Taylor Swift’s $50,000 donation to NYC Schools sparks controversy
Pop music star Taylor Swift donated $50,000 of profits from her hit song “Welcome to New York” to the public schools of the city, according to MSNBC. Unfortunately, her generous gesture didn’t get quite the response she probably hoped.
On Twitter, a New York Daily News critic posted, “Taylor Swift giving $50,000 to NYC schools is like me throwing a quarter at a homeless guy.”
Another joined in, “Almost enough to pay a teacher!”
Some are questioning Swift’s donation and comparing her to others in the limelight and what they have given. Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook, donated $100 million of his own fortune in 2010 to Newark’s Public School system and has been in the news for similar donations across the country.
This uproar surrounding Taylor Swift’s latest donation is taken out of context, though. When you look at the bigger picture, her commitment to education efforts is much larger.
Swift was named most charitable celeb on DoSomething.org’s Gone Good list in December of 2014 as a result of her philanthropic efforts. In 2013, she donated $4 million to Nashville’s Hall of Fame to endow the Taylor Swift education center too.
Her random acts of kindness don’t stop there. Earlier this year, she sent a fan a package with her photo, a necklace, and a hand-painted watercolor. She also gave the fan nearly $2,000 to wipe out student loans.
In my opinion, the backlash surrounding Swift’s donation is really sad and unwarranted. While $50,000 may seem like a small donation to some people, it is far from it. Think of all the good that money can do for some very deserving students. Swift very graciously wanted to give her money to help students in New York City and her act should be commended. Based on this donation and her past donation efforts, she takes education seriously.
The singer-songwriter’s publicist confirmed to the New York Times that this donation is the first and that she intends to donate further proceeds of the track to NYC schools.
No matter how much or little money Swift donated, I think it’s ridiculous to see anyone shaming her. Those tweets are uncalled for and ridiculous.
She has an endless supply of money, so to me – the $50,000 donation isn’t something to boast about. However, I do realize she’s made a lot of other education donations, and plans to donate more to NYC schools.
I think Taylor Swift seems like a fine young lady. She’s an excellent role model. How dare people say bad things about ANY person who donates money? That is ridiculous in my eyes.
As Teddy Roosevelt famously said, “It’s not the critic who counts.”
I have a very strong suspicion that the people who criticized this donation have never made any meaningful donation of their own to schools. To them, it’s enough to try to shame a celebrity who did step up to do more.
Perhaps Miss Swift had read the many analyses that showed the Zuckerberg’s $100 million had no meaningful impact on students or learning in Newark and didn’t have the time to manage such a large donation in NYC to make sure it had the intended effect.