Yesterday Taylor Swift released her new video for “Shake It Off,” a nice pop rallying cry about dismissing the haters and YOLO, but not FOMO, and all that good stuff. “The haters gonna hate,” TaySway sings as she’s dolled up as a ballerina, a dancer, a Lady Gaga clone, a Gap ad, and a twerking girl. It’s all in good fun. Teen girls everywhere are dusting off their shoulders in the mirror this morning as this plays in the background.
Earl Sweatshirt, however, isn’t having any of it, and as Pitchfork points out, the Los Angeles-based Odd Future rapper took to Twitter last night to lash out against the “Shake It Off” video.
He admits to not watching it, but he’s deemed it offensive and harmful as another example of cultural appropriation.
Here are his tweets:
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, 2014
perpetuating black stereotypes to the same demographic of white girls who hide their prejudice by proclaiming their love of the culture
— EARL (@earlxsweat) August 19, 2014
for 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
You be the judge. Watch the “Shake It Off” video below…