With all the hate towards J.K Rowling (deserved) and lets say Kanye West for example, you can enjoy the art but can you really separate what they create from what they say?
You must log in or # to comment.
You can, when you pirate their stuff so they don’t get money.
in my opinion, no. an artist’s worldview informs their art, so things like racism/misogyny/ableism etc etc seep into the works they create. consuming media like that uncritically can be harmful by reinforcing biases, conscious or unconscious.
there’s also the more direct harm that can be done by financially supporting certain artists. jk rowling, for example, is funnelling any wealth she gets from the harry potter franchise into funding anti-trans organisations.
in my experience, people who want to separate art from the artist just want to continue uncritically consuming everything, without feeling guilt over the harm they could be doing by “voting with their dollar”.
This is my stance as well. I don’t want to knowingly consume something that was made by someone who held horrible views for their benefit OR my detriment. With almost unlimited media to consume out there, it seems so trivial to find someone with less problematic views who fills a similar niche. Rowling, Cosby, Chris Brown, etc all have contemporaries who have far less problematic views. And if one of those contemporaries are determined to have some similarly horrible views? We examine what biases may have snuck by us, throw them away, and move on. Humanity has no shortage of creative geniuses if you dig even an inch below the surface.
Yes, you can separate the art from the artist. No, you cannot separate the act of paying for art from the artist while they still live.
Yes, but only in this specific case;
- the artist is dead
- the people profiting from their works don’t have the same beliefs
- the content itself is innocent without the knowledge of the history of the artist
- any continued profits do not go towards funding advocacy groups for their shite beliefs
No. Not as long as the artist gets benefits.
There are billions of meaningful ways to entertain yourself. Don’t be a sheep - it’s your world.
This is usually my first litmus test - will the person still benefit? If watching the new HP series will put money into Rowling’s pockets and thus into the hands of anti-trans groups, I’m not streaming it. If you really want to watch something in that category, the high seas await.
But I disagree that you should just find something else to enjoy. If you want to enjoy something, do it guilt free. Our brains don’t get to decide what we find interesting or profound. But if the artist is a piece of shit, just know that singing their praises will drive more people to them.
It depends. JKR or Kayne West? Absolutely fucking not. They are such incredibly shitty people, that you can not separate them. I would not even consume there stuff if its pirated. However, I have plenty of pirated music where the artists are complete shitheads, but I still like their stuff. I Would not give them any money for it or would show it to other people, but if its only for myself and pirated its fine.
However if someone still wants to listen to as example Kayne, please just pirate it. He actively uses his money to do malicious things.
Of course you can, but why would you do that? I believe that it is essential to understand the artist, the art, and their contemporary environment. All together. This is the deepest respect and appreciation that we can show to the arts. If you were to commit any error of omission in studying the art, that is your volition. Ask yourself: what is motivating me to make this decision? It starts and ends with you.
I wanted to add one more thing, I am sorry: I never cared for jk or Kanye to begin with so there is no conflict for me if I decide that I don’t appreciate them as an artist anymore. I do believe that if you raise your artist standards to a high level you will inevitably do less backtracking and have less angst over this subject. Have more respect for yourself and for the arts.
No. At best you can try to shunt it to the side in your mind, but it’s still going to be there. Worming away what’s left of your conscience.
Yes and it’s easy
Step 1: Steal the Art. Ensure that the artist does not materially/financially gain in any way from your enjoyment of their work.
Step 2: Talk Shit. Every time someone asks about the art/artist in question is an opportunity to explain in detail exactly why that artist sucks and how to steal their art. Ensure that they do not gain in any other way from your enjoyment of their work. Destroy their reputation so that others do not support them financially.
What about dealing with someone like George Orwell who was a sexual offender? Many people just overlook him and start talking about his books and how well they are written in accordance to today’s society.
Orwell was a sex criminal and a cop, and a dogshit writer to boot, but that doesn’t really change anything. If for some reason you feel compelled to read his work it should be stolen, and if you feel the need to discuss him you should remind anyone within earshot that he was a hypocrite and a creep. Not much else you can do.
