How can we know the dancer from the dance?

That's the question William Butler Yeats famously used to end his poem "Among School Children." I raise it here because I think it's a theme touched upon in Simon's post about the "9/11 conspiracy mess at UW" and suggested in discussions of Mel Gibson's recent antics. And the theme has to do with whether or to what degree we're able to separate the message from the man, the private v. the public, and the actions outside v. inside the "arena."

One way of asking is this: whether you think Mel's actions reflect anti-Semitism or not, will you view his past work any differently with this episode in mind? Or, sticking with poetry, I can answer this with reference to Ezra Pound, who, although late in life became a rather crazy proponent of fascism, still ranks for me as a great poet, and I still love his poems.

Another, stretchingly related, example: should Pete Rose be admitted to the Hall of Fame based on his superlative accomplishments on the field, or was his transgression off the field of a certain stripe that should justifiably render him anathema to the game?

You get the drift.

So, where do we draw the line? It's a philosophical question I throw out there, ya know, for the heck of it.