I
t seems that society has
a sort of rule of thumb in
which artists are forgiven
by history for
their “strange
behavior”
because
of
their
ability
to
create
celebrated
pieces,
such as movies, books, etc. By
“strange behavior,” I don’t mean
the unusual oddities exhibited
by geniuses, such as Nikola
Tesla’s supposed habit of flexing
his toes one hundred times a
day. I’m talking about the more
heinous crimes that were either
not considered morally wrong
during the artist’s lifetime or
were simply ignored by those
around them. Artists who are
convicted or accused of rape
or assault are, more often than
not, forgiven, their actions are
forgotten
and
they
become
idolized within their field by
history. In contrast, the people
who have accused these artists
are
oftentimes
criticized
by
society — ostracized for daring
to tarnish the reputation of such
a respected person. Perhaps it is
a desire to be able to enjoy the
works of these artists without
the distastefulness of knowing
that this piece was created by
a terrible human being that
prompts the forgetfulness in
regards to these crimes.
The situation, in one case at
least, appears to be changing.
Recently,
Bill
Cosby
has
suffered a very public fall from
grace,
and
though
various
celebrities still support the
ex-comedian, it seems that his
once-respectable
name
will
forever
be
tarnished.
Even
if Cosby’s health were in a
better state, I doubt that he
would be able to find the same
opportunities for work as he
once had. Though I remain
hopeful that Cosby’s downfall
will eventually lead to the
downfall of other celebrities
who have been accused of
sexual
assault,
I
remain
doubtful.
Roman
Polanski,
who fled to France after being
accused of sexually assaulting a
13-year-old girl, is still making
critically
acclaimed
movies.
Woody Allen, whose film “Cafe
Society” will be released this
year, has garnered favorable
reviews and featured an A-list
cast, in spite of the fact that
his adopted daughter, Dylan
O’Sullivan Farrow, has accused
him of sexually assaulting her
(let’s also not forget the fact
that Allen is married to a girl
whom he met when she was
not yet a teenager and was the
adopted daughter of the woman
Allen was then in a romantic
relationship with). There’s a
slew of other artists who have
been convicted of predatory
behavior, yet these actions are
often forgotten by the media.
Since the mere fact that
Bill Cosby has been indicted
seems to be groundbreaking,
it is interesting to consider
what the future holds for other
perpetrators who are now being
punished. This is something I
have thought of a lot recently,
especially in regards to the
publication of a piece by Dylan
O’Sullivan Farrow’s brother,
Ronan Farrow, “My Father,
Woody Allen, and the Danger
of Questions Unasked.” Though
this piece appears to be a
call to action to the media, it
remains debatable what the
role of critics, movie-goers
and academics must play in
response to respected men being
recognized as perpetrators. I
myself have decided to boycott
any future film that Woody
Allen decides to make. Though
I enjoyed “Midnight in Paris”
and
“Annie
Hall,”
Woody
Allen’s work is now effectively
off-limits to me. I have never
been a fan of Polanski’s work
—
I
thought
“Chinatown”
perpetuated
and
minimized
rape culture — so boycotting
his work is obviously not going
to be as hard as boycotting
Allen. Though I enjoyed the
“The Cosby Show” as a child,
I have now decided to avoid it
altogether in any way, shape or
form.
I’m not asking for everyone
to do what I am doing; I am
instead hoping that the crimes
of these men will not be swept
under
the
rug
by
critics,
academics or movie-goers. I
hope that in the future, these
artists are looked at holistically
— that their actions outside of
their creations be evaluated as
well. Though I do believe that
boycotting these artists’ newer
works is the least we can do
for the people whom they have
allegedly assaulted, I wouldn’t
expect others to subscribe to
my actions outside of that,
especially because it will be
hard to try to ignore the huge
effects that these men have
had on their respective fields.
Countless
comedians
cite
Cosby as an influence, Allen’s
work has been groundbreaking
in the world of comedy and
Polanski
is
highly-respected
by many critics. It seems that
it would be too much to ask for
history to completely forget
these men and their legacies.
Whether we like it or not, the
things that these men have
done will be remembered for a
period of time. The most we can
hope for is that people will be
aware that these masterpieces
were created by bad people and
stop trying to turn these artists
into legends. Though these men
may have been great at their
craft, it should be remembered
first that they abused other
human beings, and, secondly,
that
they
had
many
great
accomplishments
in
their
career. To do otherwise would
be disrespectful to those they
abused, as well as every other
survivor who comes across the
work of these artists.
—Elena Hubbell can be
reached at annapl@umich.edu.
M
ost of the time when I
attend a University of
Michigan-sponsored
lecture
from
someone
in
the technology
industry — be
it a designer,
researcher, teacher, engineer or
investor — he or she focuses on
choices they made to keep their
business,
product
or
process
authentic and diverse. However,
there often seems to be an
elephant in the room, so to speak.
Rarely do these speakers discuss
their finances. It’s no secret
that if a speaker is invited to a
University event, they are a leader
in their field, often with years of
experience at various positions.
It’s not a stretch to believe they are
financially successful — especially
if this speaker is from a Silicon
Valley company or an up-and-
coming startup. It’s also not a
stretch to believe that some of the
students who attend these events
are aiming for similar career
trajectories. And money, whether
you like it or not, is a massive factor
in deciding upon a path for many
people — particularly for students
with years’ worth of loan debt.
I recently attended a talk given
by Erin Teague, a University alum
and Silicon Valley businesswoman
and engineer. She spoke at the
School of Information as part of the
“Women in Information Careers”
series. The expected questions
about being a woman of color in
the industry, job satisfaction and
time management began to flow in.
However, Teague largely steered
the discussion toward her rise
from UM undergraduate engineer
to various jobs at Morgan Stanley,
Harvard and in Silicon Valley,
including her current management
position at Yahoo. Not only did she
focus on the specific choices she
made to ascend these positions, but
she also highlighted the financial
impacts each choice had on her
life.
I had never heard a speaker
discuss their personal finances
candidly, whether the speaker was
male or female. Usually speakers
focus so much on promoting the
message of the company that they
overlook the sea of debt-ridden
internship seekers in front of them.
Students are even more nervous as
they see the career model of their
parents’ generation — working
for 30 years at the same company
and retiring with a full pension —
is neither viable nor particularly
desirable for themselves. It was a
breath of fresh air when Teague
spoke frankly that professionals
should see their time and skills as
money-making assets and follow
both their interests and their
wallets to the best opportunities
that arise, and not simply stay
comfortable with their original
negotiation.
Teague
advocated
for professionals to weigh the
benefits of salary, equity, options,
etc. and confidently renegotiate
when appropriate. She spoke of
evaluating these assets at market
value, negotiating confidently and
effectively for raises and knowing
what you are worth, monetarily
speaking.
Equal pay for equal work is
a concept that is rightfully and
finally in the zeitgeist as feminism
and social equity become common
sense. But we need to get past
simply discussing the problems
of women being paid less and
of
recent
graduates
entering
uncharted territory. We need to
have upfront conversations with
students
about
understanding
how to value themselves and their
abilities. We need more people
— more women — like Teague
speaking out honestly and without
fear of seeming too materialistic,
too ambitious or too masculine to
educate college students on how to
take advantage of their degrees. We
need to not be afraid to broach the
taboo of truly fair compensation
in discussion — because money
isn’t everything, but it certainly is
important.
—Madeline Nowicki can be
reached at nowickim@umich.edu.
5
OPINION
Thursday, June 2, 2016
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
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ELENA
HUBBELL
Recognizing the evil in our icons
Let’s talk about value
Roland Davidson, Caitlin Heenan, Jeremy Kaplan,
Madeline Nowicki, Kevin Sweitzer, Brooke White.
EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS
MADELINE
NOWICKI