I think we need to get more comfortable with the idea that sometimes shitty, racist, homophobic, bigoted people are still incredibly talented.
I feel like every time I see a post addressing someone’s shitty behavior the post also takes the time to mention that they’re not even good at [x] anyway. And that’s just not always true? Equating being good at a skill as being morally good is just not necessary. Someone can be a fantastic writer, can have a beautiful singing voice, can create breathtaking artwork, and still be a horrible person.
I know part of this is probably just the instinct to dislike everything about a person when you dislike them, but I also think this mindset leads to people defending creatives way past where they should, because if bad people create bad art, then if this person creates art that I like and resonates with me, then they can’t be a bad person!
And you know. That’s just not true. Those two things are simply completely unconnected and I think it’d be healthier if we all started disconnecting them in our heads.
You must kill the voice in your mind that tells you that good art is only made by moral, upstanding people. The most monstrous people you have ever met are capable of art that would make you weep. It is the contradiction at the heart of the human experience.
We create to create, not because we are good or bad. We critique the worldview and beliefs forwarded by that art, but the craft of the art can still be excellent.
Creation is not ethical or moral. It is human.
