This Sick Beat: A Socratic Dialogue

TAYLOR SWIFT: Tell me, Socrates, must the player always play, play, play?

SOCRATES: Well, that depends on what it is to be a player and what it means to play. Could you be more specific?

SWIFT: I’m thinking of the dirty, dirty cheats of the world. Those about whom so many get down and out, while they could be getting down to this sick beat. Alcibiades, for example, abandoned Athens and sought refuge in Sparta, then left Sparta for Persia before finally returning to Athens, leaving an inter-imperial trail of broken hearts.

SOCRATES: Yes, I see. Alcibiades is, in fact, a player who will play, play, play.

SWIFT: Yes, very much so.

SOCRATES: But must he? That is the question at hand.

SWIFT: I believe he must for, consider that the hater must hate, hate, hate, and the faker must fake, fake, fake. Why should the player be different?

SOCRATES: But might people change? Couldn’t something convince the player to stay, stay, stay rather than play, play, play?

SWIFT: Ah, but you see Socrates, it is not the player that decides to stay, stay, stay. Rather, the player becomes a stayer when he ceases to play, play, play.

SOCRATES: So then one must eliminate the other. A player can never stay, stay, stay because, according to you, he would then be a stayer and not a player.

SWIFT: That is correct.

The student has become the master.

SLATER AND GORDON: This law firm represents Ms Taylor Swift in connection with intellectual property rights. Your use of THIS SICK BEAT is a violation of Ms Taylor Swift’s common law trademark rights, common law service mark rights, and trade name rights, and this here text, y'all, constitutes Ms Swift’s demand that you cease and desist any and all use. You should immediately forward this information to your attorney who is to be referred to https://trademarks.justia.com/864/34/this-sick-86434794.html.

SOCRATES: It seems we’ve reached an impasse — you say players will always play, play, play, but its possible for them to appear to stay, stay, stay and yet this makes them a faker who will fake, fake, fake. But if they fake, fake, fake then they do not always play, play, play for there must be at least some stay, stay, stay for otherwise, they only play, play, play and hence, are a player and not a faker.

SLATER AND GORDON: 'Cause we never go out of  style.  https://trademarks.justia.com/864/34/cause-we-never-go-out-of-86434916.html