This is the logic of “Everything Is Awesome,” taken seriously. Our enthusiasms apparently cannot stand up to discussion. It is a view of the world that has a lot in common with the same way liberals and progressives tore into each other about whether or not it was helpful to criticize the obviously flawed rollout of the Affordable Care Act. Rather than showing television, movies or books respect by taking them seriously and accepting that they can stand up to analysis, it sometimes feels like the only acceptable way to show affection and appreciation is via absolute veneration.
That all-or-nothing approach can also mean that we end up applying rigorous litmus tests to the artists who are potential objects of our admiration. Does Shailene Woodley’s disavowal of feminism undermine her portrayals of idosyncratic female characters? Does a verse in a Beyoncé Knowles-Carter track that references Ike Turner’s abuse of his wife Tina discredit her newly-proclaimed feminism? Does a single loss of temper in which he used a homophobic slur disqualify Jonah Hill from making the sorts of bromantic comedies that have made him a staple of American movies?
When we criticize politicians for similar slips of temper or public statements, we do so in part because we believe they have revealed something about how they will make policy and enforce the law.
But artists do not behave like politicians.
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