I used to ask that question of my students in art history classes. Paul Gauguin was a famous painter, but by all accounts, a less-than-perfect husband. I’m not going to get into a debate here, nor did I then, about whether or not Mrs. G. might have been relieved when her husband abandoned her and their five children and then, eight years later, took off for Tahiti. The question remains at what point do we let our personal feelings or opinions about individuals influence our actions.
I was reminded of my rather naive question this morning when I ran across the following blog post: http://popularculturegaming.com/?p=106. In it the author asks the following question: “Is it acceptable to buy a game or other form of entertainment if you know that one of the people who created it holds views that you strongly disagree with?” Essentially it’s the same question I was asking my students and it’s a question that we all have to answer for ourselves–I do know there are a lot of books I would never have read if I limited myself to reading those who hold views that are similar to mine. Perhaps the key word in both my question and the blogger’s question is ”buy”–am I willing for someone who holds views that are reprehensible to me to profit via my actions?
What do you think?
October 21st, 2009 03:30
Boy, talk about tough questions. This is a good time to ask it, since many of us are pondering whether it is okay for Roman Polansky to escape jail time for raping a 13-year-old these many years ago. I may be telescoping my own feelings on the issue when I note that I stopped using typefaces created by Eric Gill (including what was once one of my favorites, Gill Sans) when I discovered that engaged in incest with his daughter (daughters?).
But, sometimes it depends. Being a jerk isn’t to stop me from purchasing software or a book or a movie. I don’t know enough about Gaugin’s relationship to his wife (or what the consequences of the wastrel moving on to Tahiti were on her life) to know how I’d feel about purchasing his pictures.
October 22nd, 2009 08:10
And to add to the complexity is the issue of “degrees of separation.” For example, there is no way I would buy Sarah Palin’s soon-to-be-released book – I am so viscerally repelled by her views that I do not want to put a single cent into her coffers. But I do put many cents (via a membership) into the coffers of my local public library, which I am sure will buy the Palin book and add it to their collection. Now here’s the quandary for me: I don’t mind that my library will buy the book. I’m glad (well, “accepting” is perhaps a better word) , because I believe that libraries should make available books/media of all types – for First Amendment reasons and all that. So I won’t buy the book, but I will support my library, who will buy it. Sometime you just have to hold your nose in the interests of a greater good.