In this day and age, cancel culture is on the rise, and celebrities are increasingly coming under scrutiny for their personal actions.
This leads to the question, is it OK to listen to music by controversial artists? Or read novels by polarizing authors? The term people use to describe this moral dilemma is “separating the art from the artist.”
Take Kanye West. He has publicly expressed antisemitic hate speech and stated that he “loves Hitler.” Michael Jackson faced severe child sexual abuse allegations. J.K. Rowling spread transphobic messages over social media.
The list of cancelled artists seems to keep going on and on. This can lead to fierce debates on whether it is morally acceptable to separate art from the artist.
On one hand, people argue that it is OK to enjoy media from controversial figures. Individuals can choose to focus on the art itself, rather than the creator behind it.
A Lincoln student (’28) stated, “I think it’s fine to support whatever music artist you want to, as long as you’re not pushing their views onto anyone else.”
Another student (’27) shared that, “I think if you find a way to listen to the artist that’s not supporting them, like pirating it, it would be OK, but if they’re super controversial, and they’re harming other people, you can’t excuse listening to them and supporting them.”
A third student shared a similar opinion, stating that “not financially supporting them makes it OK, but direct contribution to them is not OK.”
On the other hand, people argue that it is not OK to support the artists in any way, shape, or form. Continuing to enjoy media despite knowing the controversy around the creator behind it sends the message that it is OK for artists to avoid consequences of their actions.
One student (’27) shared that she believes that supporting artists depends on the level of controversy. She stated, “For the ones that are more serious, I don’t like to support the artist that did something bad.”
Another student (‘27) shared that they didn’t believe in separating the art from the artist and stated, “it’s like saying you’re still going to shop at Starbucks because you like the drinks, but they don’t treat their employees fairly. It’s not OK to support.”
Ultimately, art will always be connected to the artist behind its creation. People will always have differing opinions on whether it is OK to separate art from the artist. It is up to the individual to decide for themselves where they stand.