How was your weekend?
I spent much of mine scrolling through social media, exposing myself to constant horrific imagery from the Israel-Hamas war, and to an incessant barrage of vile abuse from extremists on both sides.
To be a high-profile news journalist at a time like this is like dwelling in the world’s nastiest sewer — a deeply unpleasant experience, though not of course in the same stratosphere of unpleasantness as the horrors endured by innocent Israeli and Palestinian civilians over the past fortnight.
The vicious toxic tribalism that the latest escalation in this conflict has provoked feels worse than ever, but society’s been heading this way for years.
From the bitterly polarizing Trump presidency (only rivaled by Brexit in the UK for its partisan savagery), and the deadly COVID pandemic, to Russia’s barbaric invasion of Ukraine, and a ruinous global cost-of-living crisis, we’ve become a bunch of angry, sniping, self-righteous, shrieking, distrusting guttersnipes fuelled in our indignant rage by myriad public platform soapboxes that didn’t exist 20 years ago and cynically amplify division and fake news for clicks and cash.
The consequence is that we’re all left searching desperately for moments of unifying relief, little rays of uncomplicated uplifting happiness that can make us all feel good about life.
Enter Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce.
The romance between the world’s biggest pop star and one the NFL’s greatest-ever tight ends has been as phenomenal as their careers.
They’ve only been dating a few weeks but it’s no exaggeration to say it now feels like the whole world has a view on them.
And what’s seemingly unique about this celebrity relationship is that nobody seems to have a problem with it.
Unlike Kim and Kanye, whose mutually repulsive attention-seeking narcissism ripped into our souls like a cheese grater going through a hard piece of 36-month Gouda, Taylor and Travis are intensely likeable, both individually and as a couple.
A video clip went viral yesterday on X (formerly Twitter) of him holding a door open to his car for her after his Kansas City Chiefs team beat the Los Angeles Chargers.
It wasn’t a big deal; in fact, it was the kind of thing most men used to do for their women before feminism morphed into the kind of man-hating “END THE PATRIARCHY!” garbage we saw celebrated in the Barbie whineathon.
As such, it was surprisingly touching to see a guy displaying basic good manners to his date.
Just as it was sweet to see Taylor during the game, first cheering, then gasping in shock and holding her concerned face in her hands as Travis fumbled a catch and crashed to the ground.
It’s not hard to see why they’ve fallen for each other.
They’re from similar middle-class American backgrounds.
Kelce’s an Ohio guy, son of a steel sales rep father and bank executive mother.
Taylor’s a Pennsylvania girl, daughter of a stockbroker dad and marketing executive mom.
And they’ve both enjoyed stupendous record-breaking success in their respective professions, earning them vast fame and fortune in the process.
They’re great role models too, both polite, well-spoken, good-humored, hard-working, clean-living, hugely charitable people who love their families and their country.
And unlike a lot of big stars, it’s not just for show.
I’ve met Taylor a few times and she’s a genuinely delightful young lady – warm, down-to-earth and mature beyond her 33 years.
She’s managed the almost miraculous achievement of building one of the biggest brands in the history of pop music while retaining her dignity, pride and sense of self-worth in the process.
Unlike Kim Kardashian, Taylor would never make a sex tape, or post a topless photo of herself flipping the bird.
Perhaps because, unlike Ms. Kardashian, she’s got a world-class talent for writing and singing songs.
Just as Travis has a world-class double Super Bowl-winning talent for football.
So, they deserve their huge success.
And they’re giving the firm impression of enjoying every moment of living out their love affair as the world watches on in rapt fascination.
It’s certainly having a beneficial effect on Travis’ ability to play football.
Taylor’s so far attended five of the Kansas City Chiefs’ games since their romance began, and they’ve won every one of them.
More pertinently, Kelce’s averaged just 46.5 yards per game when Taylor’s not attended games since they got together, and 99.0 YPG when she has.
This suggests he’s playing twice as well when Taylor’s in the stadium, and that’s before we get to the massively increased TV ratings and Kelce shirt sales that have exploded since they hooked up.
As Chiefs’ coach Andy Reid quipped last night: “Kelce keeps getting better with time. Taylor can stay around all she wants.”
But it’s not just Kelce’s game that is benefitting from this union.
All of us do.
In a world currently so ravaged by death, destruction, rancor and incivility, there’s just something charmingly innocent and escapist about it, isn’t there?
I don’t know how long it will last.
I don’t even really know how real their love for each other is.
They probably don’t either.
And it goes without saying that it’s not remotely “important” in the way that war, poverty, health, and politics are important.
But right now, this feels like the dose of sunshine we all need breaking through our otherwise hellish daily clouds.
The Taylor/Travis romance isn’t just good for his football.
It’s good for America.
This story originally appeared on NYPost
