#eclipse just has his own baggage regarding humans

[septembersghost]

James Brown was undeniably influential and a good friend of Elvis. He was also abusive towards many women in his life. I listen to his music sometimes. I wonder if it’s bad that I’m able to separate what he did in his personal life from his music because I know if I knew an abusive man like that in real life, I would detest him. But at the same time, I feel like the music should be able to stand on its own and not be brought down by his baggage. Idk. It’s definitely complicated.

i saw someone mention this in regards to miles davis and john lennon the other day too, and hitchcock (whom i've mentioned before myself), and i enjoy certain work from all of them, despite knowing negative personal things. or, like, roald dahl was an antisemite, but i won't get upset when people like matilda. we know elvis wasn't perfect, but he tried to be a source of good, which matters too. we've chosen to care about things that move us, and that's okay. it's okay to not want that light we find to be eclipsed.

it's also hard to spend energy on such constant negativity surrounding art/fiction when we're already inundated by so much in reality (but that's also why getting mad about it can feel like an easier win, because it's a constant battle to implement any manner of appreciable systemic change). countless authors of the past were racist/sexist because they were white men, but we're not going to never read seminal works again. an incredible and influential musician who was "problematic," yet isn't still causing any harm, and who influenced genre/musicality or that you enjoy, is any damage being done in listening? isn't there more to lose in boycotting/censoring it forever? don't we learn and grow and transform from art? i think it's different with someone who's hurting people (directly through abuse or indirectly through bigotry) in the present for sure, but others might feel differently. and it's just really tough because how and where do we draw the line? it's frankly a lot easier when someone has passed, because you're not giving them a platform or immediate monetary benefit. i don't think it's bad that you can separate it - and quite often, that separation is self-protective too. nobody wants to constantly nitpick and interrogate and morally weigh everything they enjoy, it's impossible. what you stand for and support as a human is not dependent on art you like, and can coexist when you know your morals are independent and valuable beyond that. it really is so complex and difficult to judge.