# Should people avoid consuming art they enjoy from an artist who they dislike or disagree with on a personal level? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [February 13, 2023, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-people-avoid-consuming-art-they-enjoy-from-an-artist-who-they-dislike-or-disagree-with-on-a-personal-level/979721 "2023-02-13T17:17:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 16
**Author:** ![nicky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f0a364/32.png) [@nicky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nicky)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2023, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-people-avoid-consuming-art-they-enjoy-from-an-artist-who-they-dislike-or-disagree-with-on-a-personal-level/979721/301 "2023-02-22T13:52:20Z")
For me HPL is such a nutjob that i cant take any opinions of his seriously enough to care about them. And his petty prejudices are steamrollered by the bleakness of his universe. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2023, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-people-avoid-consuming-art-they-enjoy-from-an-artist-who-they-dislike-or-disagree-with-on-a-personal-level/979721/302 "2023-02-22T13:54:57Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > Lovecraft, in particular, had a trajectory of becoming less racist and prejudiced throughout his life. I think if he’d lived to the Civil Rights era, and through the horrors of the 40s, he’d have completely come around. That’s interesting–I’d never heard that before. I thought he’d stayed a paranoid racist bigot until he died shivering and alone in bed in a drafty New England attic. ---
**Author:** ![jjakucyk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3d9bf3/32.png) [@jjakucyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjakucyk)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2023, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-people-avoid-consuming-art-they-enjoy-from-an-artist-who-they-dislike-or-disagree-with-on-a-personal-level/979721/303 "2023-02-22T14:36:46Z")
I think there’s a higher level view that’s getting lost in the minutiae here. To everyone saying “I don’t care about the author’s views, just their works,” cool, you do you. It really doesn’t matter. Nor does it really matter if the artist is dead, if you purchased their works before or after it was discovered they were a terrible person, or if they get $0.02 or $100 from your viewing of their work. It also doesn’t matter what the definition of ally is, or if the author in question is actively supporting reprehensible activities or using the purchase of their works as validation of their ideas. What matters is whether someone else can judge you for consuming said art. They can, and they will. Whatever moral justifications you come up with in your head don’t matter, you will still be judged on your actions. You do not get to tell anyone else how to feel about your actions any more than they get to tell you how to feel about theirs. But you have to own up to the consequences of your actions because you don’t live in a vacuum. If you want to be viewed as a supporter of trans rights, whether externally by the community or internally so you can sleep at night, then you shouldn’t buy the game. If you don’t think it’s that big a deal, fine, just be prepared for some in the trans community to distance themselves from you. If you have a gay child and you eat at Chick-fil-A, expect some pushback from them. Are they being unfair? Maybe, but that’s their right, and you have to deal with the repercussions of that. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2023, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-people-avoid-consuming-art-they-enjoy-from-an-artist-who-they-dislike-or-disagree-with-on-a-personal-level/979721/304 "2023-02-22T14:54:25Z")
> [@jjakucyk](#): > > What matters is whether someone else can judge you for consuming said art. > > They can, and they will. …and if I then judge them for so judging such a consumer, I’ll then be judged for so judging the judgers, and those who judge me will then be judged for judging me, and the hall of mirrors shall hold illimitable dominion over all? ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2023, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-people-avoid-consuming-art-they-enjoy-from-an-artist-who-they-dislike-or-disagree-with-on-a-personal-level/979721/305 "2023-02-22T15:07:21Z")
> [@up2eleven](#): > > Why weren’t they already boycotting Universal Studios? Why is this specific game the sudden focus? > > I tend to choose my battles. It seems like you answered your own question; you just have an issue with how other people pick their battles. ---
**Author:** ![up2eleven](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/up2eleven/32/13432_2.png) [@up2eleven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/up2eleven)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2023, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-people-avoid-consuming-art-they-enjoy-from-an-artist-who-they-dislike-or-disagree-with-on-a-personal-level/979721/306 "2023-02-22T15:09:48Z")
> [@HMS\_Irruncible](#): > > It seems like you answered your own question; you just have an issue with how other people pick their battles. It seems that works both ways. ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2023, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-people-avoid-consuming-art-they-enjoy-from-an-artist-who-they-dislike-or-disagree-with-on-a-personal-level/979721/307 "2023-02-22T15:20:05Z")
> [@up2eleven](#): > > It seems that works both ways. Please elaborate; I don’t understand what you’re referring to. What are the multiple ways that this works? ---
**Author:** ![up2eleven](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/up2eleven/32/13432_2.png) [@up2eleven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/up2eleven)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2023, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-people-avoid-consuming-art-they-enjoy-from-an-artist-who-they-dislike-or-disagree-with-on-a-personal-level/979721/308 "2023-02-22T15:27:25Z")
If I am apparently taking issue with other people’s battle choices, it stands to reason that they likely take issue with mine as well. People have vastly different values and choices on where they put their focus and no one’s going to agree with all of any person’s choices. ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2023, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-people-avoid-consuming-art-they-enjoy-from-an-artist-who-they-dislike-or-disagree-with-on-a-personal-level/979721/309 "2023-02-22T15:30:32Z")
Not exactly disputed or controversial, but I’m glad you were able to answer your own question “why doesn’t everyone boycott everything all the time.” ---
**Author:** ![up2eleven](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/up2eleven/32/13432_2.png) [@up2eleven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/up2eleven)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2023, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-people-avoid-consuming-art-they-enjoy-from-an-artist-who-they-dislike-or-disagree-with-on-a-personal-level/979721/310 "2023-02-22T15:39:34Z")
> [@HMS\_Irruncible](#): > > Not exactly disputed or controversial, but I’m glad you were able to answer your own question “why doesn’t everyone boycott everything all the time.” Everything, all the time? That’s what I said? Huh. I recall mentioning Universal Studios, Warner, and other Potter games, but ALL the things, ALL the time? Hell of a stretch. Don’t do that crap. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2023, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-people-avoid-consuming-art-they-enjoy-from-an-artist-who-they-dislike-or-disagree-with-on-a-personal-level/979721/311 "2023-02-22T16:10:29Z")
> [@jjakucyk](#): > > What matters is whether someone else can judge you for consuming said art. > > They can, and they will That’s fine. How many people know/care what game I play or movie I watch? I probably get more judgment on a daily basis because of my shirt color choice. Besides, if some rando on Steam wants to judge me based on my game achievements feed, I don’t care. If they actually started harassing me for it, that would be a separate issue. But as long as they’re just shaking their heads and staring silently at their screens, that’s more their problem than mine. ---
**Author:** ![YWTF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/d07c76/32.png) [@YWTF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YWTF)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2023, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-people-avoid-consuming-art-they-enjoy-from-an-artist-who-they-dislike-or-disagree-with-on-a-personal-level/979721/312 "2023-02-22T16:44:06Z")
I believe everyone has the right to boycott a product, for whatever reason they want. I also believe everyone has the right to judge anyone they want, including people who prioritize their desire for a particular product over other considerations. That said, I personally have little difficultly separating a product from the person who made it and I don’t believe in judging other people for enjoying products that happen to be made by reprehensible people. Since we live in a world where reprehensible people tend to have their hands in a lot of creative works and technology, it is unrealistic to expect the average person to have the time, energy, or ability to keep their money out of these hands, especially when doing so deprives the person of entertainment and information. I also think it’s unwise to use purchasing decisions as a moral purity test if only because it opens the individual to being judged as the type of person who believes in purity tests. ---
**Author:** ![nicky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f0a364/32.png) [@nicky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nicky)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2023, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-people-avoid-consuming-art-they-enjoy-from-an-artist-who-they-dislike-or-disagree-with-on-a-personal-level/979721/313 "2023-02-22T18:35:29Z")
No no no. _Some_ judgements of you by other people are valid as they show you have failed to follow your own code. Others are irrelevant. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2023, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-people-avoid-consuming-art-they-enjoy-from-an-artist-who-they-dislike-or-disagree-with-on-a-personal-level/979721/314 "2023-02-22T18:39:19Z")
> [@YWTF](#): > > I also think it’s unwise to use purchasing decisions as a moral purity test if only because it opens the individual to being judged as the type of person who believes in purity tests. To be clear, the only person who has used “purity test” as a positive thing in this thread is @MrDibble: > [@MrDibble](#): > > Wait, is “purity test” supposed to be some kind of _bad_ thing? Not when it’s for things I put inside me, it’s not. He’s not using it in this context as a test by which _other people_ are to be judged; he’s instead using it as a test by which _what he consumes_ is to be judged. I couldn’t find any example of anyone else using the phrase as a positive way to describe judging other people. @Ywtf, ironically, appears willing to judge other people based on whether they use “purity tests” to make their own choices. I wonder if that’s a purity test she applies to other people? ---
**Author:** ![YWTF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/d07c76/32.png) [@YWTF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YWTF)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2023, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-people-avoid-consuming-art-they-enjoy-from-an-artist-who-they-dislike-or-disagree-with-on-a-personal-level/979721/315 "2023-02-22T19:07:28Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > To be clear, the only person who has used “purity test” as a positive thing in this thread is @MrDibble: It was a general statement. Didn’t even notice that the term had been used anywhere else in this thread. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2023, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-people-avoid-consuming-art-they-enjoy-from-an-artist-who-they-dislike-or-disagree-with-on-a-personal-level/979721/316 "2023-02-22T19:41:16Z")
**Modnote** : This is attacking the poster and not the post. You clearly have issues with **YWTF** , but no more attacking her. Address the content of the post and not the poster and don’t drag in issues from prior threads. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2023, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-people-avoid-consuming-art-they-enjoy-from-an-artist-who-they-dislike-or-disagree-with-on-a-personal-level/979721/317 "2023-02-23T04:20:36Z")
> [@Jophiel](#): > > > [@jjakucyk](#): > > > > What matters is whether someone else can judge you for consuming said art. > > > > They can, and they will > > That’s fine. How many people know/care what game I play or movie I watch? I probably get more judgment on a daily basis because of my shirt color choice. Yeah, really. I get judged. …and so…? That’s something that one has to internalize, people will judge you. You in turn have to decide, is that judgement something you _really_ care about and if so, why do you? Because you care about never failing them, becaue you believe their judgements of right and wrong are accurate, or because you care about having their approval? Not the same things! In other circumstances, maybe it is something over which you just say “oh what a pity” and carry on…and if they want to make an issue of it you can then say “oh go judge yourself, Judgy McJudgeface.” You don’t _have_ to be loved by every living being. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2023, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-people-avoid-consuming-art-they-enjoy-from-an-artist-who-they-dislike-or-disagree-with-on-a-personal-level/979721/318 "2023-02-23T05:24:41Z")
I think it is less about whether a given person really cares what a random person feels about them and more about winning the war of rhetoric if you want most people on your side (politically). ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2023, 7:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-people-avoid-consuming-art-they-enjoy-from-an-artist-who-they-dislike-or-disagree-with-on-a-personal-level/979721/319 "2023-02-23T07:23:55Z")
On your side on what way? If my friend judges me for reading a new “Harry Potter” book, will that change whether he agrees with my views on abortion? That would be really strange. I’m just not seeing how this is even supposed to work. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2023, 7:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-people-avoid-consuming-art-they-enjoy-from-an-artist-who-they-dislike-or-disagree-with-on-a-personal-level/979721/320 "2023-02-23T07:27:51Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > On your side on what way? Politically. I think I said that. I am not considering your friend. I am considering Sterling who has something like 800,000 subscribers and a stage to send their message. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-people-avoid-consuming-art-they-enjoy-from-an-artist-who-they-dislike-or-disagree-with-on-a-personal-level/979721.md?page=15) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-people-avoid-consuming-art-they-enjoy-from-an-artist-who-they-dislike-or-disagree-with-on-a-personal-level/979721.md?page=17)