Guilty by association. According to the dictionary, this phrase is the “attribution of guilt (without proof) to individuals because the people they associate with are guilty.” Often more than not, this phrase ties into the also used “Your company determines your character.”
These days, no celebrity is black and white; there is always a grey area. No celebrity is completely vocal on every topical issue, while no celebrity is completely objective – devoid from any form of political statements.
Examples include Taylor Swift, who is considered to be the epitome of a ‘white feminist,’ as well as Azealia Banks, who is Swift’s polar opposite (while the blonde pop singer discusses cis, white, female empowerment, Banks focuses mostly on racial issues, avoiding (and often antagonizing) both women and those in the LGBT+ community.) Now, while these women may share these less-than progressive thoughts, does listening to their music hereby make you a follower of their beliefs? My answer? No. Music runs at a different frequency.
While some songs (and videos) may incorporate the ideologies of the artists that sing them, simply enjoying a catchy beat does not make you a white feminist, nor does it make you a homophobe. However, the only way that ‘guilty by association’ can be invalidated is through the identification and understanding of your favorite artist’s beliefs. There is a long list of artists with a rap sheet for problematic remarks (some of the least known ‘problematic’ ones include singers like Brendan Urie, bands like The1976, as well as – believe it or not – rappers like Donald Glover.) Don’t fret, though! Simply listening to their music does NOT make you a supporter of their beliefs.
Music is music, so listening to them is one thing. Defending them is another. Using phrases like, “I know ___ is problematic, but I don’t care” or “Leave ___ alone! They may have done this, but they still have good music” is a form of sympathizing, which uses one trait of an artist to try and compensate for the other. In such a case, saying that someone’s music makes up for their racist/sexist/homophobic/ableist comments is NOT doing you any favors.
Constantly defending your “problematic faves” invokes your ‘guilty by association,’ card, and you will thereby be considered as a follower of that person’s beliefs. On the other hand, calling out your faves while simultaneously enjoying their art is perfectly fine, as long as you don’t try and invalidate their problematics with how good you find their music. Comments that express your love for someone’s music, but your distaste for what they believe in are absolutely perfect and show that you are, in no way, affiliated with their thoughts.
So, a rundown: Listening to music by someone problematic does not associate you to their movement. Defending, sympathizing with, or diminishing their conduct DOES. Don’t turn a blind eye to the issues of your favorite celebrity. You can think Kylie Jenner is pretty without defending her abuse and appropriation of black culture. You can think Childish Gambino is a great rapper while addressing and understanding his fetishization of Asian women, as well as his abusive use of slurs.
You can think John Green has a beautiful writing style while also discussing his dependence on stereotypes and male-glorifying tropes. Consuming does not make you an ally of the source. You are partaking for your own benefit, not theirs. And don’t try and ignore people trying to educate you on the things your faves have done. This reluctance to accept what your idols have done easily aligns you with them. Besides, you’ll probably want to know.
Feminism. You probably hear the word a lot, whether it’s positive or negative. You know, the typical dialogue when it comes to women’s rights. “Feminism isn’t even relevant anymore, it’s just women whining! Get over it!” “I hate feminists, they just take the fun out of everything. Just take a joke!” “I despise feminists, they only care about women, and want women to be in power!” Well, those are all arguable. And by arguable, I mean dead wrong. Rest in peace. In memoriam of your uninformed arguments.
First off, feminism is incredibly relevant. In first world countries? Maybe not as relevant, but certainly still important. Rape figures are much higher than they should be, people are somehow still making “make me a sandwich” jokes, and many men in America are blatantly disrespectful to women in general, and get praised for it. Men in the music industry seem to really have a venomous attitude towards women.
Let’s not even bring up the objectification of women in the fashion industry. However, the real issue is in third world countries, where girls like Malala Yousafzai, who simply want an education, get shot in the head on her school bus. Where so many girls are raped and literally stoned to death for doing things men do every day. It’s vile, and it’s one of the reasons feminism is so important. Secondly, when you tell jokes like rape jokes, it shouldn’t be surprising when girls get mad about it.
Or anyone, really. Considering rape is one of the worst things that can happen to someone, and women have a 1/6 chance of it happening in their lifetimes, in a FIRST WORLD COUNTRY, it’s not really funny. Now, it’s story time. One day, at school, a kid in my class told a rape joke. Two girls near him got angry about it, and his response was, “This is why I hate feminists. Can’t even take a joke.” Of course, this made me angry as well.
I didn’t say anything, because these girls were handling this much better than I would, but let’s get one thing straight. Rape is not funny. Rape is never funny. If you think rape is funny, re-evaluate your entire life. And I mean that. Rape. Is. Not. A. Joke. Rape. Is. Not. A. Joke. Lastly, this entire “feminists want power over men!” lie. Take .5 seconds to look up the meaning of feminism. Don’t want to? That’s fine. I’ll do it.
Feminism Noun the advocacy of women’s rights on the grounds of political, social, and economic equality to men. Feminists don’t want power over men. They want equal opportunities, equal representation, equality and equity in general. That’s what people fighting the feminist fight want. And, before you claim that feminism doesn’t fight for men as well, you might want to look into it a bit more. If you did, you’d realize that feminism also supports male victims of abuse, male rape victims, men of color, gay/bi/pan/a/other-sexuality men, trans men, enforces positive male body image, and basically everything “meninists” complain that feminism doesn’t care about. Bottom line? Don’t be afraid to be a feminist.
Are there negative connotations to the word due to some radical feminists that really need to find their chill? Of course. There’s a negative connotation to most groups in the world. Don’t let it define you. Break that stereotype. Don’t be afraid to fight the good fight. Don’t be afraid to be a feminist. Be afraid of those who aren’t.
