Bad behaviors and lost art
I wrote last week about the recent series of sexual misconduct allegations against a variety of politicians, celebrities and others. It seems we’ve hit an epidemic, or, as I wrote, more likely a turning point in what the victims of these acts are willing to accept.
The reactions of the public to these allegations have been mixed. For some, the turning point is a difficult change to make as they grew up in times where these things were, if not acceptable, at least tolerated or swept under the rug and dealt with privately, if at all. Partisan politics in Sacramento and Washington may make it difficult to deal with some of the politicians. When it became clear that the allegations against Roy Moore were credible, some in Alabama went into denial mode, while others stated publicly that they’d prefer to vote for a pedophile than a Democrat. The polls remain close.
When Anthony Weiner was found to have sent explicit photographs of himself to a woman via Twitter, reactions were swift and bipartisan. He was forced to resign. Weiner apparently had a compulsion and he was later found to be sexting with a minor and has recently reported to prison.
Democrats cannot claim the moral high ground in other cases. The claims against Bill Clinton were never as clear-cut, but there was certainly cause for concern and many Democrats stood by him throughout. And in both Sacramento and Washington, there are other cases. Sexual harassment and other forms of misconduct are clearly bipartisan.
There is one thing that is unclear to me and it’s a matter that I’m still grappling with. In some of these cases, there is the role of an artist. What we have to reconcile now is the fact that some people can make great art, movies, books, or music, works that affect us in a deeply personal way, but do horrible things in their personal and professional lives.
Where does forgiveness come in and how can we enjoy the works that they create, given what we now know of them? I don’t know the answer to either of these.
In some cases, the decision is easier. Weinstein’s activities appear to have been both despicable and a long-standing pattern, but his role in Hollywood was as a producer, so it is easier to mentally divorce him from the films his company made. His role was more financial than creative and when we see the films with which he was associated, his image does not come to mind.
Other decisions are also clear-cut, but on the other end of the spectrum. When we learned that Bill Cosby was a serial rapist, most of his devoted fans abandoned him, including fellow comedians who had grown up with his work as a major influence. Much of his work went out of circulation. Reruns of his shows are no longer played much on television. As beloved as he was, most of us cannot see him, or his work, without a mental image of his crimes appearing. And Cosby has neither shown remorse or even admitted his crimes. His reputation and image will not likely recover in his lifetime.
A less clear case is that of Louis CK. His sexual misconduct charges, while serious, were not as horrific as Cosby’s. Worse though, he spent years minimizing them and attempting to silence the victims.
More recently, after years of denial, he openly admitted the truth of them. He also acknowledged the abuse of power involved in what he did and is taking a step back from his career and the public eye. Whether he did this out of true contrition and remorse or because the truth was finally obvious and unavoidable, or some combination of both, we cannot know.
None of that excuses his conduct, nor should it allow him to avoid consequences. But it calls for the question: how do we view his work? In his comedy, Louis CK often employed dark, even vulgar themes, using his own life as a mirror of some of the worst in humanity. He has intentionally made people uncomfortable, which is often the role of good art. But, how do we view his work with the knowledge that the dark behavior he explores has been part of his personal life in ways that has harmed others?
And, if he returns to his creative career in say, two or five years, could we forgive him and view his work again? Should we? What would he need to do to earn forgiveness and show remorse and reformation?
To these questions, I honestly have no answers. Perhaps time will tell.