The Wizarding World of Harry Potter (a thread for Potterheads)

Who's saying she should have understood? She should have recognized that she didn't understand, and either sought to correct it or outsourced to others who did. And we're "just" complaining about the US stuff because it's 1: recent and 2: hideously offensive.

 

And she hasn't gone into this much detail about a lot of other places so far (and, if it's all going to be like this, I honestly hope she doesn't).

 

This is absurd. We aren't talking about a teenaged fanfic writer bowing to peer pressure, we're talking about a fifty year old professional author who has a net worth of at least a billion dollars who doesn't actually need to cater to fan demands if she doesn't want to. She has very few obstacles in her way if she wants to take her time and do a good job of world building. I mean, fair point that Neil has lived in the US for ages and Rowling hasn't, but that's where some of those many, many dollars could have bridged the gap.

Like Onna said, the things Rowling has put forth as world building about the US are hideously offensive - and to marginalized groups who already have enough of that sort of problem, thank you very much. It's not 'entitlement' to expect someone with an enormous platform not to shit all over marginalized groups. It's not entitled to expect a professional author to get the bare minimum of facts straight in order to avoid being hideously offensive, it's expecting her to do her job properly. As a fellow professional, I find her sloppiness absolutely shameful.

eta: Also it's really weird to sneer at 'entitled Americans' when she got Africa really offensively wrong as well. People are mad about that, too!

 

k nvm

 

Thing is, in addition to the fact that JK Rowling could've hired a dozen different reseachers - she's JK Rowling. Tons of people love Harry Potter, and I would bet that a ton of the people who love Harry Potter are also history buffs who would fight wolves for the opportunity to help her. She could've just sent out messages about 'if you are a qualified historian in X fields, contact my people and you can help me with the worldbuilding!'

 

For real! She'd have qualified people beating down her door.

 

Is it OK if I delete that post? It was stupid and I shouldn't have said it. I don't know what I'm talking about and just because I haven't seen any criticism of the non us stuff doesn't mean it doesn't exist. I'm sorry.

 

You probably shouldn't delete because it leaves gaps in the conversation, but you could maybe do a strikethrough of the text and put in an edit with an explanation?

 

it's okay! you aren't a bad person for writing it!
not knowing stuff doesn't make you a bad person, and as posts go it could have been far far worse.

 

Oh! Yeah, I should have made that clear, I'm sorry - @Alexthings, I don't think you're a bad person or anything! Everyone makes mistakes like that sometimes. I think it's cool that you realized that and apologized.

 

@Alexthings You also made a good point about why the house thing may have happened, which I hadn't considered before. People do really like Sorting themselves (and their characters, and other people's characters), and it does seem likely that she just thought that Americans would have a lot of fun Sorting themselves into an American school. So I don't think your post needs to be deleted, but if you feel uncomfortable about it, Mercury's suggestion of strikethrough + explanation seems fine to me.

 

Oh god I can't get it to strikethrough. I'm so sorry. Is it ok if I delete the one in the other thread? It was just a stupid derail.

 

Ok, I've managed to cross the stupid posts in this thread and the other one out, is that ok?
I'm sorry for derailing the thread with my stupid bigotry, I'm working on trying to change the way I think about stuff like this and I'm so sorry I keep failing. I'm trying.
Thank you for saying I'm not a bad person, but tbh when I keep saying stuff this bad and stupid it is honestly a sign that it's a problem with me. I'm probably much more of a bigot than jkr.

 

Hey, @Alexthings I really don't think this is a clear cut case of bigotry. Ignorance, maybe! It's hard to conceptualize of JKR as a billionaire, and there are a lot of cases where authors from other countries grossly misrepresent each other and it's got very much to do with lack of research and very little intentional or deliberate bigotry. So your concerns in those cases would have some validity!

You're not a bad person, but if striking through the posts helps you leave it up for clarity while assuaging your anxiety with it, thank you for doing it.

 

Dumbledouche is going to be my new Pathfinder character. He will be a wizard professor who operates exactly like Dumbledore, right down to dooming kids to lives of torment because he believed a prophesy once. He will also behave like this version:



Incidentally, he will be labeled as Lawful Evil.

 

Flocci's Dumbledore comics are the greatest thing.

 

So, the cursed child is out and about in the theater thread, and of course the plot has already been more or less completely leaked onto the internet. Provided that all the reports are real and true, anyhow.

If they are, however, uh. The plot is.... something and I really really do not know how to feel about it. It's weird. I'm kind of hoping it's all some kind of incredibly elaborate prank pulled by someone who watched it and not the actual plot because if

Spoiler: spoilers

voldemorts daughter????? fucking silver and blue hair WHAT???

actually exists i will. i will not know what to do with myself actually.

Here's the article i read on this and here's the best bit of the entire part:

Spoiler: spoilers i GUESS?

"Umbridge tells Scorpius there is no such student as Albus Potter, there hasn’t been a Potter at Hogwarts since Harry Potter was killed during a failed coup on the school at the Battle of Hogwarts. She tells him to get back to school or he’s going to ruin Voldemort Day.

A new Hogwarts symbol hangs above the school.

The headmistress calls in Scorpius to say that he seems to be behaving differently. He had been an athletic Quidditch star who caught all the snake charms, and helped make the school a safer and purer place by rooting out the dilettante students.

Every conversation in this alternate reality ends by people crossing their wrists and saying: For Voldemort and valor.

Every girl at Hogwarts is hoping Scorpius—known as the Scorpion King—will ask them to the Blood Ball. The other kids do his homework."

I DONT KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH THIS INFORMATION.

 

I'M FUCKING PISSING.

Spoiler: CURSED CHILD YELLING

after all these years being like actually no they cant use the time turner to stop voldemort from the beginning she jusT
WRITES A WHOLE FUCKING PLAY ABOUT IT???? wild.

i am honestly in awe, i've read crack fic more cohesive than this. i don't know whats more hilarious "scorpius "the scorpion king" malfoy" or voldemort's daughter. how the hell did that even happen oh my go d.

a friend on FB nailed it

i actually almost want to go and see it now tbqh.

 

Behold why I fucking hate time travel as a plot device. Just. God. Damn.

 

that is fucking beautiful, PLEASE let it be real, I'm laughing so hard

i can't believe the cursed child reads like a 14 y olds edgy first fanfic