Should We Cancel the Art With the Artist?

F4L Executive Director Kat Murti on BoldTV’s Millennial Minute

What defines someone as an artist is their creation of their art. A singer who doesn’t sing isn’t a singer and a dancer who doesn’t dance isn’t a dancer, either.

Theoretically, art can be appreciated without any knowledge of who created it or why, but even then, our mind’s eye imagines an artist and motivation, providing the lens through which we view the work. 

The beauty of a market system is that it empowers individuals to promote their values through their choices. In other words, we vote with our dollars. When we listen to our favorite musician’s new album or buy a ticket to the latest blockbuster movie, we are putting money in content creators’ pockets, and telling the world that we want more of that kind of content produced by those kind of people. 

That said, we do need to be wary of a “cancel culture” that treats all infractions the same, preventing people from learning from their mistakes, and becoming better people.