You asked, I answered. “fawn” might have not been the best choice of word, but I prefer to not give my attention to artists who are close to the the “being a jerk” end of the spectrum of life.
No, I don’t want to watch or listen to Bill Cosby’s work, even though I loved him as a kid (along with most American kids). And I don’t regret the knowledge because lack thereof wouldn’t change who he is.
No. I prefer knowledge over ignorance.
“Obligated” is not the word I’d use, but I certainly have no qualms about doing so as and when I choose to. Certainly, “preserving ignorance” isn’t a convincing argument to get me not to.
But that’s my point: to you, consuming art apparently means giving attention to the artist; while to others, they’re not the same thing.
Maybe it makes me a bad person, but my enjoyment of art isn’t affected one bit by my knowledge of the creator’s sins unless the sins are somehow reflected in the art. I feel sorry for those that are so affected. With a little research, I could probably ruin just about any piece of art, music, literature, or film they love.
What a patronizing attitude. I don’t recall anyone seeking your pity.
It didn’t come across as patronizing to me, just sincerely sorry: “It’s too bad that some people can’t enjoy things I find enjoyable.”
The final sentence–with its smug implications about the minuscule research others have done on what they love–really seals the deal. It’s not a thoughtful perspective on how we should deal with art at all, but rather just mockery of folks who take one side of the issue.
Never intended to say otherwise. I am me and you are you. The thread is interesting because of this fact; everyone has their own nuance on this particular topic.
No worries. I’m fine with it.
This lack of separation of artist/art for me isn’t just for terrible people. For example, I feel that one of the most angelic voices out there was that of Elis Regina singing “As Águas de março”…it made me sad when I learned that she died of a drug overdose. Whenever I hear her beautiful voice I remember this.
I apologize if it came off that way. I would be miserable if the art I love was limited to that created by those free of sin. I shouldn’t assume that’s the case for everyone.
Yeah, I can see a problem with that last sentence, which seems to be saying that every artist has something wrong with them if you dig deep enough. While it’s trivially true that nobody’s perfect, it’s certainly not true that everyone is equally heinous or that everyone has said or done things bad enough to “ruin” their creations if only you knew about them.
I lean more toward @Elmer_J.Fudd’s point of view, that “my enjoyment of art isn’t affected one bit by my knowledge of the creator’s sins unless the sins are somehow reflected in the art.” But the more I think about it, the more complicated it gets, and it leads me into surprisingly deep philosophical waters.
It does to me, too.
Oh, by all means, try and ruin Pratchett for me, I’d love to see this…
“Free of sin”? If you have to exaggerate what others are saying in order to disagree with their position, maybe reconsider your own. Nobody has said “free of sin,” that would be stupid.
I have no desire to ruin anything for anybody…nor am I willing to go to the effort.
Everyone has their thresholds.
There are some that will burn the books of a jaywalker, and there are some who will consume the works of a rapist.
Most of us fit somewhere in the middle there.
The thing is, only one of those statements is true. The other is an exaggeration.
I only used that as a catch all for what is being discussed here. I’m really sorry my choice of words is irking you so much this morning. I probably need another cup of coffee.
So, your claim was just empty rhetoric, then.
I think he was a terrible person for having his unfinished works destroyed after his death*.
Not that that will keep me from enjoying his finished works, but I certainly will not be buying anything new.
Bonus points for the creative and dramatic fashion in which they were destroyed.
Whereas it makes me love him more…
Are you seriously apologizing for how I feel? C’mon, that’s silly. If you want to apologize, apologize for your own behavior. Otherwise, no apology requested, and the only thing I’ll gently request is that you write precisely and focus on the merits of different positions re: the OP.
At this point, it’s looking to me like a hijack, and I’ll be done with it.