Genius Unavailability as Status Signal

A recurring cultural script treats artistic ‘unavailability’ or eccentric dysfunction (refusal to do publicity, missed obligations, inaccessibility) as evidence of authenticity or genius rather than a problem of accommodation, labor expectation, or mental‑health support. That framing lets institutions off the hook for accommodating creators, reframes unpaid promotional labor as a moral failing, and stigmatizes help‑seeking as weakness. — Normalizing unavailability as a virtue has implications for how prizes are structured, how cultural labor is compensated, and how society balances de‑stigmatizing mental illness with accountability for public obligations.