Trans woman here, who is absolutely part of the target of JKR's hate - even though it's dampened in my country because I don't live on TERF island. Anyway, OP is not the AH. I too feel really uneasy around HP stuff because each and every piece of merch in stores and homes means that a little more money is flushed into that person's bank accounts and a few more popularity points are assigned to her, both increasing her reach and influence on society and politics. I am ashamed that I had bought all the original books back then and felt highly embarassed when I learned that a crow and a badger plushy I bought recently where actually (nonlicensed) HP themed. Though for all intents or purposes I have cancelled JKR out of my life. But that shelf is non of that. It's a nonlicensed piece of handwork made by a beloved family member, using hours and days of handcrafting from most valuable basic materials and great skills. The creator was proud in his work and probably even prouder and happier seeing his granddaughter happy beyond measure about this shelf. There is literally no moral need to get rid of it, simply because JKR has zero stocks in this object. Just one thing: NO! Mandrakes are not a reference to HP. This particular one might have been because context. But the folklore is much, much older. Pre-biblically old.

@TheCurlKing

14 күн бұрын

Thanks for sharing your perspective. I think it's such a bummer that JK had to come out with such strong negative views about this topic -- effectively demoralizing a chunk of her fan base. Allies can't support her. LGBTQ+ members can't support her. And many other people that don't agree with her views also can't support her (at least to some degree). I think it's especially sad when you're the target of her bigotry and naturally can't enjoy the very same content that she created that may have been a big part of your life. Also, I think I vaguely knew mandrakes existed outside of Harry Potter, but I definitely believe they were explicitly referencing the mandrakes from the books since it was most relevant and would probably be most pleasing for the mother as an "I'm sorry for flippin' out" gift.

@mattybrunolucaszeneresalas9072

13 күн бұрын

JKR doesn’t hate anyone. Come on.. She doesnt even target anyone. She just said a thing, then people were shocked, then she explained her views, which are nothing like the “G0D hates you” rhetoric. Just a belief in something else. It’s not that deep!

NAHere. I'd say the stepdaughter is coming to understand how unreasonable her position is, thanks to her stepmother's extraordinary patience. Considering what an appalling person Rowling is, how toxic she has become, how her betrayal of the values her early novels embodied has hurt many of her former admirers, the shadow of pain that person has cast could eaisly have blighted another family, but they have successfully resisted it.

@TheCurlKing

14 күн бұрын

Yeah. The stepmother is actually a superhero with that level of patience. Hats off and all respect to her.

I don’t like the stepdaughter or OP’s husband Edit: hearing the update. I was wrong about the husband

@TheCurlKing

16 күн бұрын

I went through the exact same thoughts 😂

I think a large part of this issue stems from social media. No matter what your view on politics is, it shouldn't leave you that affected. There are ALWAYS people who are going to hate who wins the presidential election, but you have to remember that the people chose them for a reason. Even take Trump, even if you hate him because you think he's hateful, WHY are people electing him? It's really easy to just assume they're hateful bigots, it's really hard to reflect on the fact that our economic situation is BAD right now, and while it did take a turn in this direction under Trump, that was only after covid, and Trump did try to tell the states to stop the lockdowns because of the economic consequences and many states chose not to. Which is fine, it's ok to consider the potential lives lost being saved being worth the depression we're going through rn, but now that we're suffering that depression, people are going to look at the presidential candidate that had a really, REALLY good economy and had a wrench not got thrown in, would have likely still had a good economy, as a better choice at this moment. I think there's a massive reflection of this problem when you look at conservative kids, and while they don't WANT Biden to win, they're not suffering as badly as left leaning kids. They're scared for the economic future, but we don't see a lot of stories of conservative kids suffering mental breakdowns over a fear of..... idk, trans people existing, or abortion being put in the constitution. But left leaning kids are constantly being told the world is going to end because of climate change, that democracy will end if Trump is elected, that trans people are going to be genocided if conservatives get their way. That is demonization, a great way to make people hate those they disagree with. And these kids are suffering mental breakdowns over these politicized exaggerations. And all this crap is stemming from social media because a great way to gets views is to make people afraid. Even some of the right has taken to it and it grosses me out as well. Everyone needs to take a chill pill and remember we are ALL Americans, and it's really easy to think the people you disagree with are evil or stupid, makes it really easy to hate them and look down on them, but remember that doing that makes YOU the hateful person. It makes YOU the bigot. And that's ok, because you're human and we're prone to emotional takes like that, but it's not healthy lol.

@TheCurlKing

13 күн бұрын

Yeah. I definitely think that's solid reasoning. Media controls a lot of how our impressionable youth feels and thinks about things. They're very receptive to trends and everything else they've been told. So, your take makes a lot of sense.

Child is being super entitled. Needs to keep working on her mental health. A bookshelf shouldn't trigger her. Also Rowling isn't even transphobic, just pro woman.

@TheCurlKing

16 күн бұрын

Couldn't have said it better myself. And "Just pro woman" is a reasonable take.

@arcadiaberger9204

14 күн бұрын

@@TheCurlKing Joanne is just "a pro-woman writer" the way Leni Riefenstahl was just "a pro-German filmmaker".

Sounds like y'all dealing with a entitled kid...I don't think Rowling is as transphobic as she is made out to be........and the books never mention it, and no character is shamed fir sexual orientation in her Harry Potter books.

@arcadiaberger9204

14 күн бұрын

I agree, SD is going over the top with her demands, but . . . have you read anything by Rowling *_BESIDES_* Harry Potter? Like the tweets? Or the public proclamations? Or the mystery novels where the killer is always a trans person?

@jakethegreatest473

14 күн бұрын

@@arcadiaberger9204 isn't there just one of that last question....and as to the other part nothing of that sort is in it.

@TheCurlKing

14 күн бұрын

I've definitely seen the tweets and public proclamations... but the novels about trans gender killers... news to me. I also don't know of any of her works outside of HP XD

@jakethegreatest473

13 күн бұрын

@@TheCurlKing ain't read it either. I think it's just one novel. The original tweet that got her the label a few years ago wasn't that hateful. They just made a trans villain for Dr.Who and that one is being celebrated. Is one poorly written....are both poorly written? Are both well written? I don't really know.

@arcadiaberger9204

13 күн бұрын

@@jakethegreatest473 She engages in literal Holocaust denial. She uses the threat of legal action to blackmail people into apologizing for correctly saying that the first Nazi book burnings were the destruction of the archives of the world's first gender affirmation clinic.