Lowkey there needs to be somebody making a 2 hr video essay deep dive on him. He’s gotten so much power over the discourse, it’s wild.
This is such a great video about Zachary, a very long one but great. If you have 10 minutes please watch it. But if you don’t, Here’s some best parts of it, he got DESTROYED:
Let’s start with “The Swiftologist is a miserable loser whose parasocial obsession with Taylor Swift has come full circle as he's having an all-out identity crisis because the woman that he has centered so much of his identity and social currency around no longer gives him the time of day.” SUCH A CLOCK ⏰
AND THEN IT ONLY GETS BETTER
⏰ “Zachary feels rejected by Taylor Swift. He once occupied a very privileged space in the fandom, he attended a secret session, he was backstage on tour and now that those experiences are no longer available to him, his admiration for Taylor Swift has curdled into bitterness and resentment and an obsessive determination to tear down the woman who he once idolized.”
⏰ “Not showing it off is also kind of showing it off. I don't think Zachary is quite smart enough to recognize the argument he has constructed here.
⏰ “Zachary has turned that into commentary on her wealth. So first the wedding is extravagant, but then when she doesn't share that extravagance, the privacy itself is extravagant. The absence of a spectacle has become the spectacle. What an exhausting level of cynicism.”
⏰ “Zachary's relationship with Taylor has become tangled up with his own sense of identity. Because when he was attending secret sessions and had exclusive access to Taylor, that carried enormous social currency within the fandom. He felt like he was someone special. I suspect that gave him a sense of belonging and importance that he grew very fond of. Zachary feels like he's been tossed aside.”
⏰ “Obviously, Zachary would never have started talking about Taylor like this if he were still being invited into the fold.”
⏰ “Zachary didn't just lose access to Taylor Swift, he lost the version of himself who felt important because he had that access. And now I suspect he's trying to reinvent that sense of importance through a different role in the fandom.”
⏰⏰⏰ “And let's discuss the timing here. Taylor Swift just stepped out at the Academy Museum Gala looking absolutely sensational. It was an internet moment. Even her detractors were acknowledging how phenomenal she looked. Days later, she's inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, the youngest inductee ever. She's being celebrated for her songwriting, which is the talent that has made her career so extraordinary. And in response to this incredible week, Zachary is discussing her wedding, her husband, her ring and how un-relatable she's become. The reality is that he's just a pathetic man who is uncomfortable watching Taylor Swift enjoy the fruits of her own success.”