With the rise of cancel culture, it’s something that’s got me curious, why are so many works (music, literature, tv shows, etc.) no longer separated from their controversial makers? Is it purely to do with money (e.g. not wanting to give money to people you don’t agree with?) and what about controversial people who are dead? They don’t gain anything, so why isn’t the art separated from the artist? What’s your opinion on this topic?
I just can’t. I’ll strive for immersion into some fantasy world and suddenly I’m wait? Wasn’t that the actor who was accused of dismembering their spouse? And that’s very distracting. Same for re-reading Harry Potter and always being on the lookout for some red flags. It just takes a good amount of fun out of it.
And while being a liberal, there’s some people who aren’t on my side. I don’t listen to right-wing metal. Why would I? And if someone cancels them, I’d give those people a round of applause. I mean I don’t want to set the band members on fire. But they can do a different job?! Their art sucks.
If you don’t like right-wing music, don’t listen to it. In the US, people have a right to make whatever art they want; you can’t silence someone just because you don’t like their message. If you think their art sucks, make some art you do like.
The trouble with banning ideas is who gets to decide what’s banned. If you do set up a system of laws that allows control over what music is made, what stops someone in the future from taking control of that system and abusing it?
I didn’t see anyone besides you mention banning ideas.
Me? Or gastroglizzy? I didn’t propose that either. My suggestion is to fight people who are trying to take away people’s freedom. Not ban them. I mean I’m all for that music being available. I even read Hitler and I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that. I mean with me reading the book. Of course everything about that man is wrong.
I was responding to the person I quoted. I’m not claiming you said or did anything wrong
Fair enough. Though I think banning ideas is the ultimate authoritarian fantasy. It might be a factor?! I don’t really know. It’s complicated in reality, as for example for identity politics or fascism, you’d also need clear enemies. So they kinda need the idea to be out there as well. I think that’s for example why I hear MAGA and my country’s variant of it talk about transgenders, bathrooms and gay people that much. It’s not really an issue for anyone in the population. But they need it for their hate to work.
And I think cancel culture is sometimes linked to authoritarian fantasies.
The issue is: Protesting those asshats is an art form. People design wristbands and stickers. Write songs about it. Talk about it. Last festival I went to had an entire drone show with a political message… Why am now I the one who isn’t allowed to practice or consume art, and them not being opposed is more important than me, my friends and the artists who did all the aforementioned works of art? Isn’t that banning ideas as well? I would like to continue to oppose whomever I want?!
I think you can’t seriously fight cancel culture by applying cancel culture yourself. I mean you can do it, but I think it’d be quite nonsensical, since you’d then be doing the thing you’re simultaneously opposed to.