[Like what I did with that title? ↑ I’m so funny.]
Ah, shit. I kinda like Taylor Swift right now. By chance, I happened to flip the channel to the Stand Up 2 Cancer event on Friday as she was singing. Then, I got wind that her song was written in honor of a little boy named Ronan Thompson who died in May 2011 of neuroblastoma, a type of childhood cancer. Swift was inspired to write it after following his mom’s blog, which began right after he was diagnosed and chronicled his treatment, battle, death, and coping with living without him. I spent a good block of time on Saturday reading through Maya Thompson’s blog and it’s intense. There are posts so filled with sadness and desperation that you can’t help but empathize with her. There are also posts, however, that are so filled with anger that they’re too much for me to read. The blog first blew up because she’s longtime friends with actress Charisma Carpenter, who frequently Tweeted about it. Word spread and I guess that’s how other celebrities caught wind of it and offered their help. As a result, she’s now in a strong position of being an activist for recognition, research, and funding for the fight against childhood cancer.
Musically, Taylor Swift’s song is no work of art , but I’m impressed by what she did. She even credited Ronan’s mom as co-writer since her words served as inspiration. I still think Swift needs to stop making her diary entries into songs and do something new, but I have to give her mad props for this one. I’m impressed and the next blind item I read that suggests she’s secretly a slut, I will think twice before believing! Here’s the song in case you’re interested.
I am in complete awe and inspired by people who can take something so negative and turn it around into such a fiercely positive fight. People like Jo and people like Anne-Sophie, who aren’t crippled by their anger or grief at what has happened, but instead choose to speak up and do good. So yes, I can’t hate on Taylor Swift for now because whatever her true motivations were for that song, she still brought awareness to a cause and made one heartbroken family’s day just a little less heavier.
