A friend of mine, Kate Gabrielle (fabulous artist, knowledgable blogger, and pin-maker extraordinaire), wrote a think piece last year called "When your fave is problematic." It was a wonderful post about whether it's possible to separate the art from the artist when you like the art but the artist is not a particularly great person. Her thoughts on the subject mirrored mine exactly and I think of that blog post frequently.
The piece becomes even more relevant today, in light of Weinstein and the seeming droves of celebrities who, it turns out, are not actually terrific people after all. It's such a tricky moral dilemma. Like Kate wrote in her own post, I find myself reacting differently to each situation. I find it easy to dislike Adolphe Menjou after reading his conservative political views in Myrna Loy's autobiography. But I still struggle to dislike Errol Flynn, who I know was a bad person. And Gary Cooper, who was a friendly witness in the HUAC trials. I can easily write off Woody Allen as a creep - I don't like his movies anyway so there's nothing lost there. But, hearing John Lasseter is taking a leave of absence amidst reports of bad behavior stirs conflicting feelings in me.
As bad as this conundrum is in regards to current celebrities, I feel even worse about it when it comes to classic movie celebrities that I love. I have a picture of Errol Flynn pinned up at my desk at work (alongside Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Gene Kelly, Myrna Loy, William Powell, and Audrey Hepburn). I looked at the other day and felt a rush of conflicting emotion - should I even like him anymore?
One of my good friends hates Clark Gable after reading an article about his rape of Loretta Young. The story definitely tints my view of him as a person - but I still enjoy It Happened One Night. I was angry when I read that Casey Affleck won an Oscar, despite the allegations against him. He may be a talented actor, but is it right to give him accolades? I have a harder time forgiving actors in contemporary movies; I don't have as much sentimental attachment to them or their roles. But the people I grew up watching, the movies that comfort me after a rough day, the scenes that I love so much that quoting them has become part of my identity - that is harder to sift through. I feel as though I need to have a consistent mindset about it - I should write off Errol Flynn with the same ease with which I write off Woody Allen. But I still love The Adventures of Robin Hood. Is that wrong?
I don't actually have an answer to this conundrum. It's something I've been working through in my head for a while now. I can't think of a better way to wrap this up than Kate did, so here is her final thought on the matter. And definitely go read her article because it's a very good discussion on the topic:
Ideally I would love to experience a moment of clarity on this topic, but for the time being I remain thoroughly ethically confused. I guess at the very least, the fact that my enjoyment of movies created by morally questionable people bothers me is a sign that my conscience is still somewhat intact. The knot may never become untied, but at least there's a glimmer of hope that it could loosen.
Read more: Silents and Talkies: When your fave is problematic
What are your thoughts on the matter? Do you find this to be a moral dilemma as well? (Also, I changed the settings on the comments, so hopefully they'll start posting again. I am sorry about that!)
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