Donating money earned from a Dictator.....

So, I was reading the news this morning on Yahoo! News and I came across this article.

My question for discussion:

Should a musician, composer, or artist AND their earnings be held accountable to the actions of their audience? I think this is a good question.

No.

Simple as that.

LOL.

If I could just up and donate a million loving dollars just like that morality would obviously be rather low on my list!

No.

Simple as that.

Tru dat.

Screw it, a paying gig is a paying gig.

This is the same thing as people condemning the bands that the kids at Columbine listened to (wait, is that still in everyone's collective memory?)...

Would we then ask those who profited off his rise to power to give up their money?

LOL.

If I could just up and donate a million loving dollars just like that morality would obviously be rather low on my list!

It's not the donation itself or the amount of money these performers are donating... it's the principle behind.

In my opinion, they earned the money. No one prior to this, as far as I know, has demanded that money earned from performing for an audience of dictators (or murderers, occult leaders - pick your poison) be donated. How many years have artists made these types of performances? I think this sort of sets a precedent really - kind of dangerous. Iono. That's why I posted this as a discussion. :)

I'm totally for keeping the money. A job is a job, period.

This all that may be.

It's not for other people to "hold them accountable" for these performer's decisions to entertain such and such a person. We can judge them all day and say what we would do. But what we can't do is hold them to OUR opinion of what they should do.

Of course, the media is an INTERESTING entity regarding accountability. As a celebrity, one must cater to the media in order to maintain popularity. So if the media at large says a celebrity should do something, chances it's in the best interest of said celebrity to pay heed.

In some way or another. :P