“Don’t Blame Me” is evolving from exclusively being a song title by the renowned artist Taylor Swift. Fans around the globe spent countless hours last week defying the odds of getting tickets in their possession. Individuals drove themselves sick, skipping work and altering their daily routines to drop hundreds of dollars in support of this young artist. As exciting as it is to hear your favorite songs under the shimmering illumination of stage lights, an average individual could question if this is all worth it. 

The abundance of Taylor Swift fans refer to themselves as “Swifties.” Within the past two weeks, the Swiftie nation has acted like nothing short of lions in the wild. Their prey, of course, was an email regarding their status in the Ticket Master line. The idea of putting in this much effort to watch a two-hour show seems absurd, but what is even more outlandish are the odds of getting one of these tickets. According to Fox News, the average individual had a two-percent chance of getting a ticket: you have a better chance of getting into Harvard at a five-percent acceptance rate. Not that my 1280 SAT score would suffice for a prestigious university, but I would shoot my shot at all the Ivy League before I even attempt to obtain a ticket. 

However, to some, the Ivy League is simply not their aspiration, and the seeing Taylor’s music live is much more appealing. I have never once fallen in love with one specific artist; regardless, manyn are die-hard fans, and their loyalty runs deeper to this artist rather than to their family members. The satisfaction and pleasure Taylor delivers to them are worth much more than any relative could offer, and the uproar regards the one-way ticket to pure bliss.

“I feel like I’ve won the lottery; It was the best thing that’s ever happened to me. Who cares about life, I have Taylor Swift,” said 17-year-old Swiftie Emma Platzke, who was able to get tickets. 

Not all fans were as lucky as Emma. “I was distraught when I found out I didn’t get them, you know. Ticket Master really screwed me and many others,” Kennedy Seldin admitted. And since copious amounts of pressure were put on the young artist because of how Ticketmaster’s site reacted to the influx of users, Taylor was forced to apologize publicly to her fans. 

The cold, hard truth is, the mayhem surrounding acquiring a ticket baffles me. I know hard work and understand what it is like to want something more than anything else, but wreaking havoc within the community for these tickets seems fanatical. Skipping school and staring at a computer screen seems unworldly, and plenty of fans could not acquire such tickets. I compare the pre-sale pandemonium and Swifties to enormous groups of wild chickens. They travel in packs and cause disturbance to others in society. The chickens have no clue what they are striving for, but they know how to get from Point A to Point B with the group intact. The only difference between Taylor Swift fans and wild chickens is that when it came to pre-sale, while they knew what they wanted, the mentality was every man for himself. Granted, there was no physical disturbance to society, but the mass social media postings and endless discussions of tickets were enough to drive someone away to a different country. 

I appreciate Taylor Swift for all she has done for the community, and I admire how she was able to help so many individuals in different ways. I hope that all Swifties get the opportunity someday to see their goddess in action, but in the meantime, the community needs to take a step back. Not getting a ticket to see Taylor Swift in concert is not the end of the world, even though it may seem like it is now. She is living up to many poetic lyrics she sang in the past, but the consistent question is whether the fans are ready for it.