Current Events > C/D: It's ok to enjoy media/art from a problematic artist.

(+) Yeah! (+)

Personally?
I believe you can. I can enjoy Michael Jackson's music while still understanding that he was problematic (whether accusations of misconduct are true or not.)

I can still enjoy Harry Potter, while understanding that JKR is problematic, and so were some of the ways she expressed stereotypes in her works.

No

We all do a lot of stuff that isn't okay.

I think it's more important just to acknowledge that you're a hypocrite, that's what I do. You don't have to defend the artist, or the art separately. Just acknowledge your own hypocrisy and move on enjoying things.

Because no matter how much you try to cut out, you're not gonna escape being a hypocrite. Does that mean you shouldn't cut things out? No, it's fine to do so. But you're always going to have a weak point. You will never be able to cut enough things out to not have a failing.

But if you're strong enough to draw a line somewhere, that's still good to do. Just don't think you're magically better for doing so just cause your line might be a little further than someone else's.

[LFAQs-redacted-quote]

Do you have any examples?
I think I might agree with you.
I actually have trouble going back and watching The Cosby Show, mostly because it just doesn't feel the same anymore.

I'm not going to apologize for watching a classic Polanski film every now and then.

Enjoy what you enjoy. I don't know anyone who would judge you for still listening to MJ's music, and if they do then so what? It's a very subjective thing.

For me personally I have a hard time with it because often times it's the person's art that enabled them. Like some people can still enjoy Bill Cosby's work, but I can't watch it knowing that his reputation from the show is the reason he was able to rape a bunch of women and get away with it for years.

If a novel, or play is by a good artist -- the politics should draw you in, and if not convince you, at least make you think -- unfortunately so many "creators" have forgotten that.
They instead just write glorified mortality plays, that are forgotten by the audience before they're even finished; a spectacle that will not even past the test of a year, never mind the test of time.

meestermj posted...

Do you have any examples?
I think I might agree with you.
I actually have trouble going back and watching The Cosby Show, mostly because it just doesn't feel the same anymore.

So my thoughts are situational too. Like if an artist is using their profits to fund something that's anti LGBTQ for example.

You can listen to Lostprophets and Id think that is okay.

meestermj posted...

Do you have any examples?
I think I might agree with you.
I actually have trouble going back and watching The Cosby Show, mostly because it just doesn't feel the same anymore.

I will watch movies with Kevin Spacey in them because they're good. Like Baby Driver. It would suck to nuke an entire movie just because one dork is in it.

It varies from artist to artist.

I won't read HP Lovecraft because of the fervency of his bigotry. I later found out that Bram Stoker, whose Dracula I greatly enjoyed, was equally racist. I can't un-read that novel - nor am I going to cease watching film adaptations of the famed vampire count.

Michael Jackson? I feel like there's a 60% chance he's guilty. But I don't know. It's not conclusive. With Ian Watkins from LostProphets, he's a confessed and convicted child rapist -- so fuck him and his music.

J.K. Rowling? I still watched the Harry Potter movies. I've little to no desire to go back and read the books.

Hulk Hogan -- the character -- is probably my favorite wrestler of all time and I will admit that is overwhelmingly due to nostalgia.

FortuneCookie posted...

It varies from artist to artist.

I won't read HP Lovecraft because of the fervency of his bigotry. I later found out that Bram Stoker, whose Dracula I greatly enjoyed, was equally racist. I can't un-read that novel - nor am I going to cease watching film adaptations of the famed vampire count.

Michael Jackson? I feel like there's a 60% chance he's guilty. But I don't know. It's not conclusive. With Ian Watkins from LostProphets, he's a confessed and convicted child rapist -- so fuck him and his music.

J.K. Rowling? I still watched the Harry Potter movies. I've little to no desire to go back and read the books.

Hulk Hogan -- the character -- is probably my favorite wrestler of all time and I will admit that is overwhelmingly due to nostalgia.

I could be mistaken but I thought as time passed Lovecraft denounced his previous views

C. Recognizing and coming to terms with that kind of thing is something everybody deals with in their own way, of course.

C, unless the art itself is clearly a vehicle for the artist's abhorrent views / behavior. Pretty sure none of Michael Jackson's songs hinted at diddling; on the other hand, your average Stonetoss comic should definitely be avoided since they're clearing propagating his views (I cite this douche as an example because a CEman recently tried to use the 'separate the art from the artist' excuse in defense of his work).

Lovecraft's kind of a gray area in this regard, since the fear of the unknown that embodies his work was likely an allegory for his racial prejudices.

C

Chris Benoit - I despised what he did but I admire his work in WWE and is part of a bunch of my favorite matches in the early 2000s

Every artist prior to the 2010s is basically considered "problematic" now, so yes of course unless you want to purge all art from the past.

I believe MJ was a child molester but I still like his music

He was a fucking sick bastard but damn he could sing

masterpug53 posted...

C, unless the art itself is clearly a vehicle for the artist's abhorrent views / behavior

Yeah. This is how I feel about it as well.

Lovecraft fans, to their credit, tend to admit that the man held some shitty views. At least from what I've seen. That's more respectable than day someone trying to downplay or outright deny it altogether.

A lot of people have nasty skeletons in their closet.

If they're long dead then sure.

R.Kelly is the person this topic gets brought up with a lot so ill use him as an example.

i dont really have a problem listening to his music, just refuse to support him in anyway, as my support will be used to fund his defense case.

if I really wanna listen to Rkelly music Id steal it.

Too many problematic votes for yes

do you. i'm not gonna trip if someone still watches the cosby show or whatever.

An awful lot of great artists are also total assholes.

it becomes harder and harder for me to justify supporting garbage bins shaped like a human just because i enjoy their music.

i'm not saying that i demand all entertainment i consume fit me ideologically, but chances are i'm not going to intentionally consume media made by outspoken racists, transphobes, sexists, etc.

most good artists are at least left-leaning anyways, so no big loss.

If anything I have learned people are not consistent on this opinion.

There are plenty of people who still support Kanye West even after he started saying slavery sounded like a choice and was a MAGA hat wearing trump supporterand then turn around and say they dont support Lil Boosie because hes said homophobic things in the past.

They like Kanyes music, so he gets a pass. They dislike Boosies music, so he does not get a pass.

AKA people simply pick and choose.

I say yes. Do what you want, don't give a shit what others think.

masterpug53 posted...

C, unless the art itself is clearly a vehicle for the artist's abhorrent views / behavior.

This, aside from maybe the work of a particular Austrian painter...