Into the Potterverse

I was hoping to never cover this again…

 

I have a love-hate relationship with the Harry Potter franchise. On one hand, I recognize its importance growing up in the 90’s and early-2000’s. On the other hand, JK Rowling, who wrote the books, has revealed herself as a bigot. The latter makes it hard to appreciate her work retroactively, especially knowing the harm she’s causing on Twitter. I’ve covered this on The Whitly-Verse in greater detail, but it’s worth mentioning again because it won’t disappear. Case in point: HBO Max is making a live-action Harry Potter series.

FYI, I don’t have HBO Max. Not only is it too expensive, $15 US a month, but it isn’t available in Canada. This should be a step up, as I don’t have to worry about contributing to this. Yet even with it being out of reach, I’m concerned because I have compassion. It’s also inevitable that Rowling will have oversight on the project. And that includes input into what does and doesn’t get approved.

I know what some of you are thinking: “Wait, a live-action Harry Potter adaptation? Didn’t we already get that?” Yes, we did. We had 8 films, as well as a spin-off series that quickly went downhill qualitatively. But this is a TV series akin to A Series of Unfortunate Events on Netflix. Considering how that went, it’d make sense to try it with books so dense the films couldn’t properly do them justice. It’s also a good way to make money.

A part of me should be happy. As enjoyable as the Harry Potter movies were, I was disappointed that parts of the books didn’t make the final cuts. Scenes like Harry’s visit to Neville’s parents, the final conversation Harry had with Lupin before the battle at Hogwarts, or Dumbledore’s backstory come to mind. These were details that the films couldn’t fit into their runtimes, so a streaming format could, theoretically, be a solid compromise.

Unfortunately, I’m not pleased. Not only is it double-dipping, it also gives Rowling money. And seeing how she’s retconned story points for cheap social justice points, all the while attacking trans people, in recent years, I don’t want to support that. I’d feel guilty for doing so.

It’s especially troubling in light of details from her books that rub me the wrong way now. Details like the references to slavery with house elves, or goblins being stand-ins for greedy Jews, or even werewolves being coded as gay pedophiles, all make me feel ill. Yes, some of these are commented on in the books. And yes, the books have strong themes of challenging authority figures. But the good is overshadowed by the questionable and the bad, and that’s a problem. Especially in-light of the author’s personal views.

I might be jumping the gun. I know little about this series. I also don’t know how involved Rowling will be. It’s even possible that the series could be better than the movies, who knows? But I don’t feel comfortable anyway. That doesn’t alleviate my concerns.

It wouldn’t be as bad if Rowling weren’t actively pernicious. But she’s always attacking people who don’t agree with her and refusing to admit to her mistakes. This is the woman who initially praised Stephen King for coming to her aid, only to cease communication with him when he defended trans people. This is the same woman who coasted on the Jeremy Corbyn controversy to hide her bigotry. And this is also the same woman who’s degraded Asians and Native Americans in order to shamelessly expand Harry Potter’s lore. I can’t respect someone who does any of those, let-alone all three.

It’s especially troubling because she does this regularly. Remember, JK Rowling’s still alive. It’d be one issue if she were dead like Roald Dahl or H.P. Lovecraft, since their work’s been reclaimed by those groups that they hated. But that’s not the case here. By being both alive and active in the public sphere, Rowling continues exerting her influence.

That’s the real issue. That’s what bugs me. And that’s why I don’t want to support future Harry Potter endeavours that she’s involved in. Because by supporting them, I help contribute to the hate. I’d rather not.

I know this is a hard line to walk. Toxic people inhabit all spaces in art, and some aren’t as easy to spot or segregate. It’s hard, and I’m not always successful. But I need to put my foot down here. Rowling’s bigotry isn’t only indefensible, it’s blatant. And no amount of writing in Harper’s Magazine can change that.

And the series itself? Who knows? I know it’s not confirmed, and I don’t begrudge those who might be excited for legitimate reasons. Why should I ruin your fun? My personal views on the matter are that, and they shouldn’t restrict yours.

But I digress.

I’ll end with a quote I once heard a Harry Potter fan say about JK Rowling: “It’s like she sees herself as Professor McGonagall, when she’s really Dolores Umbrage”. I know it’s not a 1:1 comparison, especially since Rowling’s views were always there, but I think it works. Because while she might’ve started with an intent to criticize the dangers of blindly accepting the will of authority, I never thought that’d include her too. I guess the irony’s too poetic to ignore, huh?