Death of the Author, and Perhaps Death of the King of Spain

[lumenquill]

 CW:  sexual assault mention and discussion of fear of it

 

              So, a few weeks, maybe a month or so back I was sitting around with an old friend goofing off. We were singing songs and making jokes, when they break into King of Spain by Moxy Früvous.

              Only a short while prior I had composed a parody of said song as a joke for my mom, all about my cat Nebby being the king of Spain and being unable to eat humble pie due to it being too starchy for her strict carnivore diet as a cat.

              My mom had responded with mild discomfort to this parody, and when I asked why I was informed it was because the band who composed the song King of Spain was former CBC radio host Jian Ghomeshi’s band.

              I remembered when Jian Ghomeshi had hosted the radio program Q and I remembered the controversy and the many sexual assault charges surrounding him. And so, in this moment, in which my friend had broken into the same song that caused my mother discomfort just weeks earlier, I shared that mild discomfort at the memory.

              My friend questioned my own discomfort, and I explained the same thing my mother had to me. They awkwardly replied that they believe in death of the author and enjoying art for what it is as opposed to what the artist has done.

              I thought about this, and I wasn’t going to tell my friend that they were wrong, because I certainly had no idea what to do with that information. If they had been telling me this about Harry Potter, I likely would have been much quicker to challenge that opinion, as JK Rowling stands for many arguments against the rights of trans women and actively uses her fortune to campaign against them, but what was there to say about Jian Ghomeshi? I personally hadn’t heard hide nor hair of him since he left CBC.

              I thought back to another conversation I had had with another acquaintance. Said acquaintance had argued that there was nothing wrong with supporting JonTron, a youtuber who has sunk into infamy for racist and more recently anti-vaccine comments, because as a youtuber, even a semi-well known one, he had no power to use for these causes.

              I wasn’t sure I agreed with that, because his voice could certainly be amplified and used to spread misinformation even if he had no money to throw at his cause, whatever it may be. He still had words to tell people things that weren’t true, and ideas that could be given to people that may do worse than him with it.

              And yet, it’s not like regressive or bigoted folk like JonTron and JK Rowling are the same thing as on convicted or accused of sexual assault. At the end of the day, you could be known for having the most perfect views in the world of human rights and still be convicted of such a crime. It’s a mostly unrelated brand of heinous.

              I am uncomfortable singing King of Spain because it reminds me of my own fears as an asexual, afab person who wouldn’t offer consent in the first pace under the vast majority of circumstances. The knowledge that one of the central people who made this song would not respect that deep fear I carry rubs me the wrong way.

              And yet, I can see why that wouldn’t strike so personally for other people. I can see why they’d want to brush it aside, ignore it, and enjoy the music.

              I can see why jokes and silly faces and comedic timing to lead one to overlook what JonTron has said and done because its not relevant to what he’s making.

              I can see even why childhood nostalgia would make it hard to let go of Harry Potter, even in the face of everything Rowling has said and done.

              But I can’t dismiss those things myself. I don’t believe it’s black and white, I don’t believe we can just let the author die and celebrate works without them or cancel them on the internet no mercy. It is in fact a case-by-case basis, everyone has their limits, and everyone has their values.

              I haven’t forgiven any of these people for their actions, but I also respect that other people have their own prerogative. Well, ok, until you start giving someone who is actively hurting others with that money your money. Then I might be a little more judge-y. Why does anyone still eat at Chick Fil E?

              Its complicated and messy and doesn’t have a straight answer. I don’t have a clear answer myself, only my own views. We don't live in an agreeable world where everyone agrees who the villains are and how we should go about deplatforming them, that would just be childish.

              I do wish I could still enjoy King of Spain, however. It’s a silly song.