Ethics of Harry Potter?

[days_unfolding]

Gracie got me up at a little before 9 AM with the time change. Ugh. Oliver apparently was in Zara’s room. He came out and Lily went in. Oliver is being a pain in the butt. He didn’t finish his food but wants Lily’s food. Amazon did not deliver my packages because the dogs were out. Gracie does not want to come in. Sigh. Bella is whining (because Gracie is outside?) Gracie won’t come in no matter what treat I try to give her. I guess that she’ll stay outside during my nap.

Submitted a grocery order. I decided to open packages.

Bella ran out when I went to let Gracie in. Sigh. Finally got them both in because Gracie was hungry. Got my grocery order, including the all-important cat food.

For some reason, I’ve been thinking of my last technical writing job. My mom blamed me for losing it, but I had two major mental health relapses while I was there. I flat-out couldn’t do the job. Not a good time in my life.

I read shadowkat's entry about, among other things, the ethics of Harry Potter. I guess that watching the movies probably puts some money into Rowling’s pockets, but she has so much money that it probably won’t make a difference anyway. Is that rationalizing? Probably. I think that you can like the work and hate the author. I do think that Rowling is deranged about trans issues. And putting money into LGBT+ causes, which I do, is a good counter-measure. But I get shadowkat’s points.

Took another nap and had a hell of a time waking up. I’m sitting trying to get the energy to take a shower.

My dad managed to criticize Trump indirectly without criticizing him directly. The direct criticism would be that Trump is creating a volatile and bad environment for business. This makes me wonder if his wife’s kids are Trumpers. Maybe his wife is a Trumper. (My dad is listing reasons why he thinks that there will be a recession.)

Managed to get my lazy butt in the shower and clean clothes. I do feel better.

I’ve got the new cat bed, and I need to set it up before I go to sleep. It has a clamp that goes on a desk, and it is elevated. I also got the new Birdie and Louie food for Zara. We’ll see if she likes it. Hmm, Birdie and Louie also makes dog food. But the girls are stable on what they’re eating, so I don’t need to buy more expensive food. Zara seems to like the new food.

Put a fresh litter box in Zara's room. I saw a knee brace that I want to get, but I couldn't find my measuring tape to see if it'll fit. I ordered measuring tapes and saved the knee brace for later.

I don’t know how it got so late, except for the time change. I should post and start wending my way towards bed.

Comments

[shadowkat]

guess that watching the movies probably puts some money into Rowling’s pockets

No, it doesn't. She made money off the movies initially, but not now. So, if you own the DVDs already, you aren't giving money to her. Or if you watch them on HBO or streaming, through a subscription to HBO? You aren't directly giving her funds. It's not the same as Cursed Child - which is live theater and the writer gets a portion of the proceeds.

So...if you are feeling guilty about watching the films and enjoying them? Don't. JKR isn't getting funds from that.

The trans Minister has watched all the films, they were worrying over the play. And they did make it clear it was a personal decision - it's no fun to go see something that makes you feel guilty. I have co-workers who loved the play, and are pro-trans. Also it's not clear how much of the proceeds from the play go to JKR or how much she's really making off of it - it's a collaboration - so the proceeds are split multiple ways, she may make less than $10 a performance, if that.

I think that you can like the work and hate the author.

Definitely. It depends on whether you are directly funding the author/artist's nasty causes by supporting or buying their work? In the case of Harry Potter - it depends? I mean the books, you can get from third or fourth party sources with no proceeds going directly to the author. Same with the films. And the play is a collaboration - so the proceeds are split about a thousand ways. Also, fanfic doesn't give her a dime. And Harry Potter in of itself - doesn't have zip to do with trans rights. It doesn't go into that at all. JKR does have definite ideas about gender roles, but it's not obvious.

JKR reminds me a lot of Ronald Dahl - who was notoriously anti-semitic and racist, but it's not necessarily in his work. And you can enjoy his work without supporting his racist and anti-semitic views, he's dead - and none of his work nor the proceeds support racist causes.

Orson Scott Card is another example? He funds anti-LGBTA causes with the proceeds from the sales of his books. But if you happen to pick up Ender's Game from a Used Book Store? Go for it. He's not getting a dime. And the book to my knowledge has zip to do with LGBTA causes.

Another example is Joss Whedon - you can love Buffy/Angel and Firefly, without supporting Whedon. He's making nothing off of them now.

[days_unfolding]

Hmm. I did abandon reading Orson Scott Card. But I also didn’t like the books outside of the Ender’s Game series.

But Harry Potter is my comfort food in books and movies. I own the DVDs, but they’re in a box somewhere, so I’m watching on HBO.

[shadowkat]

JKR's not really making any money off of the movies any longer. She already made it over twenty years ago?

Another example is Neil Gaiman - if you enjoy works already made, and done collaboratively, you aren't furthering or supporting Gaiman's bad behavior.

The test is whether you are supporting behavior or causes you are morally opposed to by enjoying the works? And you aren't by enjoying Harry Potter. If you continued to buy books by the author or merchandise she's selling - then yes, but you aren't.

[iddewes]

She won’t get much money from your streaming the movies but yes do please realise she is using her fortune directly to make the lives of trans people worse. She directly funded a lawsuit that ended up with the U.K. government putting out a ridiculous “guidance” that people should use the toilets for the sex they were born with.

[shadowkat]

She's making 0$ from the movies streaming. Or maybe just pennies. So watching the old movies or re-reading the books - isn't funding her or supporting her behavior at all. It's not like she owns HBO.

I just wouldn't buy any of her new books, or go to the theme park or buy the merchandise.

[days_unfolding]

Yeah, I know that. But she already got my money before she started her trans crusade. And to paraphrase a Twitter comment that she made, it doesn’t matter to her if you boycott her once she has your money.

[zforce]

It's funny. As a nerd, one would think I would love Harry Potter, but I actually found the books overrated and not particularly unique (although I only read the first one). The few critics of Harry Potter out there make a lot of good points about both the plot and some sketchy plot elements. (I decided I wanted to see the movie because I assumed the special effects were cool and I knew it had a superb cast of actors. We left the theater with my husband fuming about the antisemitism of the goblin bankers for example.) So I didn't have a problem turning my back on that series. Rowling didn't really disappointment since I wasn't into the books anyway.

But I have to think of other authors I turned my back on. For example, I was a huge fan of Marion Zimmer Bradley's "The Mists of Avalon". Now that I know what she was like, I can't read that book or believe I ever loved it. I know she's dead and her estate can't be blamed for her and her husband's actions, but I have read critiques of her books and how they deal with children and sexuality. My eyes were opened to things I never noticed before or refused to accept as problematic simply because certain characters were framed as heroes. I also can't read Neil Gaiman anymore. He's still publishing and while I have read a lot of his stuff, I don't ever want to read his books again. I glossed over a lot of the creepiness in some of his stories. I'm not interested in putting more money in his pockets.

[days_unfolding]

Marion Zimmer Bradley is a tough one. I was a big fan of hers when I was younger; I read a lot of the Darkover books. And I think that I still have Mists of Avalon.