Donald Trump. Jerry Seinfeld. Shrek. All of these people have been the center of what many have dubbed a “personality cult.” People take their visages way beyond what they’re meant to be, putting them on levels near to gods.

And yet, these rabid attitudes seem mild in comparison to the actions of Taylor Swift’s fans. 

This isn’t a critique of Taylor’s music, first and foremost. Almost everything I say here, if not everything, will not be influenced whatsoever by my personal opinions on songs made by Swift.

As you probably know if you’re not living under a rock in Bikini Bottom, Taylor Swift recently released the album “The Tortured Poets Department” (TTPD). In an unpredictable twist of fate, the album broke records and received positive reviews.

That’s not to say the album was deemed flawless. A number of critics labeled the lyrics as strange and some believed the music felt uninspired. Of course, music is subjective, so none of the aforementioned opinions on the album are inherently correct or incorrect.

However, there are groups who take it too far in both directions. The love cult and hate cult are both alive and strong in regards to her, and these people need to chill the heck out.

There is plenty of content and TikTok, X and so forth of self-described “Swifties” going absolutely insane over the smallest things. Check out this MTV article full of Swifties worshiping her the way one would expect a zealot to worship a god.

On the other side of the coin are haters (let’s be honest, usually men) spouting a load of reasons they hate Swift and the awful things they would do to her or would want to do to her. 

The reasons for this hatred vary from her coverage on the NFL to allegations of being anti-Christian. Some even despise her simply due to how large she has become.

Look, there is nothing wrong with enjoying or not enjoying an artist’s music. But the levels of dedication on both sides to either defending the deity they have created or burning her at the stake are ridiculous.

Swift can sing about whatever she wants to sing about. Men, Jesus, whatever. That’s not my business. All of this discourse distracts us from the fact that she’s actively killing the planet. 

Newsweek reports that Swift’s Era’s Tour produced 139 tons of CO2 during the American leg of the tour. If Taylor Swift were a country, she would be producing the 36th most carbon emissions, under Algeria and ahead of the Philippines, according to Worldometer.

A college student was tracking her private jet movements on X (the flight logs were public records) and Swift’s lawyers sent a cease and desist. That didn’t stop him, though. The X and subreddit are still up and running.

This reddit post adding up all of her flights this year estimates that she has produced 554 tons of CO2 from January to now. 

Swift is more evil than Lex Luthor or the Green Goblin. She is more powerful than the president of the United States and more beloved than your little cousin whom you really can’t stand.

But most importantly, she’s killing the planet and nobody seems to care.

Tolbert can be contacted at [email protected]. He won’t produce as much carbon as Taylor has in his entire life.