"Can I Still Read Harry Potter?" BBC R4 Thursday 12th November 2020

[terryleather]

Just noticed this is in the schedule for tomorrow morning at 11am.

Journalist and fan Aja Romano examines their decision to close the books on the boy wizard and hears different viewpoints toward Harry Potter and contemporary readership.

Aja Romano has been a Harry Potter fan for many years, but after personally disagreeing with statements by their author JK Rowling regarding gender identity, they are considering closing the books for good.

Across the world, millions continue to embrace the Wizarding World in all its forms and JK Rowling has received a lot of support for speaking out on an important issue in a personal way.

With this in mind Aja assesses the different factors at play in their choice, speaking to cultural experts, academics and fans and considering influences such as social media, trends in fan communities, "cancelling" , literary theory and more. With contributions from critic Sam Leith, writer Gavin Haynes , journalist Sarah Shaffi, Dr Ika Willis and fans Jackson Bird and Patricio Tarantino.

Don't think I can bear to listen as I strongly suspect it will give me the BBC radge, but I reckon some of you are made of sterner stuff than I am!

Aja is a woman too inept to destroy a T-shirt.

fanlore.org/wiki/Aja

Are they going to make an announcement that others may disagree as the BBC chose to do had to be done on Woman’s Hour?

Although the media seem to be captured by this nonsense; it’s clear from sales of JKR’s books that the public are buying her books, and are not interested in TRA ideology.

A bookshop I follow on social media announced the arrival of copies of The Ichabog, with the usual lily-livered wittering about JKR being problematic.

There were the expected “she’s so transphobic” comments. I responded that I thought the people condemning her were only repeating what someone else had told them, and not actually read her Twitter stream or essay, (which was clearly true), I expected vituperation, but there were crickets from the woke, but ill-informed, and vigorous agreement from lots others. The vast majority of a lengthy thread were ordering copies of the book. The only person who disagreed with me, mustered a one-word argument from an anonymous account. Which is about as committed to reality as you might expect.

I think it's a legitimate question, can you enjoy a body of work if you dislike the views/actions of the author?

For example, Wagner was an anti-Semite but The Ring is still popular. I loved Michael Jackson's music but feel conflicted on whether I can still enjoy it.

I don't think JKR's opinions are comparable but they will be to some. Hopefully the programme will be balanced.

Interesting that the BBC think to ask this question when they can still celebrate the athletic achievements of Oscar Pistorius, before he found himself at the centre of some unfortunate legal bother.

They did at least have the grace to not lie about or otherwise mischaracterise Rowling's statements, and state that she received a lot of support. I might listen to hear what Romano has to say about what exactly she disagreed with and why.

I’ll read what I want I’m damned if as an adult to be told what to read,

I really hope JK sues them, this has gone too far.

So many men who have done so many horrendous things and yet you will never see a show talking about can people still watch Woody Allen, Harvey Weinstein etc. movies

They're punching at her because she is a woman so they feel like they can.

So, Precipice Aja is known for protesting against Livejournal when they deleted journals with keywords like rape and pedophilia, is known for shipping two schoolboys and were a Kevin Spacey fan. Does she really want to talk about cancelling another woman?

Well, Aja is welcome to disagree with an abuse survivor's opinion that appropriate provision for abused women does not include the presence of males. It's not a great look though. Certainly not one I would advertise on national radio.

This is surely a form of defamation. There's an implicit character assassination here.

The abhorrent nature of cancel culture is now on the school curriculum I understand yet the BBC is given a platform to those doing the cancelling with explicit reference to the witch of the moment.

The parallels to the witch trials of history are off the scale.

I'm incensed. They are literally using our licence fee to further the demonisation of a woman who dares to speak in support of women's spaces.

" Can I Still Read Harry Potter?" How old is this person? Eight?

As an adult if actually say - yes, by the time you get to senior school you’re probably a bit too old for wizards and magic spells...

Are they going to talk about how right after her essay HP sales have gone up and all 7 books were in the top 10 best sellers on amazon?

But that wouldn't fit with the narrative that most people disagree with her and have a morality crisis every time they see a HP book...

But who is it aimed at? Many adults have never read Harry Potter and have no intention of doing so. The generation of children who grew up with HP
A. Have already read it
B. Have moved on
C. Haven't yet discovered Radio 4

Adults who perhaps enjoyed reading HP to their children and read the books (like me) have already READ THE BOOKS and have moved on to the Cormoran Strike books

Don't know what all the fuss is about.

I mean everybody immediately stopped lauding Roman Polanski and supporting his work when he was convicted of drugging and anally raping a child, right?

Oh...

This is the BBC who think it's ok to have Boy George - convicted of falsely imprisoning and attacking someone while on drugs - on the payroll for a prime time family show?

DS has often muttered about Eric Gill being a bad man... I’m not sure he quite knows exactly what he got up to (and I’m not telling him)

I've never, ever, seen a straight answer to what EXACTLY JK said that was transphobic. It just isn't there in the content of her essay. Instead people are just told TWAW and to 'educate' themselves.

I find it quite bewildering and unsettling that so much can be made of nothing.

They drove me away with crap like this. Times Radio woman now, none of this navel gazing nonsense.

@StillStriving

I've never, ever, seen a straight answer to what EXACTLY JK said that was transphobic. It just isn't there in the content of her essay. Instead people are just told TWAW and to 'educate' themselves.

I find it quite bewildering and unsettling that so much can be made of nothing.

Same.

I have a millennial friend who just says she hasn't actually read it but it was 'unacceptable'.

She has form for reporting people at work for saying things she doesn't agree with so I don't bother to argue with her.

Interesting that the BBC think to ask this question when they can still celebrate the athletic achievements of Oscar Pistorius, before he found himself at the centre of some unfortunate legal bother.

JKR supported women and is reviled. BBC celebrates Pistorius, who has KILLED A WOMAN.

BBC can fuck right off.

Yeah bbc can fuck right off with this

Ffs are they like 8 years old

Can’t belive they are using license payers money to even contemplate hosting this vacant idiocy

Ffs

Rowling's empathic essay has some hidden transphobia because of dogwhistle something. That's the most info I've gotten from TRAs.

I was told that it was because she wrote that most young people detransistion, that they only do so because of transphobia from people like her.

I never really got into HP, read the first two and started the third but felt it too dark to carry on. My 14 year old has just discovered them though, she doesn't like reading so I have fully embraced it.