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Appreciating the talent while despising the person

Over the past couple of weeks, it's become an almost daily occurrence for a Hollywood celebrity to get accused of sexual misconduct. Even without using Google as a guide, here's a list of the names I can remember getting "outed" for such conduct over the past couple weeks or so: Harvey Weinstein, Kevin Spacey, Dustin Hoffman, Louis C.K., James Toback, Ben Affleck, Charlie Sheen, Andy Dick, Jeremy Piven, etc. While many these celebrities' current and future projects have been jeopardized due the allegations, and rightly so, what is the proper response from the public? Is there one? Is it possible to admire the talent of an artist, yet despise him (or her) on a personal level?

Right or wrong, I've never viewed Hollywood celebrities with the same lens as I do the general population. From the excessive amounts of make-up, to the liberal use of plastic surgery, to the fact many get paid millions of dollars to portray someone else, Hollywood celebrities have always come across to me like talented mannequins. This may be a big reason why I've never fallen victim to celebrity crushes (obsessions). Often times when I hear them speak on late-night talk shows, I wonder, "Is this the REAL them speaking? A character they've played? Is there even a real them?"

So what is the proper response when a Hollywood celebrity gets accused of committing an atrocious crime, like sexual assault? If they're found guilty, like in other jobs, they should be fired, and will need to put in a significant amount of time and effort in order to try to rebuild their reputation and earn projects again. As part of the public, though, should we then boycott these celebrities' projects, past, present, and future? Does this then punish their costars who had nothing to do with the alleged crimes? Where do we draw the line?

That's a difficult question to answer, and I'm not sure it's a clear black-and-white issue. The truth of the matter is I don't personally interact with any Hollywood celebrities. Hollywood feels like another planet to me, devoid of emotion and identity. Unfortunately, this lack of emotion and identity infringed on the emotions and identities of others, leaving us to ask ourselves, "Is it possible to appreciate the talent while despising a person?" In my opinion, it is, but I can fully understand those whom feel differently. In any case, for as sad as these couple of weeks have been, hopefully it's the beginning of the end to the intimidatingly sexist culture in Hollywood. Regardless of the city, country, or planet, people aren't objects and shouldn't be treated as such.

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