With the rise of cancel culture, it’s something that’s got me curious, why are so many works (music, literature, tv shows, etc.) no longer separated from their controversial makers? Is it purely to do with money (e.g. not wanting to give money to people you don’t agree with?) and what about controversial people who are dead? They don’t gain anything, so why isn’t the art separated from the artist? What’s your opinion on this topic?
For living people, money is definitely a big factor.
For both dead and living though, it just leaves a bad taste in my mouth. The emotional connection becomes a lot more difficult once I know that the creator did something heinous. This especially goes for music and books, since it’s more intimately connected to the creator(s). For things like movies and games though, due to the way larger crew, it’s easier to do so (given it’s not auteur driven).
But also, just giving it attention is a form of currency. It kind of gives legitimacy to the person, especially over longer periods where the bad stuff gets forgotten.