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Can You "Separate the Art from the Artist"?
Up until recently, I was planning on watching Recovery of an MMO Junkie at some point. The screenshots I saw of it floating around online seemed charming enough, nothing that would really suggest that its director is a full-blown Nazi. Aside from shock and dismay, the most frequent reaction I've seen to this is that people should be able to "separate the art from the artist" and enjoy the art on its own merits regardless of what the person who created it has done or said.
This is a concept I've been struggling with for a while, and I suspect most other people have too. In the United States, the #MeToo movement has exposed Harvey Weinstein and other predators in the entertainment industry, and twitter is a constant source of content creators and actors expressing bigoted viewpoints or sexually harassing someone. Even before that, people like Woody Allen have been making films that continue to be seen by fans who trumpet the same slogan of "separating the art from the artist".
But how much does that reasoning hold up? It's easy for me to not support MMO Junkie or a Woody Allen movie because they're not things I'm interested in nor have engaged with. What about when it's a creator or an actor working on a property you like? It doesn't help that, in the wake of this most recent incident, I'm seeing many people brush off Yaginuma Kazuyoshi's antisemitism simply as an "opinion" that "shouldn't affect your enjoyment of the anime." I know that's the wrong way to react in this situation, but what are the right ways?
Back in May of 2017, I saw Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales on opening weekend. I'd been a fan of the franchise since the first movie back in 2003 and finding seats in the theater was relatively easy since the film basically bombed in North America. However, it'd be remiss not to mention that a likely contributing factor to the film doing so poorly is that Johnny Depp had abused his ex-wife Amber Heard. People who would have otherwise been in the theater chose not to, as they saw seeing the film an act of support, both morally and financially, for Johnny Depp.
My rationalization at the time, and still now to a certain degree, is that Johnny Depp had already been paid for the movie and whether I not I saw it in the theater wouldn't make a difference either way. Also, that I was really seeing the movie for Orlando Bloom (who ended up barely being in the movie) and the other actors. Months later I'm still not entirely comfortable with this decision. Aside from written works, most forms of mass media are the result of several people collaborating to bring it to life. Is it fair to not support them because of one person's actions or beliefs? And does it matter whether or not your consumption of said media results in this person being financially supported?
These are questions that will continue to keep arising, and I don't have an easy answer for them. On one level it would be simple to say "just don't watch/read it" but what about if you're already invested? Does that even matter? Is it a selfish act to say "I condemn what they said and did, but I'm still gonna watch this movie"?
In November 2018, Johnny Depp with star in Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindlewald. I haven't decided what to do other than I'm not going to see it opening weekend or immediately after. I might see it late in its run when its financial outcome has largely already been decided. Or maybe I'll pirate a copy of it after its been released on Bluray. The latter is the more attractive option at the moment, as I haven't seriously considered forgoing watching it at all.
I've already deleted Recovery of an MMO Junkie from my Crunchyroll queue though. Maybe later I'll have the rest figured out.
Watch Status Roundup:
Cardcaptor Sakura - 60/70
Natsume's Book of Friends - 14/80
The X-Files - 74/210
The Golden Girls Extended Universe - 76/442
This is a concept I've been struggling with for a while, and I suspect most other people have too. In the United States, the #MeToo movement has exposed Harvey Weinstein and other predators in the entertainment industry, and twitter is a constant source of content creators and actors expressing bigoted viewpoints or sexually harassing someone. Even before that, people like Woody Allen have been making films that continue to be seen by fans who trumpet the same slogan of "separating the art from the artist".
But how much does that reasoning hold up? It's easy for me to not support MMO Junkie or a Woody Allen movie because they're not things I'm interested in nor have engaged with. What about when it's a creator or an actor working on a property you like? It doesn't help that, in the wake of this most recent incident, I'm seeing many people brush off Yaginuma Kazuyoshi's antisemitism simply as an "opinion" that "shouldn't affect your enjoyment of the anime." I know that's the wrong way to react in this situation, but what are the right ways?
Back in May of 2017, I saw Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales on opening weekend. I'd been a fan of the franchise since the first movie back in 2003 and finding seats in the theater was relatively easy since the film basically bombed in North America. However, it'd be remiss not to mention that a likely contributing factor to the film doing so poorly is that Johnny Depp had abused his ex-wife Amber Heard. People who would have otherwise been in the theater chose not to, as they saw seeing the film an act of support, both morally and financially, for Johnny Depp.
My rationalization at the time, and still now to a certain degree, is that Johnny Depp had already been paid for the movie and whether I not I saw it in the theater wouldn't make a difference either way. Also, that I was really seeing the movie for Orlando Bloom (who ended up barely being in the movie) and the other actors. Months later I'm still not entirely comfortable with this decision. Aside from written works, most forms of mass media are the result of several people collaborating to bring it to life. Is it fair to not support them because of one person's actions or beliefs? And does it matter whether or not your consumption of said media results in this person being financially supported?
These are questions that will continue to keep arising, and I don't have an easy answer for them. On one level it would be simple to say "just don't watch/read it" but what about if you're already invested? Does that even matter? Is it a selfish act to say "I condemn what they said and did, but I'm still gonna watch this movie"?
In November 2018, Johnny Depp with star in Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindlewald. I haven't decided what to do other than I'm not going to see it opening weekend or immediately after. I might see it late in its run when its financial outcome has largely already been decided. Or maybe I'll pirate a copy of it after its been released on Bluray. The latter is the more attractive option at the moment, as I haven't seriously considered forgoing watching it at all.
I've already deleted Recovery of an MMO Junkie from my Crunchyroll queue though. Maybe later I'll have the rest figured out.
Watch Status Roundup:
Cardcaptor Sakura - 60/70
Natsume's Book of Friends - 14/80
The X-Files - 74/210
The Golden Girls Extended Universe - 76/442