The new album from pop star Taylor Swift included a song lyric discussing a game among friends where they picked historical decades to live in instead of the present.
Swift sang about wanting to live in the 1830s “without all the racists and getting married off for the highest bid.”
“My friends used to play a game where we would pick a decade we wished we could live in instead of this / I’d say the 1830s but without all the racists and getting married off for the highest bid,” Swift sings.
This drew criticism on social media given the 1830s encompassed American slavery and prejudices of that era.
Commentators argued the 1830s had many downsides from a modern perspective like lack of civil rights, indoor plumbing, and the gender politics of that time.
“Y’all .. there are so many wrong things about this,” one X user wrote.
While the line was likely meant as a joke, it highlighted issues with Swift claiming to stand against bigotry while displaying what some view as problematic or abhorrent politics at other times.
The inclusion of this lyric in her album brought renewed attention to Swift’s commentary on cultural and social issues that has often been controversial.
