i am very interested in conversations like this! for me, personally, jkr and the discussion around her have really soured harry potter for me. i used to be a massive fan as a kid, but i can't enjoy them like i used to, so i hardly engage at all. that being said, i still enjoy art from morally questionable artists! (relatedly, c.s. lewis. rereading the chronicles of narnia as an adult really brought out the racist tropes he uses).
when i do consume art from a problematic artist, i do think it's my duty to understand the nuances and problems with the artist and the work itself; to really understand the critiques and reflect on how my enjoyment or non enjoyment is shaped by my own positionally, and how my discussion about a piece might affect someone i care about. even if i did enjoy hp as much as i did 10 years ago, i don't think i would talk about it as much (irl or online), because i don't want to give jkr any support or make anyone feel uncomfortable or unsafe.
but if my mom wants to rewatch the sorcerer's stone during the holidays because it came on tv, then heck, i'll join her. i think communing with loved ones over art, while bearing in mind the problems with it, is very different from being a completely uncritical mega-fan.
this podcast episode from vox's "the gray area" really dives into this issue with an author who wrote a book on it. super recommend it if you haven't heard it!
ALEXXXXXXX, firstly thank you for this and for sharing your experience, you’re truly so AWEsome like........ and second I love this question and piece ill gather my thoughts together and ill write back here soon
I love the Harry Potter series. I read them with my daughter. Each year her Christmas tree has the sorting hat as its topper.
I plan on reading the books with my grandchildren one day. I don't believe a good story shouldn't be shared because of an author's viewpoint on a particular topic. We will never live in a world where we all agree on the same things.
I believe our differences can bring us together. Harry Potter is a good story, valuable lessons are taught, and characters are beloved all around the world.
We should focus on the positives and from the book selling over 500 million copies worldwide there are a lot of people who seem to believe in the magic of a good story. Although J.K. Rowling's viewpoints on the
LGBTQIA+ community may not be the same as mine, it is because of her popularity that we are having this discussion. That is a positive thing.
We can love a piece of art without understanding or agreeing with the artist.
i am very interested in conversations like this! for me, personally, jkr and the discussion around her have really soured harry potter for me. i used to be a massive fan as a kid, but i can't enjoy them like i used to, so i hardly engage at all. that being said, i still enjoy art from morally questionable artists! (relatedly, c.s. lewis. rereading the chronicles of narnia as an adult really brought out the racist tropes he uses).
when i do consume art from a problematic artist, i do think it's my duty to understand the nuances and problems with the artist and the work itself; to really understand the critiques and reflect on how my enjoyment or non enjoyment is shaped by my own positionally, and how my discussion about a piece might affect someone i care about. even if i did enjoy hp as much as i did 10 years ago, i don't think i would talk about it as much (irl or online), because i don't want to give jkr any support or make anyone feel uncomfortable or unsafe.
but if my mom wants to rewatch the sorcerer's stone during the holidays because it came on tv, then heck, i'll join her. i think communing with loved ones over art, while bearing in mind the problems with it, is very different from being a completely uncritical mega-fan.
this podcast episode from vox's "the gray area" really dives into this issue with an author who wrote a book on it. super recommend it if you haven't heard it!
https://www.vox.com/the-gray-area/23768672/claire-dederer-interview-monsters-a-fans-dilemma-me-too
ALEXXXXXXX, firstly thank you for this and for sharing your experience, you’re truly so AWEsome like........ and second I love this question and piece ill gather my thoughts together and ill write back here soon
I love the Harry Potter series. I read them with my daughter. Each year her Christmas tree has the sorting hat as its topper.
I plan on reading the books with my grandchildren one day. I don't believe a good story shouldn't be shared because of an author's viewpoint on a particular topic. We will never live in a world where we all agree on the same things.
I believe our differences can bring us together. Harry Potter is a good story, valuable lessons are taught, and characters are beloved all around the world.
We should focus on the positives and from the book selling over 500 million copies worldwide there are a lot of people who seem to believe in the magic of a good story. Although J.K. Rowling's viewpoints on the
LGBTQIA+ community may not be the same as mine, it is because of her popularity that we are having this discussion. That is a positive thing.
We can love a piece of art without understanding or agreeing with the artist.