I was in Australia a few weeks back, and I’m not sure how much it made the news here in the US, but a high profile Aussie cardinal (nowadays second to the Pope in fact) got convicted for some less than godly behavior. Turns out some young choirboys were caught sipping from the holy wine (that’s not a euphemism) and so then he disciplined them by burying the bishop (that is a euphemism). As a result of his conviction, the high school he went to decided to remove all his old achievements and awards, essentially erasing the memory of him.
In a similar backlash, the recent airing of a Michael Jackson documentary resulted in radio stations banning his music. Also, entertainers Roseanne Barr, Louis CK, Kathy Griffin, and actor Kevin Spacey’s past and upcoming work was taken off air or cancelled after some less than ethical behavior came to light, ranging from sexual assault, to bad comedy, to a bad tweet.
It’s an interesting time we live in, with the vilification of bad behavior and the subsequent erasing of creative work. Were these actions reprehensible? To state the obvious: of course. But I hope you’ll agree that all misdeeds are not equal in their evil.
Because if you really think about it, the overwhelming majority of great artists are...and let’s be honest here folks...assholes. Or, at least messed up in some strange way. But surely part of that magic creative el
