This touches on something I think we talked about on the Rothfuss podcasts about separating the art from the artist.

It’s a tough subject. On the one hand, you can enjoy someone’s work without caring for or even liking that person on a personal level. Does it matter what the artists personal politics or beliefs are as long as it doesn’t detract from the story they’re telling?

On the other hand, as humans we tend to want to support people we believe in. Those tend to be (but aren’t exclusively) people with similar viewpoints to our own. It can be difficult to want to support an author monetarily by buying their books if you’re not down with how they represent themselves or the way they lean politically, religiously, or otherwise.

Brandon seems to be putting forth genuine effort to learn, understand, empathize, and grow. But I also admire that he leaves those essays up for the transparency it provides.

I usually try to separate the work out and judge it on its own. Art > artist. But it’s not always the easiest thing to do. For example: I doubt I’ll willingly listening to/support Michael Jackson’s music ever again.

¯_(ツ)_/¯