In the post-Weinstein world, separating art from the artists and the stakeholders involved is becoming an increasingly difficult task.
With the #MeToo movement encouraging the voices of those that have previously gone unheard to speak out, an increasing number of respected public figures in the world of Hollywood, who have been responsible for seminal art have been accused of lewd actions.
These accusations have beckoned an important question – is it still ethical to consume or engage with what they’ve been involved in creating?
‘Rotten Apples‘ is a resource that aims to help move and television fans with that decision. Much like it’s precursor, ‘Rotten Tomatoes’, it acts as a database in which users are able to search movies and TV shows to access ratings. However, this “rating” isn’t based on the quality of the acting or wittiness of the dialogue – it informs users as to whether the content is associated with an alleged sexual abuser.
According to the site, a film or television show can be deemed to feature “rotten apples” or “fresh apples” if a a cast-member, screenwriter, executive producer or director has links to past abuse allegations. It’ll also link immediately link you through to articles verifying these claims.
A few of the TV shows that appear to be free from the stains of “rotten apples” include 30 Rock, Seinfeld, Broad City and Game Of Thrones.
As stated on the site’s info page, “The goal of this site is to further drive awareness of just how pervasive sexual misconduct in film and television is and to help make ethical media consumption easier.”
It also says it “By no means is this site meant to serve as a condemnation of an entire project” and that “the goal of this site is to further drive awareness of just how pervasive sexual misconduct in film and television is and to help make ethical media consumption easier.”
Users can also inform Rotten Apples if you believe they’ve made errors in the information presented.
