I am not disgusted by Kevin Spacey’s Work
I have my reasons.
A while back I recommended the House of Cards TV series to a friend of mine who is a clinical psychologist. I suggested that particular series for the psychological manipulation and political diplomacies depicted in the show.
She denied straightforwardly stating that she is disgusted by Kevin Spacey (and rightfully so) and can’t watch anything with him in it. She even questioned me how I can still enjoy (and even market) his work after all that.
She was referring to the sexual assault charges that came into light during the #metoo movement.
The question is, do I HAVE to be disgusted by Spacey’s work? I mean I don’t want him to be in the industry anymore, or don’t even want him to exist. But when I am watching him on screen, I see a character (portrayed to perfection), I see art. Don’t judge me too soon. I can’t help it and this article is about explaining that only.
I know people are sensitive about such issues, especially those who have gone suffered trauma themselves. In fact, you don’t need to have a scarred history to feel disgusted by such perpetrators. But here’s something worth emphasizing upon:
I hate the guy, but not his art. There is a difference.
I guess, some people might get this. For others, I owe a clarification. So just hear me out.
When I say “I am not disgusted by Kevin Spacey’s work”, it doesn’t mean I am in favor of acquitting him. I do acknowledge the fact that what he did to those 30 men was indeed disgusting. And he should be brought to justice.
But that doesn’t mean his Oscar-worthy performances are not Oscar-worthy anymore. You can call him a demon and what-not. But he wasn’t a demon whose performances fed on the sexual assaults he carried. There is no direct linkage between his professional work and personal life. These are two separate things.
The first two people, I have discussed this mindset, are claiming that my aficionadic obsession is blinding my vision. I am not seeing the bigger picture. The way I am approaching this might put such predators at ease. That I don’t have empathy for the victims. So I finally decided to open up to my clinical psychology friend.
I have been molested by a 50–55 years old uncle in a moving bus. Probably he was drawn to my “stereotypical” gay features (which apparently a straight male shouldn’t possess). I was traveling alone and I was groped properly. But somehow that didn’t leave a lifelong scar.
I mean I know, it was fucked up and I was confused at the beginning about why would I get an erection while being molested. But with time I realized, it wasn’t my fault. The same way, if a woman’s vagina is getting wet during a rape — it doesn’t mean she is enjoying it. It’s merely a biological reaction.
I just made him a negative character in one of my narratives where at the end of that molestation he asks me to follow him in a dark alley. I follow him like a meek kid and when he would close in, I would slit his throat and would watch the blood spurring from his veins.
I was fortunate enough to make peace with my trauma, while not everyone gets to do that. In fact, I described this incident so casually to my friend that she might have felt I was making this up. There’s a stigma (at least, in India) around the fact that every sexual assault should leave a scar.
Just because my abuse hasn’t left a lasting impression doesn’t mean I don’t empathize with the victims of sexual assault. I know it’s sick or everyone else can’t be equally casual about it. But my growing out of my assault and my sheer obsession for cinematic art are the reasons that I can’t hate Kevin Spacey’s work or Woody Allen’s work.
I am not asking everyone to approach it like me (not that anyone would). It’s just that there will be a minority of people who can segregate between an individual personality and their artistic talent. We can hate the personality, still like their work. Surely won’t watch if a new movie from them is released. I am not in favor of promoting them, but the idea that their previous work is unwatchable is beyond me.
Probably we can’t (and shouldn’t) quantify human behavior but here it is: I admire the 25% of artistic Kevin Spacey that has delivered so many great performances. But I do align with the society on the fact that he should be excommunicated from the industry and even society and he should be on trial for his sins.
“After all, we are nothing more
or less than what we choose to reveal.”— Frank Underwood
Consider me that Police officer who is tasked to make sure nobody kills him when he goes back home after his trial. I am an official of the “department of art-fans” and I don’t have to like the person to like his art (or in this case his acting).
