Is the artist or politician really separate from the sexual misconduct?

By Greta Baxter

Image: Getty Images / Ringer Illustration

The recent influx of sexual assault allegations towards powerful men, in both the political sphere and in Hollywood, has not only resulted in the empowerment of females, but also leads people to ask whether they can separate the art from the artist – in other words, whether they can support the work of an individual without supporting the individual themself. This question is complicated, oftentimes personal; however it is important that it is answered.

The first time I personally faced this dilemma was when I was 15 and had been obsessed with a musician called Front Porch Step. Unfortunately, months before I planned to go to his concert for my birthday with my friends, multiple teenage girls came forward and exposed him for being an emotionally manipulative pedophile – screenshots of messages were even provided as evidence. Our reaction was difficult but intuitive; we stopped listening to his music, I deleted the selfies I took with him at a music festival, and overtime forgot about him because this was how I chose to no longer support him.

But what is supporting? In the case of musicians or comedians supporting is actively listening to their music or work, as you are giving them praise, attention and money. For example, American rapper XXXtentacion has faced charges of domestic violence against his girlfriend and despite this, many of my friends still continue to listen to his music and when I asked one friend why, his response was: “I’m sorry but the new album is fire!”

While this may be the case, this implies that despite being abusive towards women, he should still be appreciated publicly and praised for his talent. I’m not suggesting that every person who continues to listen to XXXtentacion supports or condones domestic violence. Yet this does imply that an individual’s talent is considered to triumph over their abusive tendencies, which is dangerous for a society which wishes to be intolerant and eradicate domestic violence to the fullest extent possible.

When it comes to the film industry, the issue becomes even more complicated. Should we stop watching all movies that Harvey Weinstein directed? I would say no, for the simple reason that the movies he directed are not solely associated with him as they involve the hard work of other people, such as the actors, who ultimately played a large role in the success of the films. To not support Harvey Weinstein is to understand that all of the movies he played a role in are tainted by his name, and thus not appreciating the film as being an exemplification of his talent and success, but instead the talent and success of others. By removing him from the public sphere and not inviting him to the Golden Globes he is no longer considered as a part of the success of the films. The reason this cannot be done with XXXTentacion is simply that the appreciation and praise of his albums is an appreciation of his work and success, and it is impossible to appreciate and support his work without taking him into account.

But what about politicians, should a politician be supported despite sexual misconduct? No! While our politicians are not necessarily representative of everything we believe in, or even people we personally like, excusing them from the consequences of sexual misconduct implies that power triumphs morals, or even laws. When a person votes for a politician like Roy Moore, who has had multiple women allege that he had attempted to have relationships with them when they were teenagers, or Donald Trump, who has had 18 women come forward with various allegations of assault of harassment and who is recorded saying that his power allows him to “grab them [women] by the pussy” or to walk into the changing room of models while they were naked. The importance and severity of these issues is reduced as we’re basically just saying these instances are no big deal. As a society that should be moving forward, we should understand that politicians are people, and thus should be held to a, in cases like these, legal and moral standard that we hold the rest of society to. There is a difference between overlooking a politician’s support for one policy you disagree with and still voting for them, and overlooking a politician’s pedophilia.

Not supporting an individual is not denying their talent but instead is a matter of acknowledging that these behaviours are not acceptable in our society and therefore they can never be overlooked. The importance of not supporting these politicians, comedians, or musicians lies in the fact that by not supporting these individuals and appreciating their work, we clearly establish a universal moral standard in society. When we continue to support these individuals, we are doing so out of personal convenience, whether the convenience be enjoying a “fire” album, or having a person in power who belongs to the party you support. In the end, it’s important to remember that being a rude or disrespectful person is one thing, however, having a history of sexual misconduct is a whole other story that requires accountability.

Greta Baxter grew up in Moscow, New Jersey, and Paris. Her hobbies include everything involving dessert food, hiking, reading, watching TV shows impressively fast, all while trying to get at least 3 hours of sleep. ‘No Regreta’s’ runs once every month!