- Harry Potter Fandoms will be a part of the Fediverse one way or the other. It’s better to shape this development rather than being overwhelmed by it.
- Harry Potter Fandoms are a huge opportunity for the Fediverse. Look at what the collaboration of Lego and Disney brought to Fortnite. People want to spend time in places, in which they feel familiar and welcomed. I’m not saying collaborating with big companies here, what I’m saying is: the Fediverse needs to be filled with life and we have to use that opportunity first, before others do.
- Don’t throw the opinions of J.K. Rowling and its fandom in one bucket. It’s one of the biggest in the world, there is a broad range of opinions and people.
- The Fediverse needs more projects that immediately make sense to people. Projects that you tell a person about, and they say: “Oh, yeah, that makes sense.” Mastodon in comparison to Twitter was such a thing: its billionaire proof. Everybody gets why that’s a good thing. A better, more open place to build Harry Potter fan sites could be another.
- The project (including other places like this that may follow) could also become another attractive place on the Fediverse for the open-source community. Who wouldn’t be excited to help build the world of Harry Potter?
All of this is of course up for discussion. I’m a very stubborn person but I’m also able to listen ;)
Edit: I removed “queer friendly” from the description. Its not a claim that I can fully uphold anyways. Instead, it has a no tolerancy policy against transphobia, which is more clear and probably easier to enforce.
Here is the link: https://diagonlemmy.social
it has a no tolerancy policy against transphobia
Does this include discussion of Rowlings current work like Bad Blood?
I ask because it gets to the core of why “separate art from artist” can’t apply when you are promoting the works of active bigots. Reading Poe or Seuss harms no one, but starting a community to promote upcoming projects from a bigots, such as the TV show or the games.
It feels HP fans want to have their cake and eat it to, you can’t be a trans ally AND be promoting the works of someone who uses that capital to actively harm trans folk. Which is why so many trans people are asking you to stop.
Its H.P. themed not Rowling themed. If they want to talk about Bad Blood in the literature section, sure. Like on all other literature instances, too. If its explicitly transphobic, its not.
Okay, but can you understand how that logic isn’t very consistent? Bad Blood itself is itself explicitly transphobic (a male killer dressing as a woman specfically to stalk women in the bathroom), it’s inherently biased bigoted propaganda. So discussion of the text would be allowed in literature section. Just not if it were transphobic?
You are trying to have it both ways. It’s easy enough to say you won’t allow transphobic content, but not to understand what that is nor listen trans folk pointing it out.
I mean frankly, you are gonna have the community regardless what I or any other trans person say, which is your right. Just please acknowledge that this isnt how an ally would act. It’s actively cognitive dissonance to have a nontransphobic discussion of Bad Blood or any of Rowlings work.
So discussion of the text would be allowed in literature section. Just not if it were transphobic?
No, I meant that it wouldn’t be put to discussion if it were transphobic. It would need to be decided just like for any other book. I just don’t want to pre-empitively outrule the book because I don’t know it AND because the situation hasn’t arised yet.
But yeah, we can assume that it would happen. Its a fair question. Probably I or the mods would have to do some reading and then decide. But that holds for any controverse book.
Now, the question is, if in doubt, would I rather ban the book discussion or not, I would be on the side of allowing it, because banning books from discussion is a very radical step and then see if any transphobic comments pop up around it.
I mean frankly, you are gonna have the community regardless what I or any other trans person say, which is your right.
That’s true, it was never up for discussion; I mean, it was some work to put it up. But I’m interested in your opinions around it. Just because it will not be a safe place for queer folks (I have neither the resources nor the skills), it can still be a generally welcoming place to them (hopefully).
Man. People need to learn how to ignore stuff they don’t like or use the block button.
Did this even went through?
Yes your post came through!
Wishing you best of luck with your server. You will need strict moderation to keep transphobia out.
deleted by creator
Divorcing the author from the work is rather challenging when that author is a living billionaire who makes money whenever you buy any kind of merchandise of their work. While pirating their trademarks without paying is in principle harmless, the moment you cross over into, say, paying money for Harry Potter Lego or Harry Potter Fortnite skins, you are then immediately funding the author’s hate campaigns
The instance name is clever, but I think you will find the concept embarrassing in hindsight. I would recommend not doubling down on the cognitive dissonance
People don’t seem to realize that their consumption of a product is seen by its beneficiaries.
Sure not YOU directly, but when someone sees “oh this place also set up something dedicated solely to the thing I made, they must really like me and approve of the things I do/say!” and others who agree with their shitty views think “oh they agree too, otherwise why promote it?”
Is it possible to separate the creatOR from the creatION? Yes. But not for everyone, and many of those who can’t will see your support as support of their own shitty ideals that match the creators’.
Sure, you may not be antisemitic, but the country club you go to for lunch sure is. Go ahead and pretend you’re not supporting them I guess.
Is it possible to separate the creatOR from the creatION? Yes. But not for everyone, and many of those who can’t will see your support as support of their own shitty ideals that match the creators’.
If it would be that easy, yes. But you ignore that H.P. does have a cultural value to it. Now you could try to re-build this, but first of all: it will be pretty hard to come up with something that no one feels offended by. And second of all: it will be pretty hard to come up with something that is equally popular.
For me, this is about post-structuralism vs. structuarlism. The current zeigeist is all about “deconstruction”, but if you de-construct everything, you are left with nothing. You need to build something new and that structure will always leave some room to deconstruct.
So I’m for leaving some of these cultural structures even if they are in parts worth overcoming. In case of the social web, which the Fediverse tries to create: it will not work without some kind of cultural structure on which it is build. People don’t want to spent time in a non-place, the Metaverse already failed because of that (at least its first try).
Post-structuralism is bad. Its anti-liberal and currently a big problem on the left imo.
I love to be able to reclaim works from their hateful authors, especially cultural ones. I’m a big fan of Lovecraft, and that dude was hateful. He makes JK Rowling look sweet and kindly. But it’s a lot easier to reclaim the narrative and make it a part of our culture when the author is literally dead.
Lovecraft is a cornerstone of modern fiction, despite being a bigot. We can acknowledge how he was a terrible person, even analyze it, but we know that our enjoyment of Lovecraftian fiction isn’t benefiting Lovecraft’s hateful causes, especially because the work is public domain.
In contrast, JK Rowling is not only still alive, she is active and vocal about her hatred, how she spends her money towards hate, and how she considers support of Harry Potter in light of her hate to be support of her vile views.
Consumption of media is not a passive action. Even if you do not actively give any money to the franchise, promoting the franchise encourages other people to do so, and then their money goes to fund hate.
I understand that HP is important to a lot of people. It was a cultural phenomenon. But we aren’t leaving it behind just because JK Rowling said something offensive. We’re leaving it behind because the author is actively using our consumption to fund hate and campaigning to deny rights to trans people.
There are plenty of other forms of media, new and old, that aren’t being piloted by known bigots. If you want a cultural backbone, using one that is currently controlled by a bigot will probably make a lot of trans people feel unwelcome at best and at worst, if HP continues to be a cultural phenomenon on a large scale JK Rowling will use the platform and the money to further the oppression of transgender rights.
I love to be able to reclaim works from their hateful authors, especially cultural ones. I’m a big fan of Lovecraft, and that dude was hateful. He makes JK Rowling look sweet and kindly. But it’s a lot easier to reclaim the narrative and make it a part of our culture when the author is literally dead.
Agreed. The athmosphere he creates is great but that dude was really problematic.
I understand that HP is important to a lot of people. It was a cultural phenomenon. But we aren’t leaving it behind just because JK Rowling said something offensive. We’re leaving it behind because the author is actively using our consumption to fund hate and campaigning to deny rights to trans people.
Sure, we find ourselves in a pickle, there. On the one hand, she is actively harming people and this will stay this way until it eventually becomes part of the public domain.
However, boycotting Harry Potter also comes as a price that, at least I would argue, also hurts minorities. Because the places create structure, which protects vulnarable people.
Why don’t we replace it with something else that does the same? Well, because in my opinion, Harry Potter culturally serves as a mythologization of the digital. People use it to understand the digital world. In past centuries, humans always made up stories and myths to understand complex concepts. The same thing is happening with the digital world and Harry Potter is one of the first to do this. It has a unique and central societal purpose.
That doesn’t mean that it can be improved, as can be seen in Hogwarts Legacy, which is kind of progressive, and also still slightly antisemetic, which is not so great, BUT I think overall the books still do much more good for vulnarable people than anything Rowling does against them, if she wants it or not.
So at the end of my line of thought, I always end up with two options: either create something new that does the same thing as H.P. while being more progressive but still hugely popular (which is hard to impossible), or to use H.P. and build on top of it to make it more modern (which is much easier).
What I would like to see more in these discussion is the question how EFFECTIVE Rowlings actions really are and if boycotting doesn’t hurt more than it helps.
Why don’t we replace it with something else that does the same?
This, it is our duty as people with good taste in media to promote better and less popular books to children. Earthsea by leguin, his dark materials by Pullman etc. hundreds of better books out there filling the same niche
But none of them is anywhere near the popularity of Harry Potter. In the german-speaking area, his dark material and Earthsea are even less common.
idk anything about german literature, i’m russian :( but when i was small i really liked the books momo and neverending story
I personally think it’s a very bad idea and politics will catch up on you eventually. But whatever floats your boat.
The responses in this thread highlight my point. If you don’t have explicit rules to stop that shit in its tracks (which you don’t), you aren’t queer friendly, because queer folk can’t exist there without being told that transphobia is fine actually, as long as you like the person doing it.
The responses in this thread highlight my point.
What responses? The ones who say they can separate the content from the creator?
If you don’t have explicit rules to stop that shit in its tracks (which you don’t)
Here are the rules. The first rule is about not attacking groups of people. So yeah.
I’m sorry, but as a cis heterosexual man who has trans friends and has turned away from all things Harry Potter and JK Rowling in utter disgust, this strikes me as attempting to ignore the obvious transphobia of the TERF author in the hope of keeping your head in the sand and residing in a place of nostalgia solely because transgendered people aren’t the majority.
I get your desire to grow the Fediverse, but if you want to create a community around a fandom, perhaps you should choose a piece of media that embraces inclusion rather than one that is simply popular?
Stop looking into your past fandoms with nostalgic rose tinted glasses, acknowledge that you can’t have Hogwartz without the hatred, and find media that is straight up more inclusive.
Holy fuck. I like Harry Potter and want to speak about it, so what? Because JK made a few announcements? Words do damage and I get that it’s already hard being trans and she isn’t helping. But acting like this is just building more walls, dividing an already fucked humankind for no good reason.
I respect anyone’s choice to be trans, but then you’ll have to let me discuss HP without judgement as well. And if you won’t, then you’re the problem. Because I will still respect anyone trans, but I won’t respect you.
Sure, the human race is particularly divided right now, but trying to create a fan group around a brand founded by an outspoken outright TERF who has done real harm to a marginalized group deserves to be called out for what it is: a group willing to turn a blind eye to hate speech.
Saying we can somehow separate the good the work has done for some people, from the harm the author has done to the specific minority of trans people, is naive at best, and sympathizing with bigotry at worst.
Think about the community you’re trying to create. It is inherently anti-trans, by the very nature of it’s association with the author.
But hey, if that’s the kind of company you’d like to keep, then at least we all know who you like to associate with.
It’s not inherently anti-trans. How can you say that, can’t you see what OP wrote? And then you’re trying to put a stample on me for not being a good enough supporter of the cause, so bring out the guillotines! Sometimes I feel like the trans communities greatest enemy is it’s strongest proponents.
You can’t speak for every trans person, neither can I. But if you think no one trans likes HP, or think that if someone trans likes HP they aren’t really trans, then you can fuck right off. And if that’s not what you’re saying, then let it be?
People are weird, let them. If they aren’t actively trashing other people they aren’t doing harm. Stop being upset about things no one’s yet to do to you. You just come of as an leftist incel.
Sorry, but no. You can sit by the sidelines and cause harm. It’s been done many times over throughout history, and sadly I’m sure we’ll see it again. I’m literally witnessing a bunch of people ignore the plight of a marginalized group right here, right now.
I’m calling it out because it’s exactly that. It’s literally the least amount of effort I can put in while still doing what I think is right, not fucking nothing, and certainly not engaging in a community that is transphobe adjacent.
Again, company you keep reflects on you, ignoring a problem can be just as harmful as actively causing harm under certain circumstances.
Are these those specific circumstances? Maybe not. But I’ll be damned if I don’t call out indifference to suffering when I see it, which is exactly what this is.
I’m not speaking for all trans people. I’m speaking for me. It’s the internet, try and stop me. If any person, trans or otherwise, wants to engage with me and argue why I’m wrong and presents a solid argument, I’d be more than happy to hear it.
But so far, all I’m hearing is a bunch of pearl clutching rhetoric dancing around the fact that to support HP in any way shape or form can only help JKR, and by proxy, her transphobic agenda. If that’s what you all want to do, then go ahead. But don’t pretend that’s not what’s happening.
I get it, you think you’re doing good, I’d ask you to reconsider that. You’re claiming someone is doing something no one has even considered yet. Judge the result, not your idea of what they’re trying to do. You’re painting a monster no one else sees.
I won’t answer your second post to me since it wasn’t targeted at you, and I’m lazy.
Judge the result, not your idea of what they’re trying to do.
Yeah. That wait and see approach hasn’t usually worked out for minorities…
You’re painting a monster no one else sees.
No. I’m pointing out that due to nostalgia and a desire for community, HP fans willing to turn a blind eye to the hateful rhetoric of JKR are engaging with transphobic communities, even if the community rules attempts to discourage outright hate speech. If you can’t see how that’s harmful, you’re blind.
I won’t answer your second post to me since it wasn’t targeted at you, and I’m lazy.
Fair enough, though I’m happy to engage in discourse on that point as well.
Perfectly said
How is it Harry Potter themed? There don’t seem to be any specific Harry Potter colors, backgrounds, icons, emojis, etc. What do you mean by “themed”?
Same way programming.dev is programming-themed, I assume: the communities all fit the common theme of being about Harry Potter
I disagree with the use of “theme”. It evokes a visual for me. If you went to a “Harry Potter themed conference” and saw nothing that was visually Harry Potter, wouldn’t you feel like the mark was missed?
However, if you said it’s “centered”, “focused”, “related”, or something similar, then there’s no visual.When you talk about a website theme, most likely you’re talking about visuals. Dark, light, dusk, sunset, etc. When going to a X-themed website, I expect visuals that go along with that theme.
When you say “queer friendly”, are you, the admin of the instance, gender diverse and thus directly impacted by Rowling’s transphobia? Because that’s the only voice that I’m open to hearing “queer friendly” from when it comes to Potter and Rowling.
If you’re not impacted by her bigotry, you have no place claiming that it’s queer friendly, whilst actively refusing to engage with the reality of her transphobia.
So you have to be part of the queer movement to be queer friendly ? Please go gatekeep something else
It’s easier to determine if something is queer friendly or not. If you are just an outsider how can you accurately say what’s queer friendly?
So if I’m not both a woman and a man I can’t see sexism? That’s an easy way out of responsibility.
It’s extremly easy to determine if something is “queer friendly” or not, event if you’re not a queer yourself. By your flawless logic, I should not be able to discern the presence of racism in a KKK meeting because I’m not black lol.
When you say “queer friendly”, are you, the admin of the instance, gender diverse and thus directly impacted by Rowling’s transphobia?
No, I’m not. With “queer friendly” I wanted to signal my good intentions here. I don’t want to call it a safe space, because I’m not able and also not willing to provide this. Possibly in the future there will be other H.P. instances that are also safe® spaces.
So yeah, “queer friendly” is more like a ideal/commitment that I want to try to hold rather than a promise/claim. Or that what was I tried to do here.
If you have a different phrase that could reflect this more accuratly, I will be happy to consider it.
Then blocking it will be!
Fuck this.
