Last night, T-Swift dropped a new video for "Shake it Off," and The FADER's Duncan Cooper almost immediately examined its use of predictable, recycled pop trends. One-time FADER cover star Earl Sweatshirt didn't like it either, or at least he didn't like the idea of it; he admits to not having watched it, but calls out the country-singer-turned-pop star for making something "inherently offensive and ultimately harmful" anyway. To be fair, the video has more going on in it than twerking, but Earl's comments resonate in a specific way that makes me think he's speaking out about more than any one particular video. Read his string of tweets below, and for more on the same issue read an older edition of Emilie Friedlander's Social Anxiety column about "the price of oblivious appropriation."
haven't watched the taylor swift video and I don't need to watch it to tell you that it's inherently offensive and ultimately harmful
— EARL (@earlxsweat) August 19, 2014perpetuating black stereotypes to the same demographic of white girls who hide their prejudice by proclaiming their love of the culture
— EARL (@earlxsweat) August 19, 2014for instance, those of you who are afraid of black people but love that in 2014 it's ok for you to be trill or twerk or say nigga
— EARL (@earlxsweat) August 19, 2014
