Messy Art, Messy Artist

We’re all hypocrites.

As artist’s behaviors become more readily available to us through social media, and as societal accountability has transformed in this post #MeToo era, our consumption of media has been altered. It is easier to scrutinize behavior, and thus harder to blindly absorb media without a care for the artist behind it. The discourse surrounding separating the art from the artists permeates our social media every time news breaks about anybody who produces media we consume.

When news of artist Rex Orange County being charged with 6 counts of sexual assault broke, as a casual fan I purged my playlists of his music, which at one point I adored. Discussions about the recent charges saturated my social media feed, and I kept seeing fans of the artist admit that they’d still listen to his music because of how much it meant to them, while still acknowledging the horribleness of Rex Orange Country’s actions. I was quick to judge. I just couldn’t wrap my head around how they could still listen to his music. Responses to the recent news were impossible to escape on social media.

“People kind of identify with music – like that’s one of the first questions people ask you when you’re like getting to know each other, asking ‘what kind of music do you listen to’ it’s just kind of a big part of people’s identities,” said SMC student Lily Skwarczek.

Skwarczek wasn’t surprised by the influx of publicly made opinions on both sides saying “so I think that when artists do things that are – controversial, people feel that they have to take a stance.”

When taking the sometimes insincere moral high ground, it is easy to judge. However, when you look back at the media you yourself consume, it becomes easier to grant some perspective and realize the whole debate is one big slippery slope on both sides.

I may have stopped listening to Rex Orange County, but “Midnight in Paris,” a film directed by Woody Allen, is a personal favorite of mine. Who am I to pass judgment on those who listen to Rex Orange County when I myself regularly view a film directed by a creep who married the adopted daughter of a former partner and has numerous sexual assault allegations.

I could try to defend myself, and say that my line is drawn according to how prevalent the artist is in their work. When I listen to Rex Orange County, his voice is at the forefront, similar to actors appearing directly on screen. Rather, when it comes to directors, they play a behind the scenes role. In these cases, it becomes a little bit easier to separate the art from the artist because they aren’t so in your face.

However, even this rationale becomes faulty. According to those boundaries, how do we then treat authors? I still hold a sense of nostalgia towards the “Harry Potter” series, despite the horrible transphobic comments made by the author. Yet, I was unable to finish an Agatha Christie novel because of its horrifically casual racism and anti-semitism. People tell me it’s just a product of its time. Does that excuse it? The authors are no longer alive to profit and the modes of thought can be simply labeled as outdated, but it’s not like anti-semitism and racism aren’t still problems in today’s world.

The whole debate is home to some rocky terrain. The only conclusion I’m able to reach is that we are all hypocrites. The only thing we can do is civilly have these discussions while being sensitive to the feelings of others around us, because no matter how unwaveringly moral we’d like to think we are, we can be inconsistent.

We all have our exceptions that we make. Skwarczek says part of the reason this issue can get so messy is “because of how personally people identify with different types of media.” Like I make an exception for “Midnight in Paris,” Skwarcek brings up her own – Jim Carrey.

Skwarczek admits he too is a problematic figure. “He says and does a lot of things that are – questionable. But you know I grew up watching him and a lot of his movies when I was younger.” As new information comes to light about our personal favorites, Skwarczek says “it can be kind of hard to detach yourself from something you’ve already attached yourself to.”

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