The gay community is a collective
rainbow huff over the movie “Ender’s Game” because Orson Scott Card, the author
of the novel on which the movie is based, holds conservative views on gay
marriage and homosexuality. Lots of gays refuse to see the film and some
have organized boycotts.
I have not read the book or seen
the movie, but I understand it to be science fiction and that it does not
overtly or metaphorically address any gay rights issues. It was written decades
ago before issues of gay rights were as ubiquitous in our public discourse as
they are today. The author is indeed outspoken against gay marriage and gay
rights etc.
People are welcome to boycott any
film or book for any reason, but there’s one important element I think that the
boycotters are missing. That is: Enjoying a work of art is not an endorsement
of the political views of the artist.
I’m all in favor of gay marriage and treating gays
equally under the law in all relevant respects, but it’s not something I’m
going to let get in the way of reading a book or seeing a movie.
You are free to decide what you
want to see or read based on the political views of the creators. But at some point you are going to
paint yourself into a corner. You will at some point find yourself patronizing
the work of an artist with whom you disagree vehemently.
And even if
Card penned a violent homophobic screed that called for some kind of lavender
holocaust, reading it or watching it doesn’t mean you agree with it. Everyone
should be willing to challenge themselves and purposely seek out opposing
viewpoints in art, politics, religion and all aspects of life. If we can’t
listen to the opposition, we can’t form our own arguments thoughtfully.
But let us
also enjoy art for art’s sake. If “Ender’s Game” is a shitty book and movie,
let it fail on its own merits, not because you hate the religious or political
view of the author.
I was
disappointed to learn Pablo Picasso was a communist and Louis-Ferdinand Céline was a
fascist. It broke my heart to see ZZ Top play the George W. Bush inauguration and to read about Julianne Moore shilling for illegal
immigration amnesty. Should I boycott all the works of these artists? No. I
disagree with them but my patronage of their work is not an endorsement of
their views.
The case of
Alec Baldwin, a bona fide leftist who recently issued a mea
culpa for calling a reporter a “cocksucking fag,” scrambled the minds of the
powers that be at MSNBC, which suspended his TV show for the offense. But no
matter how disgusted you are with him for whatever reason, you can’t deny his
acting skills. Does watching his films mean you endorse his leftism or his gay
slurs or his unique (gay) marriage of the two? No. You can watch “Glengarry Glenn Ross” guilt-free no matter what your political
persuasion.
An artist’s goal is to make art
that is powerful enough that it can overcome and outlast the foibles of the
artist. Only time will tell. Did Robert Johnson approve of homosexuality? Did
Nathaniel Hawthorne believe in equality between the races? Those questions are
completely irrelevant to those men’s contributions to the world.
At some point art and
politics must go their separate ways. Whatever your politics, can we least
agree that one of the biggest sins of all is limiting your intake of art?
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