Taylor Swift blasts Kanye West in SNL intro - no apology on symbol

Taylor Swift was on Saturday Night Live and I have to say performed really well. She was in eight skits, playing everything from a prison gang-banger to the friend of a bride at a wedding.

But one place I didn't think Taylor would go in her monologue was to mention Kanye West, but not apologize for that Swastika photo. That took Taylor down a bit in my rating of her.

If you remember, rapper Kanye West famously took the stage at the MTV Video Music Awards as Swift was about to accept the award for "Best Female Video" and said that the award should have gone to Beyonce. It was a classless move that had even President Obama weighing in, calling West "A Jackass":



But after a questionable delay, West apologized on his website and did called Swift later that week. Kanye West apologized for insulting a single person, Taylor Swift, but she did not say "I'm sorry" for posing in a photo with Swastika-t-shirt-wearing Hollywood model A.J. English at Katy Perry's 25th birthday party (English quickly apologized for that):



I can't figure out which is worse: Swift's silence on the action, the small number of fans that have multiple accounts and leave comments pretending to be other people and writing that the Swastika is a symbol of peace, or the silence of the Anti-Defamation League, which is supposed to be speaking out against this crap.

I'll say it and write it, and I don't care what anyone thinks because it's true as of this writing. It's easier for people in America to attack an African American male celebrity when he's wrong than it is for Americans to criticize a young blonde white woman celebrity when she's wrong, and a white male celebrity too, but not to the degree of a woman. It's a stupid pecking order.

Kansas City Chief's running back Larry Johnson used homophobic language but apologized, yet some are calling for his ouster from the team. And if a black male public figure makes a single comment that's racist, like Jesse Jackson's stupid "Hymie Town" comment of over a decade ago, it still sticks with him years later.

Why not the same for someone like Taylor Swift? Or for that matter Mel Gibson, who's anti-Jewish rants after a DUI stop got some talking, but no real punishment or constant criticism and Billionaire Mel's on the PR comeback trail as I write this.

The only white male celebrity I can think of who's career was really impacted by his dumb behavior was Seinfeld's Michael Richards, who went off at a comedy club in LA about African Americans, saying “Fifty years ago we’d have you upside down with a fucking fork up your ass!”

Now to make sure this is clear, all of these actions were wrong. Each person I've list apologized for what they did many times, but not Taylor Swift. Not once. No, she didn't say something offensive, but I now have the feeling Swift could get away with it, if she did.

Swift's a wonderful singer and an incredibly talented person; her songs are like a taste of Heaven. Taylor Swift is someone I want to like. But she must remember that she's also a public figure and a role model to young women. Swift can and indeed must set a good example, if not to please people like me, then at least for young women. An apology is a good start.