What Can We Excuse?



What does one do when someone they look up to turns out to be a bad person? Do they disown them? Do they try to change that person's ways? 

There's a conversation to be had about this strange phenomenon, but when it is a respected figure in media, be it film, music, art, etcetera, the question can have completely different answers.

The obvious answer is to stop consuming whatever forms of media that person produces. We vote with our dollar so whatever money we spend on that person supports their future endeavors and furthering their career, right? So why don't we do this?

It's important to note that there is an element of their question that brings up another topic, that being the question 'should we separate the art from the artist?' which is its own debate in and of itself. The way I see it, there is a line that needs to be drawn on an individual basis, and that refers to the celebrity figure in question and the person who is making the judgment. While there are some actions that are almost unanimously seen as reprehensible and some media is seen by almost everyone as objectively perfect, everything under that is a matter of opinion for each person consuming it. Everyone consumes art differently and has a different standard for what can and cannot be seen as redeemable.

All this to say that this question has quite a bit more nuance than it may initially seem. Many would say that, even if the person who made it is a terrible human being to the highest degree, their art should still be seen on its own merit. Others would argue that any support for a monster's work, in any capacity, is support for the monster and is therefore bad.

I see it this way: if a piece of art enhances your life in any way, you should be allowed to enjoy it in the way that suits you. If watching a film makes you happy despite the actions of its director, that happiness gained is still valid. Of course, there are caveats to this. The way we engage with art and life says a lot about us as individuals. If you enjoy media like Chris Brown's Deuces, those around you have the right to judge your music taste and, by extension, you accordingly. 

Enjoy what you want. Support whom you think deserves it. Make wise decisions. 

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