After reading this thread I feel like the original post is more like a soapbox than a shitpost. No personal opinion about the politics but I thought this was a humour sub.
It was not originally intended to be a soap box.
I thought my reaction to the pickup line would be found humorous especially with the juxtaposition of JK Rowling being a monster.
I’ve apparently just spent too much time in mostly trans spaces that I underestimated the support JK has on Lemmy outside of trans communities.
Most people disconnect the media from the creator… Not all, but hating on everyone who likes Harry Potter makes you look like a lunatic.
Fuck, Tolkien had some fucked up ideas too, but I’m not going around calling people out on it.
I would agree if it weren’t for the fact that JK has done multiple massive anti-trans media campaigns and has also stated multiple times that the profits from her creation go towards hurting trans people.
If she kept that a secret or anything then sure… But it’s not exactly a hidden fact that money gained from Harry Potter is being put towards hate.
The fact is, most Harry Potter fans neither know nor care about any of the personal exploits of the author.
If she kept that a secret or anything then sure… But it’s not exactly a hidden fact that money gained from Harry Potter is being put towards hate.
The spaces you hang out in obviously make a big deal of these and broadcast them consistently, I’m sure. But it’s clear you spend enough time in them that you’ve lost perspective in how things are in the ‘world at large’.
Although it’s very obvious and “not hidden”, to you, it wouldn’t even have to be hidden from the average Harry Potter fan, because they make literally zero effort to seek it out. They simply don’t care about anything she does, outside of writing the books they like to read.
P.S. The way you worded it in a previous comment implies heavily that a lack of explicit criticism of Rowling is equivalent to “support”. It isn’t.
Literally just look at JK Rowling’s twitter feed on any given day, it’s not a secret, you’re just not paying attention bc you’re not a trans ally.
Literally just look at JK Rowling’s twitter feed
You’re projecting your terminal online-ness onto the general population. The vast, vast majority of Harry Potter, or any book series, fans, pay z-e-r-o attention to the personal Twitter account of the author.
Accusing that huge majority of being transphobic just for that is moronic, full stop.
“you’re just not paying attention because you’re not a trans ally”
yeah so basically anyone paying attention to trans issues knows about JKR. I don’t think I said all harry potter fans are transphobic, so that was a fun little thing for you to make up I guess, but I would say that fans of Harry Potter who don’t know the controversy are not trans allies. She is the anti-trans celebrity. Her letter was huge news.
Harry Potter fans have likely at least seen one or two hate comments about the video game or something. Stop bring so disingenuous… most people are online regularly … particularly the generation of Harry Potter fans. You don’t need to be terminally online to have heard about the wealthiest author in the world turning into the most prominent anti-trans advocate.
She didn’t get blatantly bigoted until after the series.
Not blatantly, but there are signs of it even in the first book; and as the books go on, you can see almost in real time her political views shift from criticizing the system to defending it as she started becoming wealthy and benefiting from the system.
I highly recommend watching Shaun’s 2 hour video on the subject, as it goes into great detail on the subject and makes for perfect podcast material.
Some highlights include:
- Obesity as a moral failing - want to make a character seem bad? Just make them fat!
- Masculine features as a negative trait for women (sound familiar?) - want to make a teenage girl bad (and ugly) but don’t want to make her fat? Just talk over and over about her “mannish hands” and sharp jawline.
- Token minority characters that are often stereotypes or border on racism - the black kid is named Shacklebolt, the Asian girl is named two single syllable last names (might as well have called her Ching Chong), the 12 year old Irish kid is obsessed with turning drinks into whiskey and blowing stuff up, etc.
- The defense of the slavery of house elves using the exact same arguments that slave owners used before the Civil War in the US mentioned by somebody else, with a bonus criticism of Hermione as a girl with blue hair and pronouns for questioning and trying to change the system.
- There are no good or bad actions, only good or bad people. It’s okay for the right people to use the torture spell, because they’re the “good guys.”
- And a resolution that basically resolves nothing. Harry doesn’t kill Voldemort, he kills himself due to a magic technicality, and Harry goes on to become a magic cop to ensure the flawed system that the early books criticized doesn’t change.
Stop giving her more money to validate her current views.
She does not meet the conditions for Death of the Author to apply, unless you know something I don’t
It just means the author’s intent is ignored in interpreting the work. Like if you, the reader, decide “the sky is gray” is a reflection of the main character’s inner turmoil, that’s what it means. Even if the author was just foreshadowing some rain, your interpretation is correct because death of the author means the reader’s interpretation is the correct one. It’s kind of silly, but it also lets people find new meaning in art and I think that’s neat.
People use it as “enjoy the art but fuck the artist” but I don’t think that’s entirely accurate, unless they’re choosing to interpret certain parts of the books as not coming from a problematic place.
From what I’ve noticed online, (yes I know this is anecdotal) people tend to throw out the death of the author as a way of saying “I know this person is shitty and paying for this is actively funding hate but also I am going to keep giving them money anyway”.
Like, yes… You should be allowed to enjoy the things that you enjoy… But also… Stop funding the death of trans people
I just read the fanfic. Though I absolutely don’t talk about it in public because the stuff I like is basically all pornographic. I definitely know all the trivia, but I don’t support jk Rowling financially (anymore, I did purchase the original series as it came out, but I haven’t otherwise paid for anything Harry Potter).
I just like the world and the fanfic possibilities of Draco Malfoy.
My Immortal is the only fanfiction ever
It’s the only one* I talk about in public.
There’s also an erotic squid/castle fic that’s absolutely hilarious
That was the worst? If they came up with that on their own and didn’t just copy someone then that’s pretty creative at least.
I’m NB and quoting Harry Potter just sounds like you hate me
Edit: also I get very few people messaging me first
Edit 2: I really don’t understand the downvotes outside of maybe just enjoying Harry Potter. This is just a personal experience I’ve had.
Harry Potter stuff directly funds anti-trans organizations and that leads to the furthering decline of mental health among trans people which leads to them dying.
Sure, an opening message doesn’t send any money to JK but it’s a massive red flag that someone is willing to send money to JK.
People are allowed to enjoy things, but in turn, I’m also allowed to decide not to talk to someone for funding hate speech.
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And I’m glad you’re able to do that and have people around you that support you. This doesn’t change the fact that I don’t enjoy people who promote something that funds people like me dying.
If you’re able to get over that, that’s awesome and I believe you deserve good things, I am simply not able to.
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wowwww a trans person sharing their experience being heavily downvoted.
let’s all say it together!!
Lemmy is transphobic as fuck!!
edit: the downvotes literally just prove my point ✨
wowwww a trans person making unfair assumptions/criticisms of people for quoting an extremely popular piece of pop culture.
let’s all say it together!!
Being trans does not grant a prejudice pass!!
Someone literally just shared their experience as a trans person, and it was downvoted. Maybe listen to what the commenter said, instead of just down voting it?
Maybe just don’t be a raging asshole about everything all the time.
in what way was I an asshole in this comment exchange? pointing out transphobic behavior? I can live with that
Victim complex. Maybe instead of making everything about you and your struggles, just take it for a funny post that has literally nothing to do with trans people.
this post literally has something to do with trans people because a trans person posted it and shared how they felt, as a trans person, when receiving this message.
but go ahead, discredit trans people by saying we have a “victim complex”. it outs you immediately as a transphobe so it’s useful for me
Wow. You seriously just said “everything I interact with is about me”. That’s some serious, like not even funny, clinical level narcissism. I’m not even joking anymore, you should get therapy for that. It’s a really unhealthy outlook.
Being non-binary is not the same as being trans… and perhaps they were being downvoted for a different reason.
I always find it odd when people assume why someone is being downvoted. You never know why someone votes the way they do.
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How’d you get access to that? It seems to be a major pain in the backside (at least here in the UK as a person afab) getting anyone to actually take NBs seriously in terms of the medical side of things.
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Can you link me something she said that makes her a monster to you? Genuinely curious.
This here is also a good video to find out why one would call her that.
“Monster” may be a little extreme, but here’s a review of her body of work up to that point.
Generally, she has very questionable views on body image, her “sympathetic” characters are quick to judge and reinforce the status quo, her very questionable story line with S.P.E.W. and the House Elves, which resulted in Harry Potter fans rationalizing race based slavery.
It’s not extreme. She is the most active, vocal, and prominent anti-trans advocate out there. She is a huge part of the push that is ruining people’s lives in the UK.
My only issue with calling her a “monster” reducing the criticism to childish name calling and melodrama. All the things you said are more accurate and adult criticisms. People aren’t going to agree with what qualifies someone as a “monster” and will chip away at your criticisms by getting into the weeds on semantics.
She is a monster, just like Anita Bryant. The result of her activism is trans kids commiting suicide after being on YEARS long wait lists. Maybe if people you cared about were being denied healthcare for years, you would call the person advocating for that denial a monster too
Anyway, I don’t care about people like you who only care about semantics so uh yeah 🖕🏻If me calling people a monster and being angry is going to dissuade people from supporting trans rights, let’s be real they were not supporters to begin with and are looking for the flimsiest excuse.
Monster is an adult criticism because she’s a fucking monster.
I am not pro trans. Because I think anything that is being pushed as an Agenda is not in everyones best interest. Except of course for the medical industry has more people it can leech off of.
Damn echo chambers are real lol. I feel like all I’ve heard for the past five years is how she’s a walking, tweeting shitstorm.
Yeah, I’d keep “monster” for people like Kissinger or Mengele, not for people that make fun of phrases like “people who menstruate”. But I was genuinely curious and now I know.
Her rhetoric has been incredibly influential. She is like Anita Bryant. Absolute fucking monster.
As I understand it, she mocks T people. That’s it, as far as I’ve seen. But I pay little attention to any of these people as I simply don’t care.
It’s leviosa, not leviosa.
That’s a good one
