Daily Archives: August 30, 2017

Taylor Swift, Donald Trump, and the advantage of being a performer

Americana

If you didn’t follow the Taylor Swift Trial a couple of weeks ago, I understand. A celebrity’s trial has to be one of the lowest forms of news, but, if you weren’t following the trial, you missed an epic performance by Ms. Swift (and I mean that in the best possible way). Very basically, the guy on the right, DJ David Mueller, groped Ms. Swift – in the middle, for those of us who might not know her – and she complained to his boss (or her mother complained, I didn’t follow it that closely). He was fired and, after a couple of years, he sued Taylor Swift for 2+million and an apology. She countersued for $1. In the ensuing trial, Taylor Swift pretty much destroyed the prosecuting attorney and the jury ruled in her favor after a very short deliberation. To quote CNN, who says it better than I can,  

Taylor Swift took the stand in a civil trial on Thursday.
 
Swift was confident and assertive in her testimony. She rejected Mueller’s claim that their interaction was basic “jostling” for a photo and dismissed the possibility that she had misidentified Mueller. “This is what happened, it happened to me, I know it was him,” said Swift, who was 23 at the time of the incident.
 
She said she had no reaction to learning that Mueller, then 51, had been fired over the incident. “I’m not going to allow you or your client to make me feel in any way that this is my fault, because it isn’t,” she said. “I am being blamed for the unfortunate events of his life that are a product of his decisions and not mine,” Swift added later.
 

At one point, McFarland brought up a photo from the meet-and-greet that shows Swift, Mueller, and Mueller’s then-girlfriend Shannon Melcher. Each side of the trial has attempted to use the photo to bolster their argument, but Swift rejected McFarland’s claim that the photo showed nothing inappropriate. “Gabe, this is a photo of him with his hand up my skirt — with his hand on my ass,” she said. “You can ask me a million questions — I’m never going to say anything different. I never have said anything different.”

In addition, Swift repeatedly peppered her responses with tough comeback lines.
Looking at the photo, McFarland asked Swift why the front of her skirt did not appear to be lifted. “Because my ass is located in the back of my body,” Swift said. McFarland also noted that Swift was closer to Melcher than Mueller in the photo. ““Yes, she did not have her hand on my ass,” Swift replied.
 

On facebook, Laura Atkins remarked at how mature and self-assured Swift was and that was my thought. The more I think of it, however, the more it seems to me that Taylor Swift is mature and self-assured because she has been on stage for more than the last decade. She has learned all the things it takes to be a good performer and those are very close to the skills needed to be a good witness. Reading and responding to a crowd is similar to reading and responding to an accusing attorney. Like Taylor Swift, Donald Trump is a performer and he knows how to read and interact with a crowd. Most politicians sort of lecture us, a performer interacts with the crowd. She or he jokes and laughs with the crowd. A good performer is part of the crowd, while most politicians are separate and above the crowd. A year ago, at a party, an acquaintance said that Trump was going to win; not that he might win or could win but that “he will win”. When I asked why he said because he is a performer, not a politician. After watching Taylor Swift, I understand what he means.