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?
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No. At best you can try to shunt it to the side in your mind, but it’s still going to be there. Worming away what’s left of your conscience.
You can, when you pirate their stuff so they don’t get money.
in my opinion, no. an artist’s worldview informs their art, so things like racism/misogyny/ableism etc etc seep into the works they create. consuming media like that uncritically can be harmful by reinforcing biases, conscious or unconscious.
there’s also the more direct harm that can be done by financially supporting certain artists. jk rowling, for example, is funnelling any wealth she gets from the harry potter franchise into funding anti-trans organisations.
in my experience, people who want to separate art from the artist just want to continue uncritically consuming everything, without feeling guilt over the harm they could be doing by “voting with their dollar”.
Yes and it’s easy
Step 1: Steal the Art. Ensure that the artist does not materially/financially gain in any way from your enjoyment of their work.
Step 2: Talk Shit. Every time someone asks about the art/artist in question is an opportunity to explain in detail exactly why that artist sucks and how to steal their art. Ensure that they do not gain in any other way from your enjoyment of their work. Destroy their reputation so that others do not support them financially.
What about dealing with someone like George Orwell who was a sexual offender? Many people just overlook him and start talking about his books and how well they are written in accordance to today’s society.
