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Should we support racist/immoral authors/artists/inventors?

#1
Magical Realist Online
I'm goin to the H.P. Lovecraft film festival this weekend. I have a friend who said she isn't going because H. P. Lovecraft was a known racist. I feel like I can separate the man from his works. Gauguin was a syphilitic pedophile. Henry Ford was a vocal antisemitic. Jack London was racist. Charles Dickens was a wife abuser. Hemingway treated EVERYBODY like shit. And Walt Disney's "Song of the South" is locked in a vault! Do I check the personal convictions/conduct of every artist/creator I read or support.? No..I don't. Should I? More specifically, is supporting a creator's works the same as condoning his views or behavior?
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#2
Yazata Offline
(Oct 7, 2016 07:05 PM)Magical Realist Wrote: Should we support racist/immoral authors/artists/inventors?

I don't like moralizing and condemning, where everyone is shaking their finger at everyone else going "Sinner!, Sinner!, Sinner!, Evil!, Evil! Evil!"

It's a kind of moral perfectionist neo-puritanism that I viscerally dislike.

It's even worse when this moral judgementalism tries to alienate us from our own history and cultural heritage, because the past is now suddenly perceived as having been populated by sinners and doesn't conform to some imaginary moral standard.

Quote:I'm goin to the H.P. Lovecraft film festival this weekend.

I'm a big fan of H.P. Lovecraft. That doesn't mean that I agree with him about everything. (I like you and I don't agree with you about everything.) But there's no denying that he was an absolute genius regarding the literary depiction of the macabre and uncanny. He deserves the recognition that he's belatedly gotten.

Quote:Hemingway treated EVERYBODY like shit.

Right! You can't condemn me as a racist or a sexist, I hate and loathe everyone equally!
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#3
Syne Offline
(Oct 7, 2016 07:05 PM)Magical Realist Wrote: And Walt Disney's "Song of the South" is locked in a vault!

And too bad, since that was a nice childhood memory. If anything, it helped children identify with a blacks as something other than criminals.

Quote:Do I check the personal convictions/conduct of every artist/creator I read or support.? No..I don't. Should I? More specifically, is supporting a creator's works the same as condoning his views or behavior?

Depends. If they are still capable of benefiting from your support, in terms of money or furthering their goals, then you shouldn't support them. Most dead people would not fall into this category. One noted exception would be Margaret Sanger, who was a racist who sought to sterilize and extinguish blacks. Considering "2010 Census results reveal that Planned Parenthood is targeting minority neighborhoods. 79% of its surgical abortion facilities are located within walking distance of African American or Hispanic/Latino neighborhoods." (http://www.protectingblacklife.org/pp_targets/), it seems PP is still doing her racist work. And some people want the tax payers to fund this, which raises the same concerns you raise here.
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#4
Leigha Offline
(Oct 7, 2016 07:05 PM)Magical Realist Wrote: I'm goin to the H.P. Lovecraft film festival this weekend. I have a friend who said she isn't going because H. P. Lovecraft was a known racist. I feel like I can separate the man from his works. Gauguin was a syphilitic pedophile. Henry Ford was a vocal antisemitic. Jack London was racist. Charles Dickens was a wife abuser. Hemingway treated EVERYBODY like shit. And Walt Disney's "Song of the South" is locked in a vault! Do I check the personal convictions/conduct of every artist/creator I read or support.? No..I don't. Should I? More specifically, is supporting a creator's works the same as condoning his views or behavior?

I actually do like to know how people conduct themselves away from their craft, personally. Not that I'm the judge and jury, we all have flaws, but being a racist isn't a mere ''flaw'' to me. Having said that, if someone had a racist PAST, and now he/she is REFORMED, then I'd be more inclined to purchasing their works. But, if the person has worldviews that completely clash with mine from a moral perspective, then I don't purchase their stuff. The only exception I make is if someone holds different political views than me, that I don't care about. 

I didn't know Charles Dickens was a wife abuser. Ugh.  Angry I can't un-see that, now.
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#5
Magical Realist Online
Well my friend relented and went with me to the film festival last night. I told her sometimes it's better to go out on the town than to sit at home with your principles intact. She's african american and asked a black guy in line about HP Lovecraft and he said he separates the man from his art. She saw his point. I think it's good we be aware of this. But everyone must decide for themselves what the right thing to do is. Today we continue our journey thru macabre tentacally short films, feature length horror films, panel discussions, and director Stuart Gordon in person presenting his classic cult films Reanimator and From Beyond!


[Image: h-p-lovecrafts-from-beyond.jpg]
[Image: h-p-lovecrafts-from-beyond.jpg]

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#6
stryder Offline
Lovecraft was from a different time where racism was the norm. Who's to know how a persons views would be if the world they lived in was different.

As mentioned though it's best to separate their creative endeavours from any extreme view points they have unless they are directly entangled with each other.
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