Abstract
Is it permissible to be a fan of an artist or a sports team that has behaved immorally? While this issue has recently been the subject of widespread public debate, it has received little attention in the philosophical literature. This paper will investigate this issue by examining the nature and ethics of fandom. I will argue that the crimes and misdemeanors of the object of fandom provide three kinds of moral reasons for fans to abandon their fandom. First, being a fan of the immoral may provide support for their immoral behavior. Second, fandom alters our perception in ways that will often lead us to be fail to perceive our idol’s faults and even to adopting immoral points of view in order to be able to maintain the positive view we have of them. Third, fandom, like friendship, may lead us to engage in acts of loyalty to protect the interests of our idols. This gives fans of the immoral good reason to abandon their fandom. However, these reasons will not always be conclusive and, in some cases, it may be possible to instead adopt a critical form of fandom.
Highlights
In a thought-provoking article in The Paris Review, the author Claire Dederer (2017) confronts her own love for the work of ‘monstrous men’ and Woody Allen in particular
I have been exploring the moral danger involved with fandom of the immoral
I investigated the nature of fandom by drawing on Dixon’s claim that fandom is a form of love
Summary
In a thought-provoking article in The Paris Review, the author Claire Dederer (2017) confronts her own love for the work of ‘monstrous men’ and Woody Allen in particular. The goal will not be to provide an answer to the particular questions raised by Dederer and Hattenstone but rather to this more general question of whether the immorality of the object of fandom affects the duties of the fan. Erin Tarver’s (2017) work on fandom has explored how fandom raises ethical issues connected to race, gender and sexuality This literature is yet to examine the question of whether the immorality of the object of fandom provides moral reasons for fans to abandon their fandom. I will argue that there are good reasons to think of fandom as a form of love This is because fandom involves an appreciation of particular qualities, a shaping of identity and changes in how we perceive the world. I will consider the implications of this for how fans ought to respond
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