JKR accused of 'quoting hitler'

[Dominoodles]

Within the context of condemning political violence following the murder of Charlie Kirk, she quoted on X a line from Mein Kampf where Hitler talked about how he utilised political violence for his own gain. This was a clear statement in how allowing for political violence against one's rivals can lead to that in power manipulating things in order to harm others.

Unfortunately, articles are springing up across the internet shaming JKR for quoting or referring to this text at all, with many condemning her for 'nazi' views and accusing her of being far right.

(Personally I love JK, and it is such a shame that every single thing she says is twisted to mean the opposite of what she's actually saying!)

JKR is afflicted by black mould

What???

So if someone is asked about Hitler, they should respond with a quote from:
Gandhi or
Neil Armstrong or
Big Bird or anybody but Hitler. 🤯🤣

She is absolutely quoting AH as a warning to those who are sleepwalking into fascism. Not being antisemitic, not minimising the Holocaust. She is referencing one of the most terrible people who walked the earth and by implication everything that he caused to take place and that every sane person should be trying desperately to avoid a repeat of. As a horribly necessary warning.

How can this possibly be misinterpreted? She could not be more clear 🤦🏻‍♀️

Year or so ago she posted a selfie in her home. TRAs gleefully jumped on it and claimed walls showed a pattern of mould (it was almost certainly shadows or wallpaper, of course) and ever since claim her 'heinous bigotry' is the result of mould on the brain.

This is considered biting wit and devastating satire in TRAworld and is still oft-cited.

And this is all that needs to be said.

Is that a euphemism for thick? If so, yes I agree.

You didn't do History beyond 14 years old did you?

Critical skills in analysis and sourcing get taught after that.

Madam Rowling, was the fish to your satisfaction?
Oh, the pumpkin was lovely.
Superb.

“You must be the change you wish to see in the world so take one small step for man and never let a bad day make you feel bad about yourself.”

Mahatma Neil Bird, 2025.

And given she wrote a blockbuster children’s book series on that very theme, it’s not surprising she’s researched it thoroughly.

The PP who quipped that many TRAs have memes instead of brains does have a serious point. Once you can get someone “learning”about history and politics through in-group memes, you can misinform them through over-simplification and repetition.

I was starting out agreeing with this: Aren’t all these people just extremely bad at reading comprehension but as the thread has gone on, I’m ending up here:

If someone asks a question about Hitler, responding mentioning and quoting Hitler, in a way that condemns violence, should not be controversial... to anyone in good faith, at least. Sadly, JKR is not dealing with good faith actors.

I’m still baffled why quoting Hitler to demonstrate how political violence is harmful as it only serves authoritarian leaders to attain and hold power is minimising the holocaust and is antisemitic. Genuinely baffled.

Are we never to quote from texts written by Hitler or Stalin or Pol Pot even to highlight the dangers in their thinking?

Nope. They are verboten texts. We are not allowed to examine them and critically analyse them or use them as warnings.

This then gives them special status and means lots of people will seek them out purely because of their verboten status.

Honestly, these people who think banning everything solves the worlds problems need to get out more.

Hitler was a genius at political manipulation and for reflecting and directing the collective mood. Hitler's words and 'Mein Kampf' are important words and text in the context of understanding political thought in the 20C...given we are at a similar type of junction/fork in the road. That she recognises the subtlties of the situation is a credit to her. That others are not so well read or educated and do not understand the relevence is not her fault.

Once you can get someone “learning”about history and politics through in-group memes, you can misinform them through over-simplification and repetition.

Mind you, that applies to just about everybody these days. Conservative election strategist Isaac Levido was quoted as saying the best counter to tax law changes targeting wealthy people is circulating a meme of a dog saying ‘tax is bad’. Apparently that worked for the Australian conservatives at the time. Social media dumbs down most public discourse.

There's nothing wrong with reading Mein Kampf - any more than there's anything wrong with reading any other book, written by any other person. Those who don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it and all that.

The only issue I'd have is if someone was profiting from selling it TBH, and even then, only profiting - covering expenses, with an aim of education rather than indoctrination I don't see the issue with.

Words and ideas are just words and ideas, expose yourself to as many as possible. It was the wronguns that were into the whole forbidden literature and book-burning after all.

That's easy: they don't possess logic.

I would argue we should be reading and studying these texts. Part of all our education should be understanding how humanity reached these lows before and whether we went through to overthrow it.

Social media is a gift to those who would subvert democratic norms. We need to be educated about those risks too.

Her opinion of the human race would be very interesting.

Given all the original controversy and backlash in the US through writing a book on witchcraft, the global adoration of her fans, and now the spectacularly awful picking apart of her every word in order to find a letter that doesn't look right.

Seeing human beings so much in the raw would be rather shocking. It could easily send a less stable person right round the twist.

We have an Irish Man who demonstrates the point well.

"I would argue we should be reading and studying these texts."

It's the idea that if you read them and relate them to anything current that isn't of the same magnitude, you're reducing the significance of the holocaust, rather than using it to prevent a repetition of the same significance.

It means you'll never learn or prevent anything.

Notes for TRAs:

Taking GC’s words, tossing them into a blender, cranking it to ‘apocalypse’, and then responding to this ‘mangled smoothie’ rather than what was said within the context it was said, is not ‘truth telling’.

The rule book that you follow containing ‘universal truths’ about what can and can’t be said isn’t universal. Many haven’t seen it, don’t agree with it, or simply don’t follow it. That’s OK.

This is exactly what they are trying to do.

They underestimate her at every turn.

Taking GC’s words, tossing them into a blender, cranking it to ‘apocalypse’, and then responding to this ‘mangled smoothie

Genius. And I'm totally imagining it!

I want this on a poster. With a 'motivational' picture.

Hitler is a bit like farts, in online discussion terms. If you mention him, you're literally as bad as him. You smelt it, you dealt it.

It seems a weirdly pseudo religious belief, bit like mention the devil and he will appear.

If Rowling hadn't answered the question, that would also be wrong: controversial Harry Potter author refuses to break silence on Naziism and trans rights