FB Groups and JK

[SusannaQueen]

Ok, I'm just having a rant and I know FB groups are free to set their own rules.
I've been following a fab FB group, (Home for Peculiar Artists 2), post goes up from admin saying this is a reminder, we don't allow anything Harry Potter or JKR related, if you don't know why then educate yourself. Lots of supportive replies.
I'm on the group in my real name, so I'm not going to weigh in, but it hugely fucks me off, so many people just believing lies with no dissent allowed. Just makes me think this whole thing is insurmountable.

Yet the shops are rammed full of Harry Potter merch that clearly sells like hot cakes

I see similar in Harry Potter groups. I just roll my eyes and ignore (along with their insistence that Tonks MUST be Transgender as she could change her look at will...)

I had a similar experience.
Someone added me to a group that was meant to be a nice friendly group for posting funny things to cheer each other up and I read the rules and it was no mention of JKR because she is a bigot, or similar.
I wouldn’t have minded if it was no mention of JKR because this is meant to be a friendly group and the mods don’t want to spend their time dealing with rows, or whatever, but it was clear JKR hatred was a group requirement and I was not up for that so I left the group again.

Could you reply saying thanks if you want to reeducate click this link then click to her essay?
www.jkrowling.com/opinions/j-k-rowling-writes-about-her-reasons-for-speaking-out-on-sex-and-gender-issues/

@Zandathepanda

I'm too much of a coward to use my own name, plus I have a trans family member (autistic young person, usual story), so the whole thing is difficult.

It's such a lovely group, so many artists posting unusual arts and crafts, now it just seems tainted.

What I find amazing is that all these people who see themselves as nice and pleasant and open minded are so ready to sign up to the two minutes hate.

The internet contains images of genocide in Rwanda, holocaust in Europe, abuse of children globally, but our delicate eyes need protection from the reminder that JKR is a feminist and said something some people somewhere felt uncomfortable with.

It’s a headline from The Onion isn’t it. Utterly absurd.

The costuming and sewing groups are just as bad. Any mention of JKR has to call her bigoted and no discussions allowed. Just repeat the usual bollocks. No Hogwarts inspired costumes or sewing projects allowed. Anyone who does post one is immediately set upon, told to educate themselves, told how much harm they are doing, how this is a safe space and threatened with all sorts. If they’re under their real name I feel sorry for them. One of the popular you tubers is currently getting shit for having a mug in shot, it’s not obvious as HP merchandise but someone has tracked it down, posted links proving its official merchandise and giving them shit for not smashing it. It’s utterly batshit. Even if you gave them the link to her essay they wouldn’t read it.

There is Harry Potter fans who love JK Rowling FB page now though !

I'm seriously considering leaving a Terry Pratchett group because of the amount of really vitriolic posts aimed at anyone who believes that you can't actually change sex and who doesn't firmly believe that the dwarf character Cheery is trans. No discussion, only capitulation.

Another geeky Facebook group is determined to declare one member 'brave and stunning' despite the fact he is clearly getting his kicks from a captive audience but any mention of JKR is essentially shut down with 'not suitable for this group - be kind'. I've been a member of that group for years.

I’ve seen this. Livid about it, but not enough to defend her publicly in my professional name when so many people have got fired for basically doing that.

One example I’ve seen was someone in FB The group buying JK’s books to use them in competitions to attract readers to their own (bad) writing, but state that they only buy the books second-hand to ensure JK doesn’t profit. Wtf. So they want to make money by basically stealing her brand, but they don’t want her to get the tiny amount of royalties she’s legally owed. And they think this gives them the moral highground.

@Waitwhat23

I'm seriously considering leaving a Terry Pratchett group because of the amount of really vitriolic posts aimed at anyone who believes that you can't actually change sex and who doesn't firmly believe that the dwarf character Cheery is trans. No discussion, only capitulation.

Another geeky Facebook group is determined to declare one member 'brave and stunning' despite the fact he is clearly getting his kicks from a captive audience but any mention of JKR is essentially shut down with 'not suitable for this group - be kind'. I've been a member of that group for years.

What??? The whole point of the Cheery story arc is that she is both female and outwardly feminine, in a way which is profoundly counter-cultural for a dward. Although still through quite a dwarven lens.

If anything, she's the only cis-female dwarf on the Disc. Although given she has a very big axe, there's no way I'd be calling her cis to her face.

Please don't tell me what a God-awful ideological mess they've made of Monstrous Regiment.

@motorina the only views allowed about Monstrous Regiment are even worse. No concept of the fact that the women live in a massively patriarchal society and need to pretend to be men to do what they want to do (find their brother, stay with their lover, escape sexual abuse in a girl's home). Nope, they're all trans (apparently).

And Cheery is female in a society that is so male default that they won't even acknowledge that women exist - there's a mention in one of the books that they know women exist (they have mothers after all) but don't mention it. But no, trans. Or in the ridiculous adaption, non binary

It's just so tedious. Anyway my 9 and 15 year old dd's are very much HP fans (never tickled my fancy) so will be having many a themed present. At the recent Halloween disco the youngest and many of her classmates went as HP characters, a few vocal twits on FB aren't making much difference.

@Waitwhat23 must not rant. Must NOT rant.

The women in Monstrous Regiment aren't trans. They're women. Who have discovered the power of a good sock.

Grrr...

(I could be persuaded by the argument that Carrot is a transdwarf, mind. But only once I've stopped spluttering in outrage at the rest of the nonsense.)

Why do you stay in a group that behaves so atrociously? Would you stay in a group that proudly declared no Jews allowed? No blacks!p? No faggots?

I'm guessing not. Why are you prepared to overlook this hatred of a woman speaking out about her experience of domestic violence?

Zandas suggestion of sharing the JKR essay as a helpful service, is excellent.

@SusannaQueen

Ok, I'm just having a rant and I know FB groups are free to set their own rules. I've been following a fab FB group, (Home for Peculiar Artists 2), post goes up from admin saying this is a reminder, we don't allow anything Harry Potter or JKR related, if you don't know why then educate yourself. Lots of supportive replies. I'm on the group in my real name, so I'm not going to weigh in, but it hugely fucks me off, so many people just believing lies with no dissent allowed. Just makes me think this whole thing is insurmountable.

You're quite welcome to actually educate yourself.

www.glaad.org/gap/jk-rowling

@Wavedancer99

I can't see any issue with any of her actual quotes. They're all the truth.

[quote CoachBeardless]@Wavedancer99

I can't see any issue with any of her actual quotes. They're all the truth. [/quote]
Yeah, and that's the problem, you don't see an issue with transphobia. A trans-supportive person does.

Racist rants are also "the truth" to a racist, misogynistic rants are "the truth" to a misogynist (and I mean actual misogynist that believes in women's biological inferiority, not someone who happens to support trans people).

Believing that bigotry is "the truth" does not mean it's not bigotry.

That GLAAD link is actually embarrassing (for them). They seem to have quoted perfectly reasonable, rational quotes by her (I mean, health professionals are concerned about children being pushed towards hormones etc) and have just put the words 'anti trans' in front of them.

Yet again, there is a whole essay in which JKR discussed these issues. @wavedancer99 please quote just one sentence which is 'transphobic'. Just one.

Yes please @Wavedancer99 - what @Waitwhat23 said.

And while you're at it, could you please provide the receipts for Helen Joyce and Jennifer Bilek?

Thanks!

@Wavedancer99
I'm perfectly well educated, but thank you for your concern

@Clymene I won't be staying, that was part of my anger, I've really enjoyed seeing all the different and random artwork pop up every day, but I can't see it in the same light now.