To be saddened, and yet also angry, that the Harry Potter 20th Anniversary Reunion show totally blanked JK Rowling?

[SkyBlueBlues]

I mean, she did create the bloody thing!

Just watched it. 100 minutes of the young cast who were the main characters (Harry, Ron, Hermione, Malfoy, Neville Longbottom, The Weasley brothers, etc,) gushing over one another. Laughing and hugging and kissing, and reminiscing and brushing tears from their cheeks, as they whispered 'we're family... always have been, always will be.......'

Not ONE mention of the woman who created it all, and gave them the lives they have now. In fact many people were interviewed, including Ralph Fiennes, Helena Bonham Carter, Gary Oldman, Robbie Coltrane, Bonnie wright, Alfred Enoch, Toby Jones, Mark Williams, Jason Isaacs, etc. Not ONE of them mentioned JK Rowling.

All we got featuring JK, was two 10 to 15 second clips of footage from an interview she did 3 years ago. The narrator mentioned her ONCE! That's it! None of the 'stars' mentioned her, or thanked her for ANYthing. As I said, Harry Potter exists because of HER. Yet she was not deemed worthy of a mention or a thank you.

AIBU to think it's sad and also bloody infuriating, that she has been blanked in this manner? IMO, it's clearly because of the accusations of her being 'transphobic,' (which I don't think she is frankly,) and I am dismayed and somewhat disgusted, that these young people whose careers exist because of JK Rowling, are now treating her like a pariah.

I am a huge fan of Harry Potter, both the books and the films, and this has sullied it all for me now.

@WabbitsAndWeasels

I'm not going to comment on the frequency with which she was mentioned in the special (I haven't watched it) but with regards to the 'disloyal' behaviour of the actors there has to be a point in time where these adults should be allowed to say what they want. She is the author of a children's book series, they acted in the adaptation, the adaptation couldn't be made without the books but it doesn't been they have to absolutely agree with everything she says forever more. If it had come out she supported fox hunting or something similar and they said they didn't would people be so outraged?

They also don't owe her their careers, some have only acted in small parts (or nothing) since Harry Potter, others are regularly working as actors. Some got their big break in Harry Potter and are recognisable because of it, Daniel Radcliffe had already done several not insignificant acting roles before being cast as I sure some other young actors had. Do you owe your first serious employer everything you have worked hard for since? Do you support everything that boss does and says? Or are you allowed to acknowledge your own hard work and have your own opinions?

Yep.

There’s a lot of posts talking about how much she was involved in the films so deserves credit for them as well, then another bunch of posts talking about the “desperately wooden” child actors and how they’re mediocre now. So did she create their fabulous, glittering careers or inflict dreadful actors on us all who would never have got a break otherwise?

Worship JK and they’re part of the magic, talent notwithstanding; disagree with her views and they’re wooden and shit and should return the fee.

Is anyone starting a campaign against Thomas Harris over The Silence of the Lambs?

I remember a line in the book (don't recall it in the film but it's been a while) in which Hannibal tells Clarice that Buffalo Bill isn't transgender, he just thinks he is. That might have worked back then, but now, it's accepted that anyone who thinks they're trans is, so Bill is indeed a trans woman.

Is there any outrage about this?

So did she create their fabulous, glittering careers or inflict dreadful actors on us all who would never have got a break otherwise?

I've actually always been disappointed with the child cast, since seeing Film 1 and how absolutely shite they were.

I see the Daily Mail (who originally reported that she was not invited, then confirmed that she actually was) is frothing because JK Rowling was only mentioned ten times.

But the OP says she was only mentioned once?

I haven’t see the show, but that seems like a significant disparity?

And if 10 isn’t enough, what would have been?

www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/news/harry-potter-jk-rowling-transphobic-terf-b1974984.html

BBC News - JK Rowling responds to trans tweets criticism
www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-53002557

BBC News - Eddie Redmayne speaks out against JK Rowling's trans tweets
www.bbc.co.uk/news/newsbeat-52975994

BBC News - Maya Forstater: Woman loses tribunal over transgender tweets
www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-50858919

For those of you who wanted links. These are just a few. Jk Rowling is utter trash, just because she claims she isn't transphobic and writes an essay saying she isn't and she loves her trans friends it doesn't mean she isn't.

People can be willing to learn and change, but she continues to tweet transphobic comments so clearly she isn't willing to learn.
People dont just dislike her for no reason.

And the actors in the film's owe no loyalty to her, I am grateful to the first person who took a chance on me and allowed me to work and a baker. I don't owe my career as a pastry chef to them.
They should be prasised for using their platform to support trans people.

@BurntO

She was mentioned a lot but she isn’t exactly popular. I don’t think half the cast would have appeared in it had she she been involved. Sorry!

And funnily enough, none of them would be there in the first place if it weren't for her!

Só as usual no actual quote of what JKR said just links to news stories

The only way to believe JKR is transphobic is of you believe men who present as female are actually women

And if you believe that then facts are clearly not your friend

@SkaterChick

https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/news/harry-potter-jk-rowling-transphobic-terf-b1974984.html

BBC News - JK Rowling responds to trans tweets criticism
www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-53002557

BBC News - Eddie Redmayne speaks out against JK Rowling's trans tweets
www.bbc.co.uk/news/newsbeat-52975994

BBC News - Maya Forstater: Woman loses tribunal over transgender tweets
www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-50858919

For those of you who wanted links. These are just a few. Jk Rowling is utter trash, just because she claims she isn't transphobic and writes an essay saying she isn't and she loves her trans friends it doesn't mean she isn't.

People can be willing to learn and change, but she continues to tweet transphobic comments so clearly she isn't willing to learn.
People dont just dislike her for no reason.

And the actors in the film's owe no loyalty to her, I am grateful to the first person who took a chance on me and allowed me to work and a baker. I don't owe my career as a pastry chef to them.
They should be prasised for using their platform to support trans people.

People aren't willing to listen to her pertinent points about women and children's safety either, they aren't willing to learn. If you want to criticise someone, make sure you're not being hypocritical while you do it.

BBC News - Maya Forstater: Woman loses tribunal over transgender tweets

That judgement was overturned and Maya won at appeal.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-57426579

@CaveMum

The thing that makes me laugh is that TRA’s are simultaneously claiming that she both a) didn’t have enough involvement in the films to warrant much of a mention in the 20th anniversary special and b) was entirely responsible for the art department portrayal of the goblins in the film due to her high levels of control and influence 🤣

They can’t have it both ways!

Physical appearance

Goblins were short and fair-skinned, as they spent very little time outside. They had very long fingers and feet, dome-shaped heads and were slightly larger than house-elves. Griphook, one of the hundreds of goblins working at Gringotts, had a bald head, pointed nose, and pointed ears. Some had dark, slanted eyes, and some goblins even wore pointed hats.[4]

From Harry Potter wiki.

“Saying it without saying it” is a way of saying “dog-whistle.” People rarely say the quiet part out loud but we all know what they mean.

For example, nowhere in this comment have I accused her of being anti-Semitic.

Whether or not JK Rowling should have featured in the reunion about the films is basically neither here nor there. People are splitting hairs over whether she should have been there or not based on her actual involvement in the filming/ casting etc. The salient point is that this is a high profile successful woman who has been slighted, abused, maligned, punished because she has declared that ignoring the fact that sex is real has negative impacts on women. The reason we are all discussing this is because the actors in the reunion have by and large participated in this misogynist treatment towards her.

What JK Rowling has stated is undeniably true. We have seen the consequences of replacing sex with gender: in women’s prisons, in women’s sport, in women’s rape counselling services, in prizes and awards set up for women in order to redress inequalities in the workplace.

If standing up for women’s rights is perceived as ‘transphobic’ then logically this means that being pro trans rights is anti women’s rights. There is a clash and this does need to be discussed. Why aren’t Emma Watson, Rupert Grint and Daniel Radcliffe being held to task for being homophobic and misogynist? Because that’s the consequence of believing that gender identity is more important than sex. You erase same sex attraction and the ability of women to define themselves as adult human females.

JK Rowling is a true feminist icon and I have absolutely no doubt at all that in years to come she will be recognised as such.

She shouldn't have been so transphobic then, should she.

@amijustparanoidorjuststoned

She shouldn't have been so transphobic then, should she.

What did she say that was transphobic?

For example, nowhere in this comment have I accused her of being anti-Semitic.

And nor have you given any information that suggests she is. Her description of goblins is that they're pale skinned with long digits and round heads. So what?

And still the single sentenced, ill informed,, unbackupable ( I know it's not a word, but it's all I can think of), words fall on to the page

Yeah the whole British cast thing that's bandied about.....Irish people aren't British in case people don't realise.

@DrSbaitso

For example, nowhere in this comment have I accused her of being anti-Semitic.

And nor have you given any information that suggests she is. Her description of goblins is that they're pale skinned with long digits and round heads. So what?

Why have you missed the “pointed nose” and “dark, slanted eyes” bit?

I didn't watch it bit she's never come across as the type of person who'd do that type of thing to be honest. I bet she either got some money for it and let them get on with it or they already had the rights so it had nothing to do with it.

She's never come across as someone who thinks the cast owe their careers to her either.

Why have you missed the “pointed nose” and “dark, slanted eyes” bit?

So do some humans

Skaterchick, I've now read all the articles you linked to above but still can't see anything that would suggest JKR is transphobic. Could you please write out the actual transphobic words she had written/spoken on this thread, just so there's no room for prevarication.

Why have you missed the “pointed nose” and “dark, slanted eyes” bit?

You mean like how creatures like goblins have commonly been depicted in literature and film for centuries, with all those artists inevitably drawing inspiration from one another? It's a stretch to suddenly say this one author was thinking of Jewish people rather than just, you know, how most people think of goblins as looking.

Why have you missed the “pointed nose” and “dark, slanted eyes” bit?

Ok, one of them has a pointed nose and some of them have dark, slanted eyes. Have you ever seen a picture of what goblins look like traditionally? They aren't Cabbage Patch Kids.

Again, so what? Is it a cultural stereotype that Jewish people have slanted eyes? I've never heard that one. And forgive me for invoking something so horrible, but isn't the antisemitic stereotype that Jewish people have noses that are anything but pointed? At any rate, it's only that one character who has a nose that shape. A goblin can't have pointy features?

And anyway, if it's so offensive, why did nobody complain when this was published 20 years ago? Why did nobody notice how horribly racist she apparently is until she stated that sex is real?

Why have you missed the “pointed nose” and “dark, slanted eyes” bit?

So if you were writing a fantasy series which involves witches, wizards, elves, giants and goblins, how would you describe the goblins?

Ha, and there was a Jewish child at Hogwarts: Anthony Goldstein.

In terms of the films I’m not sure Jk Rowling had much input so the reunion wasn’t a huge surprise.
I mean JK Rowling doesn’t need to worry about the whole misguided hysteria around transphobia. I think the vast majority of the sensible public ( trans and non trans) are fully supportive of her and her comments on basic biology. As with most things like this, the most defensive and aggressive shout the loudest but that doesn’t mean they are the voice of the nation