Where do we stand on Harry Potter?

[Blue Orange]

It is exasperating trying to find a non-shady copy of Dunsany nowadays.

Isn't he public domain at this point?

 

[Umbran]

As opposed to it being a rip off of the Unseen University of Terry Pratchett's Discworld which pre-dated it by over a decade?

Or as opposed to being a rip off of Diane Duane's Young Wizards series, which has more to do with young wizards learning magic than UU seems to in its context.

A perpetual problem with calling out ripping off is not knowing exactly which source is being ripped off

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

I can't see a Nazi quoting a non-Aryan like Bill Maher

There are American right-wing extremists who quote MLK all the time. Like the old saying goes, the Devil can quote scripture when it suits his purpose.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Isn't he public domain at this point?

Yeah, but most of the ways to read him involve either going to someone's rickety 1990s website that makes all the security plug-ins shriek about malware, or weirdly anonymous Kindle books that look like someone just put up a text file and are now charging $1 for it.

I'd like to have a professor of literature or something write a nice essay explaining the work and its context, maybe pull some good fantasy art that was once associated with his works and put it all together in something approaching the way we treat any of our other classic works.

At the very least, it'd be nice if Goodman Games, which publishes fiction periodically and name-checks the King of Elfland's Daughter in one of their adventures, put together a compilation. (Of course, if Joseph Goodman listened to me, I'd also have him publishing big art books with retrospectives of Erol Otus' and Russ Nicholson's work, so it's entirely possible I would bankrupt the company pretty quickly.)

 

[Gradine]

There are American right-wing extremists who quote MLK all the time. Like the old saying goes, the Devil can quote scripture when it suits his purpose.

It can go both ways too! For instance, when having to make the decision to abandon a cherished property or signal to your trans colleagues and loved ones that your entertainment is more important than their peace of mind, you can either choose to do what is right, or what is easy.

 

[Saracenus]

When we separate racism from bigotry, we can also talk about the difference between intentional issues, and those that are unconscious, or in this case, part of a broader culture with biases. Rowling could very easily have absorbed and used the trope, without fully understanding it's origin.

"I didn't realize I was hitting you with a hammer," does not take away the bruises, or remove the responsibility to stop hitting with the hammer.

This hits the nail on the head (pun intended).

As soon as WotC realized the mistake they made with publishing the Hadozee, they addressed and fixed it. It changed how they were going to do business going forward. They immediately stopped using their hammer and replaced it with something non-harmful.

On the other hand, JK on the tropes on Harry Potter Legacy, crickets... So, even if she were not on the wrong side of history on the subject of Trans people, this would be enough for me let the Harry Potter universe go. Both of these issues with her work make that property radioactive to me.

For those still trying to make excuses for JK and how she isn't responsible, take a hard look in the mirror.

 

[Undrave]

Yup
Discuss in terms of game and don't put any politics in there. Plenty other places to discuss that.
I tried reading HPATPS but didn't get far.
Seen a couple movies.
It seems a very massively developed setting with is filled with RP inspiration and ideas but set too young teen for my aged tastes

I assure you it only LOOKS developed.

I recall reading that Hasbro had (has?) the rights to make toys and games based on Harry Potter, but she specifically nixed an RPG because she didn't want other people putting words in the mouths of her characters. I'm not sure if that later bit was a confirmed thing or just a rumor.

WotC had the TCG license in 2001.

Do I do a thorough background check on al the people involved in making a particular RPG book? Are you nuts!?!? Of course not! Do I do a daily check if any Hasbro investors show any bad behavior? No, that sounds ridicules! So why do you care about Rowling if you like Harry Potter? I would be a different matter is you are a fan of Rowling's beliefs, but that's not what's being asked/discussed.

I saw the discussion in a Tech forum review about the new Harry Potter game, just the inclusion of Rowling's statements was enough to explode the comments section by a factor of x10. You know the funny thing, a couple of trans people pitched in and those were probably the most reasonable views in the whole discussion: People are way to polarized on both 'sides' doing damage to both sides.

Before you go on with stories of 'both sides', I recommended - to you and everybody else - reading the very interesting series of article by A.R. Moxon on the subject. Really eye opening stuff.
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4

So my question is: What is the ENworld community? Who is it for? And is it going to enforce the will of a vocal minority of either 'side'?

And I say we listen to people who are victims of transphobia on the issue.

It seems weird that she would say okay to having trans character options in the game if she had a hand in it, and then put in blatantly antisemitic portions when she is known to speak out in support of Jews.

The first director of the game turned out to be a former GamerGate Alt-Right Youtuber. It's highly probable the more deep cut antisemitism (plugging the Goblin sofa with non-kosher cheese and referencing 1612, for exemple) was added by that guy who was fired before the end of development. I’m perfectly willing to believe JKR’s antisemitism tendecies is just a cultural osmosis thing and is something she naively never questioned.

 

[HectorsNemesis]

It is exasperating trying to find a non-shady copy of Dunsany nowadays.

Project Gutenberg
Hope this helps.

 

[Blue Orange]

There are American right-wing extremists who quote MLK all the time. Like the old saying goes, the Devil can quote scripture when it suits his purpose.

That may very well be (though I wouldn't call Maher scripture ). I admit I didn't do a deep dive on the guy. Every time I tried I kept finding conflicting things (apparently gorgonzola can in fact be kosher sometimes, and the 1612 rebellion appears to have been cited in the actual Potter series by Rowling). I dunno. I don't really feel like going to bat for this guy, to be honest, but I'm still not sure he's guilty.

I guess my opinion, if someone's doing a survey of all partially-or-more-Jewish posters remains: I won't play this game, but I have no objections to its discussion or people saying they like it.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Literally just stumbled on this a half hour ago:


It’s a panel from an artist’s comic strip about how she’s wrestling with what AI art programs could mean for human artists. (Really, for any creative outlet, judging by the news these days.)

I’ve been an advocate of separating creations from their creators for decades. No human is flawless, and that means something you love/need/use every day- a song, a painting, a book, a movie, some architecture, an invention, etc.- has probably been created by someone with characteristics or beliefs you find reprehensible. (And the feeling may be mutual.)

There’s definitely stuff in my house I enjoy created by people who would probably have no problem turning a blind eye to skinheads beating me down. Some might have even gotten in on the fun. For those still among the living, I don’t support their current output, but I also haven’t tossed the stuff I already own.

I haven’t looked around my house to see what I’d have to get rid of if I tossed everything created by a racist or any other kind of bigot, as well as those who committed some kind of reprehensible crime. I bet if I did, I could move into a house 1/3 the size of the one I’m currently in.

So, for me, I think drawing lines about what you will and won’t support is personal. If you want to continue enjoying a problematic creator’s work, that’s your decision. But you need to be prepared for someone challenging you; for what consequences may arise.