We are constantly receiving reports, accusations and rumors about artists in the industry being physically and mentally abusive towards people that surround them. Are their creative minds worth ignoring the harm they do? Do we need to stop giving these abusers a platform?
When the police reports of Chris Brown’s abuse towards Rihanna came out he faced a backlash of hate and anger, so how-come he was still able to get multiple Top Ten hits in the U.K. and the U.S. after the news of his hateful acts? Emma Roberts and Johnny Depp are both actors that were still able to get roles and be congratulated on their performances even though they both had allegedly abused their significant other. Is it their good looks? Their ‘charming’ personalities? Or the fact that consumers continue to indulge in the mentality that the art is separate from the artist?
Sometimes terrible people make good things but if you are able to say that a victims pain and suffering is less important than a good song, movie or book then you’ve chosen to plead ignorant to the abuse suffered by people across the world. You are aiding those trying to silence victims. By turning a blind eye you are becoming the problem.
Should we not hold those in the public eye much more accountable for their terrible actions considering these are the people that young, impressionable children will be looking up to, that they will be learning from. If we see pictures of Rihanna beaten half to death and then continue to support Chris Brown we are indirectly giving permission to people to go ahead and abuse others because their reputations will not be ruined.
Eminem targets multiple different females in all of his raps, attacking them, objectifying them and degrading them, if the women he’s attacking speak out they are ignored in favor of his ‘good raps’ and his actions are dismissed as just ‘joking behavior’. We are giving celebrities a green card to be derogatory towards others and receive no punishment for it. As people with large platforms they are influencing how people believe they can act and their overall disgusting behavior is slipping under the radar.
There was an uproar when Vladimir Nabokov first published his novel, Lolita, written about a middle-aged man who becomes obsessed with a 12 year old girl. People still find discomfort in this novel today but overlook the accusations that R.Kelly has displayed pedophile behavior because they enjoy his music.
People are ignoring so much in our society today, due to bad people doing good things, that we are regressing. We need to become aware that we are suppressing victims, we are allowing ourselves to become ignorant to the social injustices faced in the industries for our own pleasure. A good song is never worth supporting an artist that physically abuses others, celebrities shouldn’t be congratulated and supported after doing acts that everyday civilians go to prison for.
Art should not be separate from the artists because by supporting the art you are supporting the artist.
