough. I'm stuck in my ways now. And get off my lawn. *shakes cane*

*I have listened to a few of her songs. I'm firmly in the don't like them camp.

Though on a similar note I was scrolling through the highest selling artists on wiki and there's a few outside the top 10ish that I don't think I've ever listened to. I've never heard Kanye's Gold Digger but I know of the song because of Weird Al using it in a polka medley years ago. Funnily enough I listened to Rihanna's DJ song for about 20 seconds because of that same polka medley and I think that's the only time I listened to Rihanna. It's certainly possible I've heard songs by famous artists and simply don't know who it is. Kinda nuts the amount of times I've heard someone say they never heard a song by Queen have to back down on that claim as soon as they hear stomp stomp clap.

I'm just rambling because I got called into work with about 30 minutes of sleep and struggling to make it another couple hours.
Good ol rambling ssringo, i want to hang out and drink beers by a camp fire with you haha!

On topic: Person of the year is a loaded award and only the top celebrities get the call. It is almost like a swan song, a culmination of celebrity, that once attained, links you with some of the best and worst folks of the last 100 years. Many celebrities have dreaded that call. Many of them love the idea.
 

Mesousa

Banned
She's used this award to death shot Kim Kardashian so that is a positive.....plus she is clearly the most influential person in the most influential nation on earth this year. Easy choice.
 

FunkMiller

Member
It should be noted that while a fair amount of her music is the kind of pop trash you'd expect it to be, the albums she wrote over lockdown - Folklore and Evermore - are genuinely very good pieces of music and song writing. She's a lot more talented and intelligent than utter shit like Shake It Off would suggest she is.

I'm looking forward to her later years, when the pop starlet things has well and truly rubbed off, and she starts writing songs about death and the pain of entropy.
 

DKehoe

Member
When was there the last Time Person Of The Year where the consensus was "yeh that's a good pick." 2006 when we all won it doesn't count.

I don't really know much of her music outside of the greatest hits. But her going around the studios to release her concert film independently was kinda cool.
 
She’s at commercial peak and arguably the most powerful woman in the world (including China). It’s not just the music - Taylor has the ability to convince half the world population to do what she wants. That’s more power than most (all?) of the previous time selections.
 

nbcjr

Member
A Fan died during on her show in Brazil last mond, and she made no homage or even mention it on the following days shows. Fans were dying because of the heat and no water available inside.
 

Mohonky

Member
All you super cool bros who say you’ve never even heard a Taylor Swift song…I’m not sure that is the flex you think it is. It’s like bragging you’ve never seen Star Wars, read Harry Potter, or played Super Mario Bros. It just means you have a big gap in your basic popular culture knowledge. There isn’t anything wrong with not liking her music, but if you’ve legit never heard a single song from the third highest selling female music artist of all time, you might want to broaden your horizons a little.


It's more the point of where you put your focus; something being popular or influential is more a sign of society.

Legit have heard maybe one song from Taylor Swift, couldn't tell which Kardashian is which and no I've actually never seen or read from start to finish a Harry Potter book or film.

The fact a women who basically writes diss tracks about her exes is one of the most influential people in the world (or whatever it is that the Kardashians do I honestly have no idea) isn't making me feel like I personally need to broaden my horizons, but that maybe more people should be concerning themselves with more pressing matters.
 

Artoris

Gold Member
It's more the point of where you put your focus; something being popular or influential is more a sign of society.

Legit have heard maybe one song from Taylor Swift, couldn't tell which Kardashian is which and no I've actually never seen or read from start to finish a Harry Potter book or film.

The fact a women who basically writes diss tracks about her exes is one of the most influential people in the world (or whatever it is that the Kardashians do I honestly have no idea) isn't making me feel like I personally need to broaden my horizons, but that maybe more people should be concerning themselves with more pressing matters.
"(or whatever it is that the Kardashians do I honestly have no idea)"
They attack the federation
 

BadBurger

Is 'That Pure Potato'
Time chooses whoever they think is the most influential. The fact that their choosing Swift is making so many people whine and cry is proof that their formula works.
 
Time chooses whoever they think is the most influential. The fact that their choosing Swift is making so many people whine and cry is proof that their formula works.
People would have called bullshit if they picked The Rock as well, for example. It doesn’t mean that the formula works. I’d argue that Margot Robbie was more influential this year. But this is the magazine that gave the win to Greta Thunberg a few years ago.
 

FunkMiller

Member
Only an idiot, like the average journalist, would think this person has any relevancy in our world.

Well, no. Only an idiot would think that someone who millions upon millions of young women listen to, has no relevancy.

She might not be relevant to you. But she doesn't care about you. You're not her audience.

It's fine to not like someone, but to dismiss their power and influence just because you don't like them is truly the definition of wilful idiocy.

Like it or not, one tweet from Taylor Swift can probably turn an entire election. Which is probably what a lot of the people dismissing her are probably very scared of.
 
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John Marston

GAF's very own treasure goblin
I understand that choice as she's a model of positivity in our "hard times" but personally my choice would have been ChatGPT.

Or that Bing AI thing everyone has been messing around with in here 😄
 

winjer

Gold Member
Well, no. Only an idiot would think that someone who millions upon millions of young women listen to, has no relevancy.

She might not be relevant to you. But she doesn't care about you. You're not her audience.

It's fine to not like someone, but to dismiss their power and influence just because you don't like them is truly the definition of wilful idiocy.

Like it or not, one tweet from Taylor Swift can probably turn an entire election. Which is probably what a lot of the people dismissing her are probably very scared of.

But she only has any weight in the pop music industry.
No one takes her seriously, in politics, science, etc.
It would be fine for her to win a Grammy. But Time's Person of the year is a more serious affair. Or was.
 

S0ULZB0URNE

Member
g9m44lP.jpg
 

FunkMiller

Member
But she only has any weight in the pop music industry.
No one takes her seriously, in politics, science, etc.
It would be fine for her to win a Grammy. But Time's Person of the year is a more serious affair. Or was.

Oh, I already said she shouldn't have won the award.

But I do think she needs to be taken at least semi-seriously when it comes to the effect she could have on voting patterns in an election. Her fan base is part of 30 plus million American women between the ages of 18 and 34. Given how tight recent elections have been, a tweet from her encouraging her fans to go out and vote one way or another, in a demographic that is notorious for not voting in previous years, could make a big difference. It's not great... but it's still true. I wouldn't be picking fights with her if I was in a position of political power, certainly. She really does hold quite a lot of power.
 

winjer

Gold Member
Oh, I already said she shouldn't have won the award.

But I do think she needs to be taken at least semi-seriously when it comes to the effect she could have on voting patterns in an election. Her fan base is part of 30 plus million American women between the ages of 18 and 34. Given how tight recent elections have been, a tweet from her encouraging her fans to go out and vote one way or another, in a demographic that is notorious for not voting in previous years, could make a big difference. It's not great... but it's still true. I wouldn't be picking fights with her if I was in a position of political power, certainly. She really does hold quite a lot of power.

Any intelligent person would never take the advice of singers or actors, to decide political issues.
In fact, there is a strong tendency in recent times, to tell actors and singers to STFU about politics and stick to their trade.
Maybe someone like Taylor Swift could influence some of the less informed and intelligent to vote one way or another, but that still doesn't make her political relevant.
And the idea that she could solve major political problems, like the Palestine-Israel war, which some posted, is complete and absurd stupidity.
 

Klosshufvud

Member
Oh, I already said she shouldn't have won the award.

But I do think she needs to be taken at least semi-seriously when it comes to the effect she could have on voting patterns in an election. Her fan base is part of 30 plus million American women between the ages of 18 and 34. Given how tight recent elections have been, a tweet from her encouraging her fans to go out and vote one way or another, in a demographic that is notorious for not voting in previous years, could make a big difference. It's not great... but it's still true. I wouldn't be picking fights with her if I was in a position of political power, certainly. She really does hold quite a lot of power.
The fact what you write may be true is more a tragic observation of human psychology than a testament to Swift's character.
 

thefool

Member
Having fans don't make a person relevant or else Cristiano and Messi would have been sweeping these awards for years.
This is the promotion of idiocy, which is where the media truly thrives and holds on to. A popular singer that many women listen to is not a beacon of anything. She's a musical reference., that's her sphere of influence.
 

FunkMiller

Member
Any intelligent person would never take the advice of singers or actors, to decide political issues.
In fact, there is a strong tendency in recent times, to tell actors and singers to STFU about politics and stick to their trade.
Maybe someone like Taylor Swift could influence some of the less informed and intelligent to vote one way or another, but that still doesn't make her political relevant.
And the idea that she could solve major political problems, like the Palestine-Israel war, which some posted, is complete and absurd stupidity.

Oh, it's not healthy. But it's a fact. Young people without much life experience can, and do, listen to the things the most influential people in their lives say, and like it or not, Swift is hugely influential. She's built a reputation (pun not intended) of trust among her fans. The cult around her is gigantic.
 
Any intelligent person would never take the advice of singers or actors, to decide political issues.
In fact, there is a strong tendency in recent times, to tell actors and singers to STFU about politics and stick to their trade.
Maybe someone like Taylor Swift could influence some of the less informed and intelligent to vote one way or another, but that still doesn't make her political relevant.
And the idea that she could solve major political problems, like the Palestine-Israel war, which some posted, is complete and absurd stupidity.

You need to review recent standardized test scores across the states. If you think no intelligent person within the top 5-10% will take her seriously then sure maybe there is a point to be made, but that's not your average american and never has been. Look at presidential candidates across the last 50 years - would the truly sophisticated and intelligent really want any of them? Nope, it's always been a popularity contest.
 

winjer

Gold Member
You need to review recent standardized test scores across the states. If you think no intelligent person within the top 5-10% will take her seriously then sure maybe there is a point to be made, but that's not your average american and never has been. Look at presidential candidates across the last 50 years - would the truly sophisticated and intelligent really want any of them? Nope, it's always been a popularity contest.

In a functioning democracy, we get “A government of the people, by the people, for the people”
But when the people in a country are idiots, we get “A government of the idiots, by the idiots, for the idiots”
The USA seems to be going at full speed for the later.
 

Pigenator

Member
Dunno if that's because I live in Israel, but who gives a shit about her. (ya ya I know many people)
What a sad thing to nominate some shitty billionaire pop singer as PoTY
 
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AJUMP23

Member
Privilegied Attractive Billionaire White Girl gets even more fame and recognition thrown at her for free. Even her fans must feel awkward over this.
Know her fans eat it up. Be fans love more of what they have a fandom for. Promotion begets more promotion.
 

Raven117

Member
In a functioning democracy, we get “A government of the people, by the people, for the people”
But when the people in a country are idiots, we get “A government of the idiots, by the idiots, for the idiots”
The USA seems to be going at full speed for the later.

 

SlimySnake

Flashless at the Golden Globes
"Old men yelling at clouds" - The Thread


She was by far and away the most influential singular person this year when it comes to pop culture. She was on every magazine cover all year, influenced the viewership of fucking football games just by showing up, will have a SIGNIFICANT hand in US elections next year, and she did it all with a smile and none of the usual star-studded bullshit. She is the most famous person on earth and sold out stadiums across the planet. In a shit filled year with war, genocide, terrorist attacks, prejudice, political extremism, and as ever the always slow decline of civilization lets just have a light hearted moment for once and put a fucking pop star on the cover. And I say all this as someone who doesn't even like her or her overhyped as hell "music".


She doesn't have one TENTH the skill and showmanship of true female legends in music, but we will survive a bit of fluff for Time "person of the year" this time around I promise lol
This award is not for the most viral person of the year. This isnt a popularity contest. Never has been.

here is a list of the past 25 winners. Imagine going from actual influential people to a singer. Might as well give Kate Winslet and Dicaprio person so the year in 1997 over Andrew Grove. or Ariana Grande person of the year over Jamal Khashoggi in 2018. I hear she was the IT girl in 2018 dating studs with 12 inch dicks like Pete Davidson and having the number 1 song on the billboards. Hell, everyone was doing Gungam style in 2012. Who gives a shit about Obama winning it in 2012.


Whistleblowers, world leaders (good and bad), AIDs researchers, technology entrepreneurs, ebola fighters, slain journalists, nobel peace price winners, war heroes, and taylor swift.
 
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