I think these hard line stances do more harm than good.
My wife and I are active in not supporting any new things, but to talk about how you think it’s morally wrong to even talk about the franchise is going to alienate a ton of people.
I feel fine talking about it, and the memories I had with it. Because everyone I surround myself with is completely aligned that Harry Potter was meaningful when we were kids and also JK Rowling is a complete fucking asshat.
This sort of purity testing has got to stop. If mentioning the name of Harry Potter marks someone as a transphobe who is equally as bad as politicians actively stripping them of their rights… The movement will never build a coalition.
Saying that financially supporting JK Rowling is actively harming the trans community is a reasonable argument. Saying that talking about Harry Potter, even if you note that JK Rowling sucks, makes you an outright transphobe is not reasonable to me.
If you see an oppressed people protesting against their opression, and your first instinct is to lecture them on the optics of their protest, you’re not really an ally. You’re just using “optics” as an excuse to not do anything to help out but still think of yourself as a good person. I don’t think anyone falls for it.
Sorry for the shift in tone here but this is absurd…
I will continue to show up when it matters and do things like actively promote a great documentary on the day trans people’s rights were stripped away from Iowans because of our dumbass legislature, because I cried watching friends of mine in that room being actively hurt by a government that should protect them. And continue to do the hard work to change the minds of bigoted people in my community, but yes let’s pretend I’m just virtue signaling on an anonymous forum for “optics”. I am actually doing real work and I won’t apologize for not having patience for people saying I don’t do enough because I say mentioning maybe Harry Potter in the proper context is probably fine. It’s not the thing we need people paying attention to right now.
There’s so much more hurt out there. If we boycotted Harry Potter entirely and wiped it from existence in an instant, the average trans persons life doesn’t get suddenly get better.
It’s fucking irritating. We’re wasting breath talking about one stupid fucking lady and an imaginary wizard pretending it’s a leading issue for the trans movement. You can hate me for saying it, but I’m fighting for bigger change than trying to make JK Rowling irrelevant. I would rather raise awareness about the systemic harm that I’m actively witnessing in laws being passed removing trans people’s protected status. That’s a FAR bigger issue.
Too bad, trans people are more important than your pottertreats. If trans people say something is hurting them just stop doing it. Don’t get into the nitty gritty of “how much harm does it do really?” make as wide a distance as you can to it.
As for this specific instance its not even hard to see how it is harming trans people: talking about hp keeps it in the spotlight which generats more sales.
Why wouldn’t you purge the franchise that funds trans genocide from your life??
I want to be respectful here, but this has a lot of issues embedded in it.
This kind of rhetoric rises from what I’ve called the Authoritarian Left, which is an immensely detrimental wing. It’s a group where there is no nuance.
You say that if a trans person says it’s hurting them I should stop doing it. OK, but what if a republican says it? Now suddenly I should ignore them? You can’t base your entire ideology on what members of groups say or demand that others adhere to yours simply because you think you’re right.
I love trans people, and I actively fight for them and their rights. But why? I’ll tell you, it’s not because Democrats told me to love them, or a religious leader, or anyone in politics. I looked at the world critically and found their cause worthy.
I’m a durable ally. I’ll stick with it when it’s not cool or trendy, or when it comes at a cost. But that’s because I arrived at those truths myself.
To loop all the way back to the premise - if talking about Harry Potter at all hurts Trans people, then this post hurts trans people. If you disagree with that, then nuance exists. And I’m saying in the nuance of how and who I talk about any topic with, I know and understand that those people understand the situation.
I don’t make public posts about Harry Potter. I often talk about how JK Rowling is a garbage person. My friends have a Harry Potter party that they’ve been hosting for years, and every person there is of a similar mindset that trans people deserve so much more than they are getting.
You have to allow more than one idea in your head at the same time. If you’re making the rule “talking about Harry Potter in any way, at any time, makes you an active enemy of the trans movement”, then that’s not a place I want to be associated with.
If you want advice - focus on how JK Rowling is harming people. Elevate that as much as you can. When you make these purity tests, you make people not give a shit because it makes it impossible to adhere to the strict and narrow path you say is OK.
This authoritarian left wing of democrats is what got Trump elected. They are so hard nosed on every issue they completely isolate people and make these issues harder to fight for, not easier. You’re heart is in the right place, but we live in a world full of nuance, and the real trick is not scolding people into adherence, but it’s coalition building and asking people to think critically about their choices. They have to find their beliefs, you can’t just demand them.
This kind of rhetoric rises from what I’ve called the Authoritarian Left, which is an immensely detrimental wing. It’s a group where there is no nuance.
There is no nuance that you are aware of that the trans people that are calling for a ban of HP haven’t already thought of. It’s their lived experience after all. They know so many more nuances to this, or any other trans issue than you or I do. I don’t know how much time you spend in the discussions of the so-called “👻Authoritarian👻 Left” but I’ve found them to be immensely nuanced. Cis people don’t get a contradictory opinion on what harms trans people and what doesn’t, simple as.
You say that if a trans person says it’s hurting them I should stop doing it. OK, but what if a republican says it? Now suddenly I should ignore them?
It’s not just one trans person though is it? It’s a pretty widely held opinion in the trans community afaict. That bit about some hypothetical republican didn’t make sense to me, no idea what you’re trying to say here.
I love trans people, and I actively fight for them and their rights.
Maybe a bit more listening is due? A good start would be Trans Liberation: Beyond Pink or Blue.
I’m a durable ally. I’ll stick with it when it’s not cool or trendy, or when it comes at a cost.
Except when that cost is giving up Hahree Pawttah apparently.
To loop all the way back to the premise - if talking about Harry Potter at all hurts Trans people, then this post hurts trans people.
Talk about “no nuance”, obviously this post isn’t suggesting that the mere mentioning of the name is causing trans people worldwide psychic pain. But not purging Harry Potter from your life, giving space to a franchise that is used to hunt trans people is actively harmful. Wouldn’t you be suspicious of someone who is still a huge “The apprentice” fan? Or a huge “Tesla” fan (" Oh I’m not buying their cars, but I still admire them!!")? Similar sentiments apply here.
You have to allow more than one idea in your head at the same time. If you’re making the rule “talking about Harry Potter in any way, at any time, makes you an active enemy of the trans movement”, then that’s not a place I want to be associated with.
More generalizations from the nuance-haver, I think it’s addressed above but just to reiterate, its about purging a franchise from your life that is having a toxic effect on the world.
If you want advice - focus on how JK Rowling is harming people.
I’ll take my advice on fighting for the trans cause from trans people thanks.
This authoritarian left wing of democrats is what got Trump elected.
Source? I don’t believe that the democrats even have a left wing, much less an 👻authoritarian👻 one, much much less one that is powerful enough to have decisive swing in the presidential election.
the real trick is not scolding people into adherence
I’m gonna keep telling people that are platforming fascists that they are platforming fascists. If they continue to do it, I can then know where they stand.
You’re actively alienating people from the movement you say you’re a part of.
You are doing more damage than I am, and continuing to alienate people over your perception of a strict adherence to what is right is not helping.
You’re trying to use childish spelling to say I can’t get over not having Harry Potter. I’m not even arguing it’s good. I probably bring it up maybe once a year? And pretty much always with a caveat of wishing the author wasn’t such an asshole. Yet that isn’t enough for your purity test apparently. I would reflect on the fact that you need allies that you don’t agree with to build a movement. Right now you’re narrowing your scope to a tiny percentage of people, all because you can’t imagine that maybe you aren’t fully and totally correct on this topic, and you want to try and belittle me into agreeing with you.
I don’t think I’ll continue the conversation from here. I hope you limit further damage and alienation to people trying to be on your side.
People that don’t listen to trans people, but only consider themselves allies to make themselves feel better, so they can enjoy their transphobic treats while still patting each other on the back are detrimental to any movement and should be gotten rid of. And if you don’t even enjoy hp that much why are you coming to it’s defense so hard? If there are legit arguments as to why harry potter is so fucking important to someones life let that person speak up. Or if they can’t relay their message. You’re deplatforming them as well as trans people only to “defend the movement” from those “purists” that want a transphobic franchise squashed and want to put trans peoples arguments front and center.
My “strict adherence to what is right” is merely “listen to what trans people are saying, then do that”. That is it.
you want to try and belittle me into agreeing with you.
I want you to center trans people and not some hypothetical allies that might or might not “join the movement”. In any argument about whether something is good or not for trans people it’s trans peoples voices, and only trans peoples voices, that matters. If you don’t argue from a trans perspective it doesn’t matter. The allies perspective is irrelevant, our job is to make trans peoples voices heard and frequently, almost always really, this includes telling cis people to stfu.
You have written your comment beautifully. That’s it, that’s all I wanted to tell you.
Signed, a new follower of your Authoritarian Left term, and another durable ally.
I appreciate it.
There was a part of me that got tired of being shouted down because I wasn’t whatever they wanted me to be. Or being told that I can’t have an opinion because I’m not one of the people affected.
I mean generally I agree with that. As a white dude, it’s not OK for me to pretend that my opinion on the treatment of black women is accurate, or even that I can fathom what that is like. However, there is some level of voice I need to have to be a part of the movement.
There was a massive rise in this sentiment that people needed to support these groups they weren’t a member of but only if they were completely silent. You need to build a movement and people generated apathy on some topics. I remember sort of giving up talking about things because I had every so slightly different perspectives, and I would get cast into the “you aren’t a real ally” bucket.
I’m also not convinced I’m right all the time either… I’m constantly listening and changing my perspective, but you need to leave room for people to do so. But that’s what I mean by building durability. My beliefs in trans rights are strong because I have challenged, listened, and adapted. They are truly my beliefs, not just things I’m told I need to believe in.
This kind of hysteria is amusing.
Amazing how you people can’t even read a full post before having your aneurysm about trans allys not being pure enough for you
Why wouldn’t you purge the franchise that funds trans genocide from your life?
Fuck stopping. Steal it all. Take it and enjoy it without her getting anything. Reclaim the art. Make it your own. Piss her off with fanfic and fan art based on things stolen from her.
If you wanna play the game, pirate it and then play it offline.
I know this is going to generate hate but, I just cant care anymore. She’s a genuine POS who won’t be missed but its my one single escape from reality. Im far to exhausted trying to tiptoe around everyone who’s a POS. I’d say I’ll stay at home but my builders were probably a POS too and I gotta go sell my house to make SOMEONE happy. If others wanna get her canceled and by some magic remove everything shes ever done from existence I’ll make sure not to get upset but Im done being asked to be a soldier in every battle against a bad person.
Did the rest of your books, local library and internet connection burn in a freak accident? Why couldn’t you just read anything else, which would also likely be better?
Harry Potter fans unfortunately equals “the people of one book”. They have read nothing but Harry Potter, so they will never know how subpar it is compared to so much other engaging young adult fantasy.
Read about my whole damn library. I still like Harry Potter. Very much disdain JK Rowling.
You don’t need to stop doing any of this.
Just pirate all of it.
That’s what I did.
That’s still boosting the cultural impact of her work. In some cases piracy increases total sales.
It’s basically impossible to be perfect, pirating the work stops the money from going to jk Rowling which therefore stops it from going to anti trans groups.
Shopping at Home Depot hurts trans people Using Amazon hurts trans people Shopping at basically any big box store hurts trans people
They are a heavily oppressed group and you aren’t able to live your life perfectly so don’t sweat pirating a game
Yeah but it’s not like this is the best literature has to offer, nobody would really lose anything by just not reading a very mid saga.
It’s something people like… and for many people it’s a comfort movie/book
Like there are just so many worse things in the world that worrying about the cultural impact of pirating a movie/book/game is such a waste of time.
Asking people to stop giving her money is 1 thing but you are accomplishing nothing except making people feel like they are completely powerless if you tell them to not even talk about HP
Idk, sounds like they should develop as people then
Oh yes pray tell, who are the under developed people according to you?
What should we do with them?
Let’s go full steam ahead, do they have rights?
I will argue there is something very different between Rowling and Bezos.
Both are rich beyond measure and can fund lobbying efforts indefinitely. But Rowling has something that Bezos doesn’t have, cultural capital. When she says something, people listen, from journalists to citizens to lawmakers, and not just because she’s rich.
Truth is social capital matters. A lot. Which is good because it’s the only thing we, the people, can hope to have that most billionaires don’t. But a corollary of this statement is that giving social capital to Rowling is, in fact, worse than giving actual capital to Bezos, all else being equal.
Now I can’t tell you how to live your life and we all have our vices. Just giving food for thought.
This ain’t about giving capital to Rowling this is about how even pirating Rowlings work is considered bad
But who out there is actually changing their mind over anything Rowling has said?
Right wing people ignore her because her works (especially her newer works) have a bunch of token diversity characters and left wing people ignore her because of her anti trans agenda
It’s impossible to be perfect so you won’t even try?
Sure, a lot of other things indirectly harm queers, but it’s pretty fucking clear that support for HP, which includes maintaining it’s cultural relevance, is directly increasing the influence, wealth, and power of a single person who’s utilizing a lot of their time and energy on specifically trans hate.
Not hard to drop a shitty YA series, accept that it was in the past and there was no harm in enjoying it, but that continued support is pretty directly harmful.
I don’t get everyone and their eternal “but it was my childhood” crap. I look back on the content I enjoyed in the worst parts of my life fondly, but I’ve moved on to enjoying other things? I don’t need to keep a series from 20 years ago as a current force in the cultural zeitgeist.
(In relation to the current media landscape as a whole) Why people just consume the same content, the same characters, or the same IP repeatedly, as they continue existing in a more and more profit-driven way is beyond me.
That and if you’re not already avoiding big box stores as much as probable, that’s kinda on you. People have to eat, and often, work has to be done, and those monopolies often give you literally no other practical choice. HP is just a single series among hundreds and thousands of YA magical boy series.
Just pirate all of it.
how can you enjoy it though? like, don’t you get disgusted knowing you’re consuming the product of a transphobe? fuckin gross
The old conundrum of separating the art from the artist. Personally, I think as long as you aren’t giving them any money, have at it.
a painting by a very famous Austrian
Sounds like he had a very promising future in the arts!
a very famous Austrian
schwarzenegger is a famous austrian. your painter there was an infamous shitbag. know the difference!
lol love it when hitler fans out themselves
Kartoffel, kartoffel.
Kartoffel, kartoffel.
he wasn’t german. and it’s a specious comparison, when one comes from a maggoty hate infested shithole, the other from any normal farm.
What do you think a potato is called in Austria?
EDIT: I stand corrected, a potato is more commonly called Erdapfel in Austria, or “earth apple.” That makes it even better: Kartoffel, Erdapfel.
I think all the attention y’all give to her is what’s keeping this in the cultural spotlight. I basically never think about her, or the books, until I see posts like these on the internet. We gotta separate the art from the artist.
says to stop reading the books and watching the movies with the reasoning of giving a bad actor more money but… I already own them all from before it was known she was an asshat. I’m pretty sure she doesn’t get money when I pop the DVDs in my player or decide to re-read the books on my shelf.
That it doesn’t disgust you to consume the media of an open fascist using her money to attempt a genocide is highly suspect
This may be hard to understand, but many people are totally capable of separating the art from the artist.
It is hard to understand, actually. I don’t understand how you consume something that’s been over for 20 years, that was intended for children, and contains veiled racism and fascist undertones that go right over the head of average people, and still sit here in 2025 going, “I regularly pop Hairy Plopper into my Dee Vee Dee player” like
I guess it doesn’t matter, though, because now the next time you plop that thing in you’re going to think of these posts.
contains veiled racism and fascist undertones that go right over the head of average people
You got any examples of it promoting these ideas and not not being a negative critique of them? All the examples of bigotry and authoritarianism in the books and films are rightfully portrayed negatively; not something to celebrate.
The goblins are Jewish caricatures first and foremost, and most obviously. I thought we as a society knew that most portrayals of goblins have always been antisemitic, but that’s aside from every other character in HP being some kind of stereotype metaphor. There’s a reason that became a meme, and is still a meme. i.e., stuff like, “JK has announced that her newest character, John Gayman, is a gay man!” for a rough example.
I don’t particularly agree with every single thing listed here, but these are some more examples to mull over: https://www.reddit.com/r/EnoughJKRowling/comments/kaxw28/i_made_a_list_of_examples_of_racism_prejudice_and/
To me this reads like one of those bad jokes on the expense of trans people in 90’s media. Like how Ace Ventura has sex with a trans woman, then only after he learns it, he starts gagging and washing his teeth religiously and like pumping his face with a plumber; it’s hypocritical. You already enjoyed it, now you’ve learned something about it, it’s suddenly shit and retroactively changes your previous enjoyment to disgust?
Perhaps you never liked HP, but practically the entire world did, before we knew how JKR will turn out. I’m not gonna give her a cent and previously used money for any HP related things like… 20 years ago, but I’m also not going to pretend they weren’t meaningful to me or that her politics will retroactively change those feelings.
List your favorite actors, authors, musicians, products, services etc. I dare you. I’ll absolutely find and point out how something you like is actively harming someone. Where’d the lithium in your phone battery come from? The electronic components? The meat you likely eat?
Doing jumping jacks to continue consuming a children’s wizard story from a billionaire who’s paying to insight a genocide is really not something an adult with an adult brain should be doing, but you do you
I’m not consuming Harry Potter crap, I’m pointing out your hypocrisy of judging someone based on some unattainable moral standing. You cause harm to others just like we all do.
Holy shit, did you just say it’s unattainable to stop watching fucking Hairy Pothead? lol
Reading comprehension isn’t really your thing, eh? That’s OK. We all have faults. Everyone reading your replies is getting a good look at yours.
Bro, this whole entire thread is about pointing out all the flaws in JK’s writing, and how her bigotries have always been embedded in her stories, outside of the fact that she’s incredibly transphobic, and currently funding a hate campaign, and you’re calling not consuming this specific media an “unattainable moral standing.”
No, I don’t think I need to work on reading comprehension. I think sea lions and goal poster movers need to get banned and removed from the fediverse completely, like the parasite that you are.
Mid ass books anyway. It was literally so easy to not engage with them and I fucking loved them as a kid.
Frfr… people who can’t move on from HP are so fucking pathetic because they’re climbing over each other to tell you how they’re obsessed with some totally mid books written for a primary school reading level. It’d be weird even if the author weren’t an insane fascist.
