Trans People Launch High Street Protest Against Sale of Harry Potter Merchandise

[IwantToRetire]

Trans rights activists launched a peaceful protest outside Waterstones in Guildford this afternoon (May 16), chalking messages on the pavement to draw people’s attention to the company’s marketing of Harry Potter merchandise.

Protest group Defund Transphobes says Harry Potter author JK Rowling uses money from the sale of merchandise to fund what they describe as her “anti trans campaign”.

Continues at https://guildford-dragon.com/trans-people-launch-high-street-protest-against-sale-of-harry-potter-merchandise/

Bella has to be satire.

It’s a good point to draw the analogy between the fundamentalist nutters who have issued fatwas against Rushdie and Rowling.

And of course the physical consequences for Rushdie.

By the by, if anyone here hasn’t read any Rushdie yet, I particularly recommend The Moor’s Last Sigh. The Satanic Verses was incomprehensible to me; I’ve still no idea why it was considered heretical and not just boring. But that is my ignorance.

Glad you said that Squirrel. I bought it back in the 80s and couldn’t finish it.

I can only imagine how much fun that book club would be. Once everyone's stated whatever their pronouns are today they can get down to the serious business of virtue signalling their progressiveness and ensuring that only 'safe' texts are read.

This month's compliant text: Spot The Dog (subject to approval that having to lift the flaps isn't going to cause any repetitive strain injury or discriminate against anyone). Emotional support blankets will be provided.

On the original subject of the 'protest', it's nice to see them getting out of the house. Fresh air and some drawing with their crayons, it'll do them good I'm sure.

It's notoriously difficult to read. I'm sure the vast majority of its critics haven't actually read it.

Probably from Amazon 🙈🫣. That well known progressive, right on company. 🤣. Oh actually that stocks Harry Potter as well!

Are we talking Harry Potter or Satanic Verses 😁

And yes, I've read Mein Kampf too. Well, bits of it, for history studies. It's utterly turgid nonsense but if you're going to disagree with a book/essay you need to have actually read it so you can articulate what it is you disagree with and why. Outsourcing your thinking to someone who tells you what to believe is a very bad idea.

Unsafe 😁
Grow up, ffs.

❤️

Waterstones represents a drop in the ocean of JKRs income. It's going to be tough protesting all her sources of income.

Better not get on a bus advertising The new audible full cast versions of HP books.

Is anyone organising a boycott of universal studios?

Exactly this. In order to understand the success of the Nazi party, you have to understand it, and the 25 point programme. It's all about critical thinking, rather than knee jerk responses.

I can't dislodge the stereotype of "The Blue Rinse Brigade" from my brain, so every time I see those washed-out blue and lilac headed young women it makes me think of rows and rows of twinset-and-pearls-with-white-gloved-hands-clutching-handbags-on-laps-and-twinkly-Mrs-Merton-specs at Tory party conferences of yore.

That and Mrs Slocombe. That would be a better look for Waterstones staff to scare off the burly piss-tossers.

We've revised superstitious about history. Afraid to even think about things that went wrong in case we catch wrongthink.

This leaves us vulnerable to repeating them.

A lot of the time these people don't want to think critically. That would mean nuance and ambiguity and respect for different opinions and you might even - horrors! - be seen as wrong in the eyes of others. Far safer for everyone to have the same approved views, then you know who the good guys are and you can be one of them.

😂

You're right. Unfortunately.

Very sadly it is… again bless their hearts…

No more expensive broomsticks for Harry.

"
My reading group have him on the list of banned authors"

"My reading group is full of very open and commited progressive folks"

Spot the (deliberate?) mistake.
Both of these statements cannot be true.

I’ve been in a couple of reading groups/book clubs and we’ve never had a list of banned authors. Have we been doing it wrong?

There was a list of banned books operative under a regime headed by the author of Mein Kampf.

Enough said.

If you're going to ban authors from your book club, the only valid reason is that they're shit. Not because they might have said something somebody doesn't agree with.

It doesn't sound like any of the
open and progressive folks actually know anything about "Salmon" Rushdie.

Can't read 1984 - it's probably transphobic because reasons (Terfs mentioned it that one time)

“Banned books”. You’d fit it very well with Trump’s MAGA lot.

“feeling unsafe in Waterstones”. Well, Harry Potter books are pretty large and if one fell on you from an upper shelf, you might hurt your head.
May I suggest you wear a crash helmet/tinfoil hat/ cotton wool, inorder to feel safe?