OP-ED
The Artist and the Art
Has Hogwarts lost its magic?
When virtue signals flash like the neon lights of Vegas, it can sometimes slip through the cracks that artists are people, too. They lurk among us, in gyms, coffee shops and dark alleyways. They vary in form. From notorious transphobes and Twitter creeps to wife beaters and racists, the artist is rarely a perfect specimen. So what then of their art?
Separating the artist from their art can bring with it interesting moral dilemmas. When beloved creators make hateful or controversial statements, when they say and do heinous things, it can be hard not to jump to conclusions. When Kanye West began his latest and greatest onslaught of racist public remarks, it was difficult for me not to fall into the mind set that his entire catalogue should be trashed and his accomplishments tarnished.
As time has gone on, though, I’ve stepped back a bit from that position. While I won’t be listening to him anytime soon, to say that his music should never be heard again is a step further than I’d be willing to go.
In the last few years, censorship has risen to new heights. From book bannings and school curriculum invasions on the right to celebrity defamations and cancellations on the left, we live in tumultuous times.
