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?
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?
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.
I would say that giving attention is a similar reward to giving money or power. It’s better not to.
Better for whom? I would say it’s only better for the people being harmed if we aren’t spreading that attention around. But if I listen to early Kanye tracks on a personal device through headphones, is it “worse” because I’m giving him any of my brainspace?
I think OP’s question has two answers, a philosophical one and a practical one. If we cannot practically separate the art from the artist in a way that gives them attention, money, or power, fair enough. I’m just saying I think there is a way to do that.