Ask Lemmy

I don't really think so... Especially in an era of AI-generated slop that's devoid of the human touch, it's more important than ever to recognize the people who make things.

With that said, I do think that we should be able to accept flaws and imperfections in human creators. I think people should understand the fact that you can like someone's creations without endorsing every aspect of them as a person.

For example, the number of zoomers who I've met that claim that "the Beatles suck" because they have a problem with John Lennon's personal flaws is pretty wild to me. It's cool if people dislike the Beatles, whatever! Did John always practice what he preached? Probably not... But, like, even knowing that he was a bad father to his first son and a bad husband to his first wife, that doesn't really change the fact that his band was objectively one of the most influential musical acts of the 20th century. You don't have to like the guy, the band, or even the songs, but to ignore their once-in-a-generation skill and cultural importance feels like willful ignorance to me.

Like many people, I love Jamaican music: reggae, dub, ska, dancehall, etc. At the same time, I'm not a rasta, nor do I totally agree to some of the religious and political ideologies that rastas have typically believed in (judeo-christianity, African zionism, ethnostatism, the ideas of Preston Garvey, the cult of personality around Haile Selassie, etc.). I choose to look at Jamaica, Rastafari, and the endless library of amazing music that they in the context in which it was created. I try to understand their point of view and relate to their experiences to the best of my ability, even if I don't exactly believe in all of the things that they believe in. The Rasta's music is a window into their world, their culture, and their perspective on life, and I love that music allows for that.

In other words, I think we should be able to judge the work and the person separately, with our understanding of one informing the other, but not dictating it. We shouldn't expect artists and musicians to be any more perfect than any other human being. At the same time, it's fine to judge creators by the things that they say and do outside of their work, and it's understandable if someone has stances or a history of behavior that totally turn you off of their creative output.

If JK Rowling's stance on trans people takes away from your ability to enjoy her work, or at worst becomes a personal attack against your identity (her attacks against trans people are active and relentless), then I think it's perfectly understandable that you can't enjoy Harry Potter anymore. I near read, and was never emotionally invested in, Harry Potter so it's always been very easy for me to say "nah, fuck that shit", especially when she made it her life's work to attack trans people for simply daring to exist. I'm not trans, but empathy alone tells me that trans people should have a right to exist and define themselves as they see fit.

Graham Linehan (creator of some great Irish/British comedy shows that I love, like Father Ted, Black Books and The IT Crowd) went down the same path of trashing trans people on Twitter, and I still watch and enjoy his shows for what they are, despite the fact that I think he's an idiot and an asshole for making his anti-trans hate the molehill he wants to die on.... I don't like him for being that kind of person, but why don't I hold it against him to the same degree that I judge Rowling? I guess probably just because I liked his work in the first place.

So, basically, I can enjoy works from flawed or controversial creators without totally divorcing their work from who they are as a person.