Skip to main content link. Accesskey SSkip to tab navigation link. Accesskey 1Skip to sub navigation. Accesskey 2

                                                                                                                      Yard:   Pool:   Keg:   Crib: More Weather

    Blogs


    2011 Movie Reviews
       posted on 04/02/2012
    What Hitch Taught Me
       posted on 12/16/2011
    Disturbing Things That I Don't Want to Acknowledge
       posted on 11/14/2011
    Minivans, News and More Proof That I Am a Jackass
       posted on 10/28/2011
    The Danger in Thinking that Everything Happens for a Reason
       posted on 10/04/2011
    Reactions to News of Twin Sightings
       posted on 09/23/2011
    The Intersection of Joy and Fear
       posted on 09/15/2011

    Comments


    Streaming Media
       04/14/2012 by friday
    The Intersection of Joy and Fear
       09/20/2011 by Long Lost Aunt Sandy
    The Intersection of Joy and Fear
       09/16/2011 by muchgooder
    The Intersection of Joy and Fear
       09/15/2011 by Bob
    Religulous
       09/14/2011 by muchgooder
    Religulous
       09/08/2011 by Bob
    Thoughts on One Year of Fatherhood
       08/31/2011 by Amy

    Rooting for Awful People


    Created on Saturday, September 13, 2008        Bookmark and Share

    Home -> Blog -> 2008 -> September


    Today's blog is one that I've struggled with for a number of years: enjoying the work of people who are otherwise awful. When you stop and think about it, it seems like the majority of today's celebrities are generally worthless people. This probably shouldn't surprise us - we root for those with little or no redeeming quality so we can watch them crash and burn later on.

    I think the first time that I realized that my heros were far from perfect was when I was a kid. One of my favorite pitchers had a problem keeping his nose clean and was suspended for large chunks of time because of it. This of course did not make him a bad person (I support one's right to have a busy nose) but it was a taste of what was to come. The parade of wife beaters, kid touchers, thiefs and murderers that followed made me more than skeptical about celebrity.

    So the question of the day is this: is it ok to enjoy the work of an artist that has committed some kind of crime. If so, where is the line?

    I know that I have both enjoyed the works of very flawed men and also avoided them. Woody Allen has become one of my favorite writer/directors. As you probably know, Woody ended up marrying his girlfriend's daughter (there is a misconception that she was his step-daughter). This in itself does not make him a bad person - to each, his own. However, there is good reason to believe that he started "dating" her before she was of age and that is a different ballgame. Worse, Mia Farrow accused Allen of crimes against their other (younger) daughter in her tell-all book. That is just one example - I could list adulterers and cheats all day long.

    I think that finding that "moral" balance comes down to a few things:

    1) The offense
    2) Is the offense proven
    3) Our enjoyment of this person

    The third reason is a bit sad but I think we all do it. We can be so against something yet still allow ourselves to partake because the level of enjoyment is so high. Sorry, just being honest.


    Laziest Guy Ever   More in SEPTEMBER   Fantasy Football Awfulness

    Add Comment
    Name:
    Comments:


    Skip to main content link. Accesskey S