As always, I should state upfront that I grew up with the Harry Potter series. I read the main entries often, and I purchased the two companion pieces too. I eagerly awaited every movie, irrespective of age. Not only did the IP ignite my passion for reading, it ignited my passion for writing. And the books taught me the importance of compassion and not taking authority at face value.
It’s with great frustration that their author, a woman I once looked up to, turned out how she did. And yes, I should’ve seen the warning signs. But how could I? I had a troubled childhood, so I was more than happy to relate to something that wasn’t condescending outright. It didn’t matter that the house elves were racist, or that the goblins were Jewish-coded, because I had too much social and emotional baggage. I know I’m not alone…
Recently a new Harry Potter-adjacent video game was released. The game, Hogwarts Legacy, was mired in controversy even before its announcement, thanks to Rowling’s never-ending crusade against trans individuals. Even once it began development, there were numerous scandals that are too painful to discuss here. The game was doomed to be divisive regardless of where you landed politically, and there were attempts to both spite-purchase and openly-boycott it simultaneously. For the former, I have no sympathy: even if the IP’s creator wasn’t hateful, buying something to “own” a marginalized community is evil. It’s the latter group, however, that I want to address here, and not for the reasons you’d expect.
I sympathize with boycotting Hogwarts Legacy. I don’t want that misconstrued. I have no intentions of supporting it myself, honestly. I think Rowling’s doing herself a disservice being transphobic, and I don’t want to line her pockets because of that. I can’t go back to the books anymore because of her! So I get it.
That said, the messaging needs work. Because while saying, “This game is harmful, so please don’t promote it” is great, being nasty about it…isn’t. Yet that’s a recurring issue whenever well-intended streamers play it. Even the VTuber community, much of which isn’t American and doesn’t have the same knowledge about the controversy, has seen harassment. That’s not helpful.
But wait! Wouldn’t I be on-board with this? After all, I’m Jewish! And Rowling’s depiction of goblins, which are coded in Antisemitism, should offend me! Why wouldn’t I be incensed?
That said, the messaging needs work. Because while saying, “This game is harmful, so please don’t promote it” is great, being nasty about it…isn’t. Yet that’s a recurring issue whenever well-intended streamers play it. Even the VTuber community, much of which isn’t American and doesn’t have the same knowledge about the controversy, has seen harassment. That’s not helpful.
But wait! Wouldn’t I be on-board with this? After all, I’m Jewish! And Rowling’s depiction of goblins, which are coded in Antisemitism, should offend me! Why wouldn’t I be incensed?
As much as it perturbs me that Rowling would dabble in something that blatant, remember that goblins as Jewish-coded wasn’t her invention. Goblins in general are Antisemitic, you can’t skirt around that. Even writers who’ve tried softening that can’t fully-escape a stock creation rooted in “the greedy Jew”. It’s unfortunate, and the only way to properly subvert the trope is by having actual Jewish characters challenge it. In other words, Herschel and the Hanukkah Goblins.
Outside of that, a Jewish person with lived experience on Antisemitism would be a better judge than a gentile. But there’s a problem: Jews are so few that most gentiles wouldn’t know where to find one. We make up .25% of the global population, after all. And we’re not monolithic, so there are a variety of responses you can get. It doesn’t help that, like with every group, not all of us are experts, and not all of us will argue in good faith. Tokenizing our voices doesn’t help either.
Personally, while goblins being Jewish-coded is sticky, it doesn’t keep me up at night. It’s not the kind of Antisemitism that actively frustrates me, either. Ben & Jerry’s attempt at pulling their ice cream from The Green Line in Israel, as well as the fallout that resulted, bothers me a lot more. That’s something many gentiles either don’t understand, don’t care to understand, or aren’t aware of as a problem. If we’re discussing “pressing Antisemitism”, start there.
Outside of that, a Jewish person with lived experience on Antisemitism would be a better judge than a gentile. But there’s a problem: Jews are so few that most gentiles wouldn’t know where to find one. We make up .25% of the global population, after all. And we’re not monolithic, so there are a variety of responses you can get. It doesn’t help that, like with every group, not all of us are experts, and not all of us will argue in good faith. Tokenizing our voices doesn’t help either.
Personally, while goblins being Jewish-coded is sticky, it doesn’t keep me up at night. It’s not the kind of Antisemitism that actively frustrates me, either. Ben & Jerry’s attempt at pulling their ice cream from The Green Line in Israel, as well as the fallout that resulted, bothers me a lot more. That’s something many gentiles either don’t understand, don’t care to understand, or aren’t aware of as a problem. If we’re discussing “pressing Antisemitism”, start there.
I could go on forever about people misunderstanding the Jewish coding in a video game, including the “nontroversy” over gorgonzola cheese not being Kosher. (Spoiler alert: any cheese can be Kosher.) But my issue with Hogwarts Legacy’s discourse extends beyond that. It’s more how people are using it to be disgusting and hurtful to those who dare discuss it anyway. That’s not only not helpful, it sabotages the original message the trans community’s saying.
If you want to advocate that playing the “terf game” hurts trans people, go ahead. If you want to express disappointment in those playing it, that’s fine too. I agree with both attitudes. However, if your disappointment involves vitriol, guess what? You’re not only not helping, you’re being as awful as those who are supporting the game to spite you. You’re also being immature.
I shouldn’t have to say this. It really isn’t controversial to say, “Maybe tone it down a little?” to individuals who should know better. Because we’re not children. We can communicate our frustrations like adults. Being annoyed about something doesn’t give carte blanche to be goblins ourselves.
If you want to advocate that playing the “terf game” hurts trans people, go ahead. If you want to express disappointment in those playing it, that’s fine too. I agree with both attitudes. However, if your disappointment involves vitriol, guess what? You’re not only not helping, you’re being as awful as those who are supporting the game to spite you. You’re also being immature.
I shouldn’t have to say this. It really isn’t controversial to say, “Maybe tone it down a little?” to individuals who should know better. Because we’re not children. We can communicate our frustrations like adults. Being annoyed about something doesn’t give carte blanche to be goblins ourselves.
But that’s what’s happening. And it’s making this game a bigger talking point than necessary. It doesn’t help that this is happening on the internet, a forum that amplifies and monetizes hate. It’s bad enough that this game, and its IP, happens to be blatantly bigoted. The rift its existence is creating in online circles is making matters worse. Plus, it’s emboldening JK Rowling’s politics long-term.
This speaks to the much bigger problem, that being how media’s discussed online. There’s plenty of art that’s controversial, be it how it’s created, or what it espouses. Some of the controversies are blatant, and some are hidden. While it’s important to discuss them so as to appreciate what we consume, it needs to be done with tact in order to be healthy. Hogwarts Legacy’s no exception. If the conversation about a programmable piece of plastic overpowers its issues, that says less about the plastic and more about the conversation. Is that what we want?
Something to think about.
This speaks to the much bigger problem, that being how media’s discussed online. There’s plenty of art that’s controversial, be it how it’s created, or what it espouses. Some of the controversies are blatant, and some are hidden. While it’s important to discuss them so as to appreciate what we consume, it needs to be done with tact in order to be healthy. Hogwarts Legacy’s no exception. If the conversation about a programmable piece of plastic overpowers its issues, that says less about the plastic and more about the conversation. Is that what we want?
Something to think about.
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