Should Harry Potter be cancelled? all Harry Potter? Too many canceled celebrities are pleading with the public not to take away their livelihoods. And JK Rowling He is one of those people. She has been facing the guillotine in the court of public opinion for three years. Her comments on trans issues have changed her from a beloved children’s writer to a social outcast. Many Harry Potter fans and transgender people were offended by her remarks. But enjoying Harry Potter and supporting JK Rowling isn’t the same for many people. The case caught fire again with a release JK Rowling’s Witch Trialsa podcast from Megan Phelps-Roper.
On the podcast, Phelps-Roper parallels the death threats Rowling has received and the violence that often characterizes far-right political movements. Support for the LGBTQ+ community has never been stronger, and many believe that being a Harry Potter fan on any level is a sign of transformation. But many fans still want to be fans, despite their dislike of the author. Can we disavow JK Rowling and just enjoy the magical world we knew as kids? Or is this hypocrisy very harmful to existence? Should we abolish Harry Potter once and for all?
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter
The first thing people should know is that JK Rowling isn’t necessarily involved in every Harry Potter project that gets produced. Despite legally having creative control over the original film franchise, Rowling never really exercised it. The films were written by a team of writers and directed by various directors. Tom Felton, who played Draco Malfoy, explained in an interview with The Independent,
“[…] As far as the founder [these] Stories, they weren’t part of the filmmaking process as much as some people might think. I think I only remember seeing her once or twice on set.”
Of course, that doesn’t mean she wasn’t paid. JK Rowling receives money and credit for everything with a Harry Potter stamp, in the same way that the estates of JRR Tolkien and Stan Lee still make money off the estates they created. So, boycotting the Harry Potter franchise would effectively take money from JK Rowling. However, when wondering if being a Harry Potter fan is ethical, it’s important to know that the author doesn’t hold the pen behind everything that has her name on it.
However, JK Rowling has had a huge impact on all screenplays Fantastic Beasts The movies, though, weren’t hard to boycott just because they were bad. But it’s important to remember that this controversy didn’t begin until Rowling’s Twitter began exploding in 2019, between the second (2018) and third (2022). Fantastic Beasts films. During that time, Warner Bros. Important steps to review the third Fantastic Beasts Film to reduce Rowling’s participation. And director David Yates has consulted with LGBTQ+ advocacy groups to ensure that vulnerable people are represented with respect.
In case Hogwarts LegacyThe Harry Potter video game released this year, JK Rowling was not involved in its creation at all. But this did not stop many people from expressing their disapproval. Memes spread across social media that spoiled the game’s plot, and many Twitch users called for a boycott. But what were they interrupting? The game did not contain any artistic influence from JK Rowling. Did they want to deprive the author of money because of her political beliefs? Or do they think there is a transphobia hidden in the heart of Harry Potter?
line in the sand
A large part of the reason many find it difficult to cancel Harry Potter is because they were associated with it when they were younger. A lot of fans grew up on the books and movies and had a lingering feeling for them. Daniel Radcliffe, a boy wizard himself, wrote an open letter against JK Rowling in 2020. She reinforced “trans women are women,” and noted that there is value in this world of magic beyond the controversy surrounding the author. He said:
“For all the people who are now feeling that their experience is in [‘Harry Potter’] The books have been smeared or scaled down, and I am deeply sorry for the pain these comments have caused you. I really hope that you will not completely lose what was valuable to you in these stories.
We’re left with a moral, and possibly political, reason to target J.K. Rowling’s message separately from Warner Bros.’s. corporate franchise. But this was done with poor taste, to say the least. in JK Rowling’s Witch Trials, the author discusses how she experienced the backlash. Variety summed up:
“Personally, it wasn’t fun and I was sometimes afraid for my personal safety and, overwhelmingly, for my family’s safety.”
The violent threats Rowling receives often don’t help in any speech and certainly give journalist Megan Phelps-Roper the right to compare some trans rights “activists” to members of the alt-right. Fighting for human rights as a transgender person is admirable, but few people have decided to disrespect that fight with violence.
While Warner Bros. plans. For Discovery to expand the scope of Harry Potter, which has been renamed The Wizarding World, it’s important to ask ourselves the right questions. If we want to cancel Harry Potter, are we doing so because of a transphobic message, or are we just targeting the author, who may not even be involved in the making of the project? Only you can decide if boycotting the Harry Potter brand is an appropriate way to express your dissent. But there’s no need to feel ashamed of enjoying non-hate fiction. In this ongoing conversation, it is important to remain ethical, rational, and properly informed.
