Bad People, Good Art: Can You Still Enjoy Art Produced by People Who Have Done Terrible Things?

The tail end of 2017 has been remarkable, but not for reasons that many could have predicted. After Hollywood heavyweight Harvey Weinstein was publicly accused of sexual harassment and assault by 79 people, many more accusations against celebrities have made their way to the public eye. The vast majority of the accused are people who have enjoyed very successful careers in the arts such as Louis C.K., Oliver Stone, and Jared Leto. Naturally, there are hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of fans of the work that these people have created over the years.

This leaves the uncomfortable question; when we learn about our idols' offenses, should we stop supporting their art? The answer, of course, is yes, but there's a difference between appreciating or enjoying and supporting. The fact is that there are countless influential people throughout history that have been, for lack of a better word, horrible. For example, John Wayne was a self-proclaimed white supremacist and Charlie Chaplin impregnated a 15-year-old when he was 35, yet both of their films are still highly regarded. We could argue that the passage of time erases most character blemishes from the collective conscious of society, but there's more to it than that.

The fact of the matter is this; art affects people more profoundly than the people who make art, and therefore art has the ability to outlive the misdeeds of its creator. But how can we reconcile this? How do we go on appreciating music, literature, films, and pieces of artwork that came from the minds of people who have so heinously disregarded the safety and humanity of others? With current technology, it is not impossible to do.

Now, this is not what any fellow artist would want to hear presented as a solution and it definitely isn't something the media industry would want to be suggested. But, if you strive to accept the art without rewarding the artist you have to take away the benefits for the artist that come from your consumption of their work. In simple terms: steal it.

Stealing media is illegal, probably immoral, and definitely frowned upon. However, it is truly the only way to reward the work without any credit going back to garbage people. Sure, you don't have to buy music anymore because you can stream it on sites like Pandora, Spotify, and YouTube, but even when using those services there are small amounts of money and improved analytics that benefit the person that you don't want to support. By coming into possession of these things in different ways, you are not helping to support someone you don't agree with.

The downside to this is, of course, that people who have done nothing wrong but who have had a hand in the making of these pieces are also punished in the process. The solution for this predicament is to support other projects that these people have participated in. You can do this rather easily by listening to, buying, reading, and watching things that co-stars/producers/directors/etc have made that do not feature or include bad people. Not only does this help bolster the careers and successes of people who work hard and conduct themselves with at least a shred of decency, but it also sends a message that "if "so-and-so" had something to do with this, I'm not paying for it".

It's undoubtedly a difficult thing to do in practice. The choices are basically to get sneaky, stop consuming any media that anyone problematic has ever created, or keep putting your money into shady peoples' pockets and go blissfully into the world of ignorance, knowing deep in your soul that you are part of the problem.