Is Liking Harry Potter Transphobic?

[@thestreakingninja]

didnt expect the bathroom/chamber of secrets/wizard poop rant and it was great lmao i didnt think about the "founders had bathrooms" part haha

[@elizabethsmith7224]

Also chamberpots were right there as an option before plumbing, would it probably be just as unsanitary yes, would it be less gross also yes.

[@shem9200]

i definitely agree about the argument of “if you like hp you’re transphobic” being very one dimensional. personally i couldn’t care less about hp as a series; i was a casual enjoyer as a kid and just gradually stopped liking it. really the only thing that’s genuinely irritating is when people pretend its a perfect book series when you ignore rowlings statements. like idk it does have quite a number of stereotypes and weird messages. that being said it does also have its good parts too and as long as people are thinking about it at least SEMI critically, in the words of rene descartes “who give a shit”

[@stephanieking8299]

I'm trans and I love Harry Potter. Just have to separate the art from the artist. Same as I do for other authors like HP Lovecraft and Edgar Allan Poe. I would love to support the game and the developers but tbh I don't even have time for video games so I'll probably just watch someone play it.

[@moonbook12]

Have fun watches and it's okey you love Harry Potter

[@-Gax-]

If you don't have time to play the game, how do you have time to watch the game? Couldn't you just play it instead of watching it?

[@maryamm.9]

@@-Gax- it's easier to watch someone play it while doing something else than having to put everything aside and play the game yourself

[@jht3fougifh393]

I will never understand why people feel compelled to make huge deals out of everything. I don't care what someone says, I just won't continue to support them financially. You can enjoy a creative bit of work without liking or vehemently disagreeing with the artist. I will always affirm that the best you can do is build yourself up and recognize that people who are going to be crappy are going to be crappy. You can't control other people, and so what? Live your life well regardless. Good on you, stranger. Nice to see people be more chill and positive, even in the face of those who offend them.

[@TheRoboticFerret]

Am also trans and my bf is excited to see how this game turns out. He wants to buy it used/pirate it which is completely fine. Merely interfacing with media created by bad actors, if that is the case, doesn't make the user a bad person.

[@pogchamp2930]

You're actually genuinely changing my mind on a lot of topics. just because im usually on the "if you buy it, you're transphobic" side of the internet, and honestly I didn't think of other perspectives. your videos have 100% helped change my views on a lot of topics to see a lot more of the harm that what I'm used to seeing can cause

[@LilFaeBae]

Proud of u! Opening yourr mind ❤

[@vipa1737]

The problem with all of these twitter "political" social issues is that Twitter (and other social media sites but especially twitter) is very black and white. Everyone has to be good or bad. JK Rowling, the people who despise her on twitter, and the people who are supporting the video game all have good aspects and bad aspects about them. Thank you for making a video weaving through this landmine of a topic.

[@BelindaShort]

She's literally trying to get legislature passed that will hurt trans people. A lot of Americans have no idea how dangerous she is.

[@MissCaraMint]

Yeah JK Rowling has been pretty progressive until she hit on trans issues, and those takes are awful. Still they obviously come from a place of trauma. That makes it sad that the massive backlash she received probably pushed her further away from being able to look at it objectively and possibly changing her mind. Considering the fact that she did seem to want to be progressive and understanding it saddens me that the prejudice is one she simply can’t get past. Of course then you have to take into account the actual trans people hurt by her statements and behavior and you really can’t blame them for being upset with her. No body wins. Its unfortunate.

[@RaeN706]

People need to open up their eyes and stop thinking about just themselves. I think that what Rowlings is saying is coming from a place of hurt and pain. Now does this take away the pain she caused, no. But I am tired of cancel culture and that is all this is. Everyone is just being a bully in this.

[@11274reece]

I mean at the end of the day, I see a large group of individuals attacking this woman constantly... She's been doxxed with no repercussions, slandered and targeted financially and all for standing up for women's rights. In the UK women's rights and safe spaces are disappearing in the name of trans rights, why should one's rights come at the expense of another's? There's a case in the UK right this minute where a trans person used their access to female bathrooms etc to rape two women. This person was going to also be sent to a female prison till there was massive outcry, but that's just the UK now, all this is enforced by law, even speech. There's dads that were charged in court for misgendering their children, the SNP in Scotland are trying to make up their own laws to allow full transitions in children. It's scary because think of the abuse this opens the door to, and because this is also on an institutional level now, it's kinda hammered into kids heads at school etc. Although the US and UK are very similar, our rights in the UK are disappearing and because freedom of speech is a big one that's gone, no one can voice their concerns. I feel like Americans don't get that when this topic is brought up. A lot of people are arguing over something they've not even looked into.

[@DUWANGlai_kangyi]

She's a goddamn millionaire and funds transphobic causes, I don't give a fuck if she gets "cancelled" online (and it's not like online cancellation does anything, especially to someone so goddamn rich)

[@Shadow1Yaz]

Transphobia can make cis-people uncomfortable too. Seeing that level of disrespect and hurt directed at another person (client and/or coworkers) feels really bad. Maya was probably not renewed because she made multiple people uncomfortable, and not JUST transwomen who directly attacked. If I had a company where cis/trans employees and cis/trans clients told me an employee made them uncomfortable I would not fire them but I wouldn't renew their contract.

[@stempzone]

You are using a lot of made up words. There is no such thing as cis-men. You are playing make-believe.

[@Shadow1Yaz]

@@stempzone I understand the need to feel like this. But, why did you write this? What was the goal here? Maybe I can help you with it.

[@11274reece]

@@Shadow1Yaz I think she's trying to break you out of your delusional state of mind, alas I doubt that's possible. You all are brainwashed.

[@Shadow1Yaz]

@11274reece and Dawn C I understand your need to feel that trans people and allies are delusional, but your methods are not productive. You cannot come and tell a delusional person that they are experiencing a delusion as that puts you in opposition to them and can cause them to lock you out or believe you are “one of them” and attack you (if you’re physically near them) What you are doing is cruelly attacking someone you believe to be mentally ill. This makes you both look ignorant, cruel and lacking in empathy.

[@11274reece]

@@Shadow1Yaz At no point have I said I'm against trans folks, just that you're delusional... I mean you're offended and made uncomfortable by issues that don't involve you and you're a self titled "ally" with a them and us mentality, doesn't that say something? Also you're incredibly soft if you gather that much from a comment on youtube. As you admit in your original comment, you clearly choose to be offended by things and if that's the case, comments sections maybe ain't a good place for you.

[@AmalieLinden]

I think part of what makes people so extra hostile about this issue, is the fact that rowling *does* actively donate to anti-lgbt *political causes* that do have very real consequences to trans people in the uk. It quickly gets really really hard for people, especially trans folks that live in the uk, to see anyone who financially supports her as anything but the enemy, because they are facing consequences in real-time. In fact new anti-trans bills have recently been brought up in the uk, in which rowlings funding can be blamed. I wish it was just a simple case of seperating the artist from the art in the same way that you can hp lovecraft. If she just stayed as an annoying mosquito on twitter and didnt financially donate to anything damaging, it would have been a really easy case of "if you consume the media, just take it with a grain of salt as the story will indirectly feature bigoted views". Unfortunately she *is* actively contributing to the anti-transness of an *entire country* by fueling bills that tries to eradicate trans healthcare. And like, I think its pretty safe to say that if one of the american politicians that helped in passing one of the recent anti-trans bills that banned adults from getting care made a game, we would obviously boycott tf out of it and also say that you truly have to be bigoted in order to buy it. In reality, we should easily be able to do the same to rowling, because its exactly the same scenario. However the hp id is connected to nostalgia, and people cannot let go of nostalgia no matter how damaging it is to others. The issue is, plain and simple, that people are driven so much by nostalgia, that they cant see the game isolated for what it is and stands for. And so theyll continue to excuse their indulgence of buying it or watching it, even if it hurts themselves or others. I still think youre right in terms of additional ways to give the game less support without completely eliminating the option to buy it. I know that the people ruled by nostalgia wont give up buying and playing the game in any capacity. So its important to add options such as buy it used, watch someone else play it, or only buy it at discounts. I just think its sad that people get so ruled over by nostalgia that we even have to present those choices for such a non-essential item (the one reason that makes it different from something like amazon or chic fil a) :^)

[@davishunt4523]

I am consistently impressed with your ability to cut through all the noise surrounding an issue; and get to the core of it with a level of nuance I rarely see on the platform. Keep up the good work man

[@MrProofMan]

Thank you for taking the time to explore the issue of not supporting Rowling. I can’t stand when creators tell their audience they MUST abandon Harry Potter completely with no wiggle room. I lost respect for Lindsay Ellis and Dominic Noble for that. Lindsay even said it included watching a DVD you’ve already purchased, which is ridiculous. This series was incredibly formative for my generation, and we should take the time to look into how we can hold onto it while still disavowing JK Rowling. People are so binary about this stuff and I appreciate you actually going beyond that.

[@JimmyRobins]

Thank you, I appreciate it. It’s really important to me that I don’t just come off as some contrarian trying to appeal to the “controversial” take, so I appreciate hearing about the other content you’ve seen on this.

[@alicedeligny9240]

Lindsay Ellis said that ?

[@MrProofMan]

@@alicedeligny9240 yup

[@pramada9431]

Also feel a person could love harry potter and only consume fan content and staunchly be opposed to new official content. That's what most of the harry potter fans are doing now

[@-Gax-]

It's ironic isn't it? That they are so binary about this issue but not about others.

[@ao4698]

Saw this in my recommended and was apprehensive to click because I feel like I’ve heard everything there is to say about this topic, but I’m glad I did! You gained a new subscriber :)

[@callumsamericanfriend2943]

I am trans, I had a friend who was trans who ended our friendship because I liked Harry Potter. I didn't financially support it (after everything that's come out about JK, at least) and I simply said that I enjoyed the series, not realizing at the time how big of a deal JK's views were to many people. I personally hated her, and thought the series wasn't deserving of her name. That she should be removed from the franchise, rather than the franchise be taken from everyone else. when this topic came up, this friend I had told me that I was an enemy to other trans people. That no other trans person would (or should) associate with me, basically that I shouldn't be a part of the trans community. I'm not trying to make them look bad for their personal feelings, but this did really happen. And I believed them, too. At first I felt I was wrong for liking a series that was, if I'm honest, incredibly influential to me as a child, and played a major part in forming who I am now. I worried that I was just letting nostalgia blind me. My family owns three copies of the whole movie series from over the years, I watched them throughout my entire life and some of my greatest memories with my family are attached to that. It had nothing to do with Rowling and Harry Potter, to me, wasn't about this one woman. In fact I never even knew a thing about JK. I just really liked this fantasy world, I've done so many deep dives into it, and I loved the books and movies (mostly the movies and fan content if I'm being honest). This same friend also agreed with the idea of Harry Potter being anti-Semitic, which I grew up thinking the opposite; that goblins, elves, centaurs were clearly misunderstood due to in-world racism, and it was a message throughout the series not to make assumptions about certain groups of people. There's more depth that I saw to that, but I digress. It's just my takeaway of it. My point is, people see things very differently. We all have to choose what we do and don't feel strongly about. This friend of mine, who didn't even know a single thing about Harry Potter (They didn't know what a Dark Mark and Death Eater was in this discussion) still had all of these strong beliefs and visceral hatred toward the series itself. Things like this aren't so black and white and people will feel differently about it. They chose to end a friendship over it, among other differences of opinion, and that's fine, that was their choice to make. I personally feel it's a bit harsh to vilify anyone who simply doesn't feel the same way as I do. We need to do our research, look into things, and act based on what we think is best. By all means, if you hate it, don't support it. Don't associate with people who support it. But you can't tell someone they're transphobic or anti-Semitic just for liking a piece of fantasy media and/or wanting to play a video game. Thank you for this video, truly, it is so validating to know I'm not the only person who has the same views expressed here. This whole thing with Harry Potter as a whole has been a huge back-and-forth issue to me and it's so nice to hear I'm not crazy for feeling the way I do. Especially as a trans person myself, this issue feels like such a rollercoaster. In conclusion, JK is literally the worst. That doesn't mean an entire fantasy world built by countless people besides her (Including so much impressive fan content) needs to be completely abandoned and ostracized. This is more than just one person, if you ask me. Also thank you dearly for offering alternative solutions for getting the game, I'm still iffy on it but desperately didn't want to support Rowling so I'm considering an alternate choice, as I really was excited for this game. It's hard to make these choice sometimes, it's not just one way or the other. Sorry for highkey ranting in the comments of a KZbin video, but this topic has been a massive weight on me and it's good to see something like this out there online for people to understand the situation a bit better. My thought is that hopefully people can relate, or my experiences can also offer more insight.

[@afabfelix]

just want to say I really feel you. I'm trans as well and have been living with my mother for the past few years, due to not being able to live on my own because of mental health issues. She's a HUGE Harry Potter fan, got me into the series when I was a kid. She's reading all of the Galbraith books and absolutely sided with JKR when the whole Twitter thing went down. The books I read as a kid were her copies. My transition, which I started in 2018, so before this went down, was hard for her, she was convinced I was just trying to escape societal pressure, as is JKR, and took over a year to call me by the correct name, even longer for pronouns. I had just bought all the HP books second hand (because I'm cheap and also think I'm better than everyone else for buying things second hand whenever I can to have as little of a bad impact on the environment as possible /s) and was in the middle of re-reading the second book, when she came out with her crap and precious bean Jammiedodger reacted to it, which made me aware of what was going on, as I don't use Twitter. I tried continuing to read the book, pretending that there was no correlation, and I started crying, because it felt like she had invaded and permanently damaged that safe space of mine. But I still really enjoy much of the world and especially have some of the fan stories. I also love open-world games and as many others, had been waiting for an actually well produced, open-world HP game for many years. So I, too, still really want to play this game. I wanna add that I'm sorry you lost a friend to this. I know from personal friendships that a lot of trans people have found their safe space on Twitter and Tiktok and that their consensus of how you can act is very totalitarian. A few months back I lost touch with my best friend for about two months because I said I don't like the generalisation of the KAM and ACAB movements (we live in Germany, our police situation is quite different to that in the US), because I don't think we'll get more needed support from the public and people from these problematic groups by telling them that they all need to die or shut up without any differentiation. They got mad and told me I didn't understand and things felt very icy for a while. Things can be tough...

[@callumsamericanfriend2943]

@@afabfelix My heart goes out to you, it's always heartbteaking to hear how tough family situations can get for us trans folk 💖💖 But yeah, it's been hard to even let myself enjoy anything Harry Potter related since. There's so much guilt attached to it now. I used to really go to that as a way to relax and get away from 'real life' but now it's so tainted. It is so nice to hear I'm not the only one, and honestly I do want to be able to let myself enjoy Harry Potter again. My thought process is that I don't want to let JKR win by ruining something I knew and loved so well (idk if that makes sense but it does to me lol). You'd think JKR, who has suffered in her own life and been treated badly by others, having made such a seemingly inclusive world/series would be open to people of all backgrounds. Overall I don't understand why people burn bridges so quickly over differences of opinion like this. I can understand some people feel very strongly about it, but especially concerning Harry Potter... it's a book series. It isn't cut and dry and people clearly interpret it differently. It should be as simple as support it if you want and don't if you don't like it, but it's not unfortunately. And I'm gonna be real many people that string it up so aggressively really have never even read the series or even seen the movies. They make assumptions based on what spreads around online. That's not always the case but that really became apparent to me over time. It would be nice if this could be more of an open conversation (like in this video) but the internet typically doesn't like doing that.

[@afabfelix]

@@callumsamericanfriend2943 virtual hugs all around for anyone who likes hugs 🖤🖤 🐥 This was my hug emoji, years before they added the weird new thing, and I still think it's way cuter. So: 🐥🐥🐥

[@novac1990]

You will see your icons new and old layed before a metephorical alter and torn apart in the name of moral purity. You are and will continue to be used as a shield and a sword by corporations, journalists, politicians and individuals who in seeking purpose in the world have latched onto you to achieve that purpose. The thing about JK is she cannot be canceled. Everyday that she gets bombarded with backlash more and more people are realizing the absurdity of this behavior and how dogmatic a movement that started out in pursuit of equality has turned in one of conquest. I just hope that some in the Trans community can wake up and see this before its to late.

[@callumsamericanfriend2943]

@@afabfelix Wouldn't really blame anyone for seeing it that way, but people conveniently forget that goblins are commonly creatures of greed and/or precious metal (mines and what have you) in fantasty. That observation alone is a huge stretch to say "oh the Goblins represent this major group of people based on one vague real life stereotype." It simply doesn't line up to me based on just that. Again, if people see that and don't like it, fine, don't support it 🙏

[@moonlight_dulcet]

as a trans guy obsessed with Harry Potter, the idea of pissing off JK Rowling by being a fan of it fills me with satisfaction. i love her work but i don't love her

[@Sharie_mabari]

I am not cis, I'm non-binary. (she/they) I found your channel through the Try Guys stuff and I really gotta say I appreciate your nuanced takes so much. Offering tangible ways in which people can help is so, so important. You've got a new subscriber in me Jimmy. Thanks a lot. These last few weeks I've been having an internal battle about this game and what to do about it. I was 12 when the final HP book came out, I remember how gripping it was. Couldn't get off the couch to do anything else. And once the books were finished, I quickly turned to fanfic and it has kept that world alive for me. I would say fans brought so much more to the table and they, on the whole, are making wonderful, gay, and trans stories that are just so delightful. I've wanted a decent game for years now. Before everything happened I had hopes of a TV show that closely followed the books, but those hopes have been thoroughly dashed and I don't know if I'd even feel okay with that happening after everything Joanne Klown Rowling has done. (K stands for Klown of course) I might just yo ho ho and a bottle of rum, but I am also considering other avenues. The Goblin thing makes me feel icky, wish we could support them in game and just create a non canon world in which they are free. Justice for the Goblins!

[@Mothgoth1]

Why would you have an issue? Rowling is extremely left wing (has been for the last 15 years or so) and gives millions to humanitarian causes. But what? Because she brought up gender ID and safety implications she's now an evil witch? You know she was worried for women and transwomen right? At the end of the day after receiving thousands of death threats I don't really blame her if she says something outrageous these days because in the beginning when everyone dog piling her, she didn't actually say anything controversial or bad. She was mistreated by an entitled community and if she's become a bit of a bitch now, well it's fairly easy who to blame.

[@Sharie_mabari]

​@@Mothgoth1 Yes, she is spreading misinformation and adding to the campaign of hate against trans people, and I do not want to support her. Assuming that you are not arguing any of this in bad faith (lol) then please do your research on the things she has said and how they are incorrect. Watch the video "Responding to JK Rowlings Essay | Is It Anti-Trans?" if you are at all serious about knowing more on this issue and why trans and non-binary people are against J.K. Rowling. However, since you seem to be painting her as a victim here and are also calling people who have LESS RIGHTS THAN OTHERS entitled, I fear my response will fall on deaf ears, in which case: I have no desire to argue with someone who already sees me as the villain. Have a good day and don't let the door hit you on your way out ✌ P.S. I have never sent any death threats to any person including JKR but death threats have been sent to me. Go figure.

[@KhadaJhin04]

Actually, owning any form of electronics, phones, laptops, gaming systems is highly unethical, since miner kids in African countries are exploited for the necessary metals to create parts of your iphone, gold, diamonds, mica powder, all of these things we take for granted, is directly contributing to the poverty in those regions... But I guess out of sigh out of mind.

[@babil8548]

She also sold the theatrical copyright to Warner Bros, implying that even if she didn't know how to make a good deal, she wouldn't profit from the game. Also, in 2047, the books will be public domain, meaning people can make spinoffs of the books without worrying about copyright laws, like Pride, Prejudice & Zombies being a re-telling of Pride & Prejudice.

[@babil8548]

@M.G. Michael ya a book series and then it was made into a movie.

[@jspaingreene6350]

Good to see you Jimmy - Thank you for your thoughts. I appreciate that you are talking about constructive actions to things we don't agree with. Such a thorny issue and so difficult in the mega corporation era. Incisive with humor - that's why I'm a fan.

[@JimmyRobins]

Thanks j, I appreciate it!

[@primroseprom]

I feel like what makes the whole, “Can you like Harry Potter and not be transphobic?” question hard to answer is that JK Rowling herself has said that she sees any sort of positive interaction with her work as people agreeing with what she has to say. Under normal circumstances, my answer to that question would be, “Yes, just make try not to directly financially support the artist in question,” but when the artist themself directly says that they see any interaction with their work (reading the books, writing/reading fanfiction, going to Diagon Alley/Hogsmeade in Universal, buying merchandise, making/sharing fanart, making/watching fan-made films, cosplay, playing the games, etc.) as an endorsement of *her,* it kind of ruins any joy I can get out of that kind of material. I still believe that JK Rowling should not be directly financially supported by anyone choosing to still enjoy her franchise because it’s her financial and celebrity status that gave her the platform to start speaking out against trans people for just existing. Outside of that, I feel like it comes down to a matter of personal choice and morals as well as listening to those most affected by her hate.

[@samsteacup]

So i am trans and i do like the HP universe a lot. I will probably get the game in some way. Its something I and so many other people have been dreaming and wishing for so I get that people dont want to sacrifice this. What I would appreciate, what might not be possible on a wider scale, since im certain this game will ge a hit, is that peope who stream or provide content out the game would donate a certain amount of their income of the ads to organisations that support the trans community in some way. It of course doesnt hurt JKR in a direct way but it would be a nice gesture and also would spread awareness in a less aggressive way.

[@cooky2991]

Always interesting to hear different takes on this situation. I was never the biggest fan of HP when I was younger, but got some friends who still are, and made them little trinkets with their house colours and stuff. Definitely not supporting any of JKR works after her takes from last year, which made me instantly lose interest in the game that's gonna come out, even though I love open world games usually.

[@blackberryhoney6248]

Look. The thing with goblins and Harry Potter is that that's how goblins /are/ in fantasy media. Were they originally based on an antisemitic caricature in the same way that orcs were based on, and I quote Tolkien here, "Mongol types"? Yes. Did making them bankers definitely not help? Yes. Do I think she did that on purpose? Probably not. She took the existing tropes surrounding a fantasy race and tried to fit them into her world, and those tropes were already antisemitic stereotypes. That's not to say that not knowing can't cause harm, because it can, but when you take into context the history of goblins in the fantasy genre, the role of goblins in the story makes more sense. I still hesitate to buy into Harry Potter media because of her transphobia, but I think there's more nuance to the goblin argument than just "she was antisemitic".

[@samsyet-0074]

your videos are very high quality, the kind of content I would want to make some day, with this much passion, its incredible, great job jimmy

[@JimmyRobins]

Thank you, I really appreciate hearing that

[@bradygaddis1105]

Thank god for KZbin notifications. Your videos get me through school lmao. Fr you’re a super underrated KZbinr! Good work, good arguments.

[@CERTAIND00M]

Hey, homie! I'm indifferent to the boy wizard as a topic but wanted to support your none-Gus drama content as a show of appreciation for all the effort you put into those. Though, this was a rather thought-provoking video regardless. _Engagement, hizah!_

[@JimmyRobins]

Thank you, I appreciate the ongoing support!

[@uhlillie]

I've been going through your channel after being recommended your most recent video and I have to say that this video is by far my favorite on this channel. Navigating this topic is especially tricky for someone who isn't a part of the community but you did incredibly well. Honestly, social media is a headache to navigate. Issues are stripped of all of the nuance and context, which is then given to people as a strictly "bad vs good" or "black or white" type of problem. Hopefully this video can make its way around the internet and be shown to more people, not only to inform them of better ways to protest but as a catalyst to encourage them to rethink how they view issues. Keep up the good work!

[@tylerthompson7461]

As a trans person who loves Harry Potter and who will be purchasing the game, I don't feel too bad about it because a lot of other non-transphobic artists worked on this game that looks like it's going to be absolutely amazing! My 0.001% of how much the game costs going to J.K. Rowling is not worth stressing over in my opinion.

[@TheGreatEdBG]

Great video, as always! Unfortunately the issue is that the internet has given a platform for people to voice their opinions, to people that should definitely not be voicing their opinions. In the age of cancel culture, people will find anything and everything annoying to a certain point that they want to ruin it for everyone else just because they themselves won't be enjoying it.

[@charlodynatimberheart4860]

As a trans person, I just wanna add some nuance to this. Although there a those saying that liking harry potter = transphobia, what most of us actually trying to say is that ever since J.K. Rowling began her terf crusade, harry potter has become a staple for terfs and right wingers alike. I have been stalked in grocery stores by people wearing harry potter merch, and harassed online by people with harry potter profile pictures. It's not that liking harry potter makes you a bad person, its that its a signal to a lot of trans people that this space is not safe for us. By broadcasting your love for the series out in the open, it becomes indistinguishable from the people who are doing it specifically because Rowling is a terf. How many times have you seen comments from people voicing that they're loving harry potter more and more ever since Rowling started being vocal? Most of us aren't telling you you aren't allowed to like harry potter. We're saying that celebrating the work broadcasts a message to trans people, and that message is "This place isn't safe for you"

[@thehonorablereverendaddiso1943]

Good. Join the 52%, groomer

[@lucykerslake5423]

@@thehonorablereverendaddiso1943 well done, brave crusader. Have an ass pat.

[@thehonorablereverendaddiso1943]

@@lucykerslake5423 Go with them

[@lucykerslake5423]

@@thehonorablereverendaddiso1943 thy will be done, mister Reverend sir. When should I expect my smiting?

[@thehonorablereverendaddiso1943]

@@lucykerslake5423 Do it yourself, I'm not wasting my time on you

[@mii_kay4514]

It's so wierd that some people want the whole franchise to vanish from the earth. J.K. is, with all reservations we have towards her, still an artist. And I use that word not to glorify her as a person, but to simply describe the thing she does for a living: creating stories for people to enjoy. And hell, HP has been enjoyable you cannot argue with that. I guess what I'm saying is that, in order to love and adore the work of art, you don't neccessarily have to like the artist. Many rich and successful people are bad people, their mindsets are old and wrong and offensive. But rather than deleting everything they did from history and claim it's all trash now is not the right way to go imo. Like....even Hitler boosted the economy and gave people jobs who were desperately in need of one by creating highways and whatnot, being directly responsible for the well-made infrastructure Germany has today. Of course we would have been better off without him but now that history has already happened why should we declare that 100% of what happened during that time is bad and should be deleted. To be fair, someone like that doesn't profit from anything anymore, and I understand how we don't want J.K to profit from anything but what I'm saying is that the game has little to no connection to her. She made a franchise that is awesome and great and we can celebrate and play it without acknowledging her as a good person, because she wont go hungry if nobody bought the game, let's be real. She will keep making money from other things or new things, boycoting that game to which she ONLY and ONLY holds the rights to any names and names of places that are being used seems ridiculous to me.

[@funghoul1902]

Just to stop the perpetuation of the Hitler-Autobahn myth: Only a tiny part of highways was built during Hitler's time, and only because it had been pre-planned before that. Any jobs or infrastructure that came of that would have been created anyway and were pretty irrelevant compared to the damage to economy and infrastructure caused by the war. No criticism on your argument, just don't agree with the example.

[@mii_kay4514]

@@funghoul1902 thx for clarifying, I didn't know. there are probably better examples

[@erenjaeger1738]

That's bc people are so sensitive nowadays. These western folks wouldn't last in Latin Amercia

[@callumsamericanfriend2943]

Not to add on and continue a weird Hitler conversation, but a good example was that Hitler created the first anti-smoking campaign in history, didn't he? Or he was a big part of it. He openly promoted nonsmoking, ironically. My friends are history buffs and I remember them telling me that before. I get the point, it's kind of up to people to decide how much they separate the art from the artist.

[@crystalgemstv4609]

@@callumsamericanfriend2943 ​ Creating a concept seems different from creating art though. That would be more like if J.K. Rowling was the first person to write about wizards. Arguably, anyone could’ve started the first anti-smoking campaign as the dangers of smoking were coming to light, and nobody knows the first person to write about wizards, but only J.K. Rowling could write Harry Potter the way it was written. It came almost entirely from her mind and ideas.

[@sinxxu]

Am Trans and honestly have like Harry Potter for awhile and the game has gotten me really excited bc it just looks like such a good representation of hogwarts and getting to explore it with your own character sounds awesome, and honestly I could care less about what Rowling says at this point 🤷‍♀️

[@LilFaeBae]

💯

[@rachelthornberry1240]

Ive been feeling so goddamn guilty about wanting to play this game because of the harsh judgement from people, especially online, but this is a very helpful video, thank you

[@twasindo1039]

this guy deserves more attention, properly analysis on subjects with the proper research done to support his claims and good editing. this man deserves to be up there with the greats

[@JimmyRobins]

Thank you, it means a lot.

[@Rainbobirb3735]

I like the idea of buying the game while it’s on sale. Whilst I won’t be buying it, if you are someone intending to buy it, but still want to protest against Rowling/support trans rights etc. it’s a great idea, I didn’t even think of that. I’ll be thinking more about said strategy in relation to other franchises more often now.

[@spookygreg]

I’m a trans man and Jewish. I’ve also seen people have this same reaction to other social issues and billionaires/corporations. I think it’s kind of unfair to call trans people out specifically when there are other oppressed groups who react in a similar way to media created that actively enforces/enables oppression. There are people from marginalized groups who call for a boycott of corporations based on qualities like homophobia and sexism. These movements do exist and idk why you claim that trans people are the only ones reacting like this.

[@daniellegough1752]

I don’t even know how I came across your channel, but I’ve been bingeing it all day while I’ve been sick and I’ve throughly enjoyed myself.

[@christinemerritt974]

I think that you misunderstood what Rowling text was that started with “if sex isn’t real” What I interpreted her saying is this: Lesbians can’t celebrate their “same sex attraction” any more if “sex isn’t real”. Mother’s across the world won’t have the universal connection of knowing what it really feels like to be a mother. You are discounting those experiences if you deny those aspects of femininity.

[@theabsolutechadlad5457]

@@keebs4265 Women are adult humans with female genitalia and two x chromosomes. Anything else is a man or someone with a genetic mutation. That's it. There is no cis, there are only women and men, and people who are mentally sick. To deny these facts is to deny basic human understanding and biology. You are helping no one in deluding yourself and others. You wouldn't affirm someone's belief that they should have their ears cut off because "they feel like they're in the wrong body when they look in the mirror". You wouldn't affirm an anorexic person's belief that they really are fat and ugly and should continue to starve themselves. You wouldn't affirm someone's belief that they're being hunted by a secret world government because they accidentally lost a receipt. Trans women are men, mostly autogyniphiles. Trans men are women. There is nothing you, I, or they can do about that fact.

[@fallabeaufaebelle]

What is also frustrating is the level of emotional resonance, memories with friends, and honestly positive support I got from the franchise be boiled down to "just move on" bc of the author's horrendous opinions... that now if I enjoy something I have for years it suddenly makes me a bad person. I mean, those takes feel like harassment? While I support the trans community and LGBTQ (being part of it myself), I don't appreciate individuals who think bullying is gonna help get us representation and acceptance??? It's also frustrating to see how these developers are really trying to be more inclusive too. I would've preferred it that supporting the Goblins didn't have to be a "dark path", but I can get there in some respect if the approach to liberation is through force. I just hope it's not painted black and white in the game, as I do want to have a play-through where I support the Goblins. But the character customization also is inclusive as well to the trans community and for non-binary individuals. So the creators are really trying to step away from JK's trash and keep the world she made that people love safe for those who grew up wanting to live in its magic. Saying "nope, it's just bad, time to let it die" is frankly apathetic and sets a bad precedence. As if saying we can't do better. The fact people are trying to erase something like Harry Potter goes beyond canceling someone for their harmful views. The whole thing of silencing others is going into mob mentality. I mean, as a bisexual woman growing up in a southern Baptist conservative town, I already feel my voice has been silenced. So I really appreciate your take on this. There's honestly better ways to support the trans community in general than to boycott a game and prevent JK from seeing profit from it. Also, JK isn't the only one they'd be boycotting. There's plenty of developers who are clearly doing what they can to be more inclusive we'd be punishing for... the source creator not being inclusive. Ethical consumption is important, I agree. But I don't agree when people claim buying the game makes someone transphobic. I've recently discovered you, but I appreciate your takes. You've got a new sub :)

[@Pinkclouds512]

Not to derail this important conversation, but I think the goblins being antisemtic is incredibly blatant, and not at all out of character for someone who named characters “Shacklebolt” and “Cho Chang”. Growing up Jewish (we had an active hate group’s chapter try and steal our dog and threatened us, it was a lot lol) I was pretty observant of dog whistles, and I wish people would believe Jewish people when we point out behaviors and subtleties we’ve witnessed all of our lives. Even non-Jewish creators have pointed out how coded the characters are, I just don’t get how there’s still a debate

[@larsland]

This is great. I’m non-binary and I’m 32 so I grew up with HP. But HP and the love I have for it is mine, not JKR’s.

[@uhohspaghettios3801]

Trans person who grew up on Harry Potter here. I don't think it's transphobic to still enjoy the series because the author is transphobic, but the problem is that J.K. Rowling's bigotry shows in the series heavily. The Gringotts goblins being Jewish stereotypes, the house elves wanting to be slaves, the fact that one of the few black characters in the series had the last name Shacklebot, these are just a few examples of her bigotry shining through. I think we can acknowlege and celibrate Harry Potter for the cultural impact it's had, but at the same time we also have to acknowlege the series problems and the unfortunate bigotry of the author.

[@fierygamer582]

One of my closest friends is working on the new HP game. I am not buying the game to give JK money, I am buying it because I want to play it and support the people who spent so many hours, days, and probably years on. I want to buy it to support my friend

[@CalmThyPalm]

"Yo-ho-o, and a bottle o' rum!" Never gets old. 😂

[@101spacemonkey]

I can't separate the art from her as she is in a position where she has power and when her works appear popular or financially viable it gives her more legitimacy. It isnt a case if a dead author who said awful things 60 years ago. She is doing this stuff now and in the UK it is having a really harmful impact with the media and government etc.

[@yournamehere100]

I'll be honest, the HP franchise holds a really special place in my heart. I used to hate reading, and HP opened up that wonderful use of time to me for the first time. But also, I haven't been able to pick up the books or watch the movies since I watched Shaun's in-depth video a while ago.

[@emppu1012]

I'm trans. I also bought Harry Potter audiobooks from Audible because consuming them that way was much easier for me than reading them, and I really like Stephen Fry (who was the one who read them). I didn't feel comfortable giving Rowling support and I strongly disagree with her opinions, so I wouldn't really call myself transphobic for liking and buying the audiobooks. In this case I try to separate art from the artist, because I love Harry Potter. It's a shame an artist that is so good with the written word has these kinds of opinions that don't allow my existence, but I can't change her and just feel sad

[@erenjaeger1738]

I mean she isn't wrong.

[@toxicginger9936]

But wait... serious question... Since JK's Nom-de-plume is Robert Galbraith, a male name, what pronouns would she expect people to use while referring to her in her pseudonym? Is "Robert Galbraith" a 'he'... or because we know it's a woman writing we should refer to "Robert" by 'she'? It's awfully telling that JK (a TERF) pretended to be a man to hide their identity to write in another genre.. And then when the jig was up... continued to 'pretend' they're a man. Hmmmm...

[@coolwolfpower8429]

The bathroom where the chamber of secrets is could of been a different room back in the day maybe it wasn't a bathroom back then

[@Nemamka]

Hey Jimmy! I truly appreciate the perspective! 11:27 is like, spot on. Also, harm reduction, harm reduction, harm reduction. You are never going to live an entirely pearly white life. But it's still better to live a lighter grey than fully black, ey? + I just wanted to say, the best video essay I've ever seen about Harry Potter is by Shaun, here on KZbin, simply titled 'Harry Potter', from March 2022. It's not really about lgbt issues, it's more like a very good analysis on JKR's views on status quo and social power dynamics as a whole. And that analysis is why I can never like the books or the universe again, like, I _cannot_ separate art from the artist when the art itself is so mindblowingly bad, on such a mindblowingly fundamental level that even I, who am totally on the side of 'let people enjoy things', was absolutely gutted when I finally re-read the story as an adult, and woke up like, huh, half of this doesn't make any sense, holy shit. And I'm saying that with my whole chest, but to understand it better I do recommend to just get some popcorn and watch the whole video from Shaun. It is so well put together. Anyway I did subscibe just now to you, it is refreshing to hear some Logic :D

[@sigyn27]

I liked the section with your ideas on how to encourage people to play the game without JKR profitting from it. We will need a similar approach when in comes to the HP series. I did not like the section on ethical consumption. Yes, fully ethical consumption is difficult, but just because you can't or don't want to do one thing, it doesn't mean you can't do something else or encourage others to do something else. How you go about and what things you focus on is another matter. But striving for ethical consumption is not an all-or-nothing situation.

[@salemwright9321]

THANK YOU for your rant on the wizard bathrooms, as a person who was very much in the HP 'fandom' growing up it ALWAYS bugged me to, but none of my HP friends from the time would talk about it. That aside, I know this is an old topic, but the internet was so filled with JKR & the wizard game when it released that I tried to ignore a lot of it. While I dont believe anyone should have been so terrible to others about the wizard game when it released, I think part of it was how personal it felt to many people, on either side, ofcourse. JKR had been going on her hate-rampage, donating money to places that actively spread misinfo in hopes to harm trans, non-binary, and other lgbtq+ people. Those who didn't understand the harm she was causing or simply didnt know (or care in some cases), and were big fans of HP felt like what they had always been wanting (as you mentioned) was being used to attack them. And the people like me, who are queer and grew up with HP being a LARGE part of their lives, who had also always been waiting for this game, but had just recently realized that the creator doesnt even want us to exist. Needless to say, emotions were high for everyone, & thats without even mentioning the lockdowns we were all just recently coming out of (or still in). But your commentary and analysis was great, and I can see from the comments that you have helped people see different perspectives on various topics. Thank you for your wonderful videos

[@hefoxed]

This seems a fairly fair take (saying as a trans person that used to write Harry Potter fanfiction). However, on buying on sale suggestion, I don't think sales from non-direct source like a store for a new copy usually effects what the publisher/etc. gets, the sale needs to be directly from the publisher, right? Wrong? Not a gamer though (I watch game content as it's good background nose that doesn't contribute to me buying unnecessary things 😵‍💫) Also, would add, fhere are a lot of people who are bigots that are supporting Rowling, but it's hopefully the minority of those who still like the universe. Sarah Z. Recent thing sorta overlaps on this: bigotty people are pushing these things to be more a thing. But yea liking Harry Potter Does not make someone transphobic.

[@boowompthecat]

Hey man i just wanna say as an LGBTQ+ member, it always makes me smile to see a cisperson just, be positive around us and our issues and stuff I like to see it and its earned you a sub.

[@eko9554]

I’m not a huge Harry Potter fan. However, I’ve been to the Harry Potter themed land at Universal Studios Hollywood 3 years ago. It’s really cool and Im amazed with the rides.

[@kevinarthur4739]

I will never let anyone tell me what I can and cant like, the idea of that is simply ridiculous

[@vexxethesynful6055]

I'm a trans woman who enjoys harry potter and videogames as a medium, I understand the argument against buying the game and I get that buying it supports a transphobe. But not buying the game isn't going to subtract from her millions, or force the woman to move out of her castle. Unfortunately, boycotting the game only effects the team that made it. A team that consists of a large number of lgbt people including trans people. Rowling will never have to do hard work for the rest of her life, the success (or lack there of) of this game will not change that.

[@lpickwyo]

Really love the videos man! Keep up the great work.

[@AverageWaterDrinker]

Simple solution: Don’t like Harry Potter. Too many plot holes.

[@tos100returns]

Show me a person who consumes art that is made exclusively by perfect humans, and I'll show you a person who NEVER consumes any art at all. We have to interact with other humans, and most other humans suck.

[@digiishort]

from a trans person, it is 100% okay to like harry potter!! I've grown out of it personally but if you're cis, don't feel guilty about liking it! art is separate from the artist, you can enjoy harry potter without supporting jk rowling and no one can tell you otherwise. don't let twitter cops talk over us and call you transphobic, you're not.

[@digiishort]

@@callmecharlottex if you're buying a harry potter videogame you got bigger problems than transphobia

[@digiishort]

@@callmecharlottex like if you're a grown adult with enough disposable income to buy a triple a game and you actively choose to spend that much money on a harry potter rpg of all things, you need to do some self-reflection. ofc it was a joke, I don't mean it seriously, you can choose to play any game you want but in all seriousness, no, it's not transphobic to buy that game if you like the franchise and wanna play, it's more a personal matter of whether you think it's worth the cost of knowing part of your money is going into the pocket of a transphobe. personally i would not buy it even if i was still really into harry potter bc as a trans person myself there's nothing that could make me financially support a person like that, but doing so doesn't make you a transphobe. you just wanna play a game and yeah she happens to get some money from it but what are you gonna do, the world sucks, if you could only give your money to people who deserve it you'd never be able to buy anything again. she's gonna make money from it anyway, the couple of cents she'd get from you isn't gonna make or break her

[@digiishort]

@@callmecharlottex if only that was all she said. I don't get offended easily, when she first started to get accused of transphobia i thought people were overreacting bc the things she said weren't that bad and were vague enough to be misinterpreted, but it just kept getting worse and worse until it was impossible for me to deny that her words are blatantly transphobic. she said medical transitioning is "conversion therapy for young gay people", she openly supports the exclusion of trans women in female spaces and said it's "unfair that men in dresses get to appropriate the female experience" and claimed that a biological male transitioning into a woman is misogyny, among other things I can't remember bc tbh i blocked most of what she said out of my head but i know it's related to invalidating trans women in most cases. i also think she said something among the lines of "it's a shame so many young girls are choosing to become men bc of self-hatred and internalized misogyny inflicted on them by society " or something like that, im not sure about that one tho, it might've been someone else who said that. either way she's a textbook trans-exlusionary radical feminist and she even stopped bothering to deny it and openly funds feminist organizations that specifically exclude trans women and are aimed at "protecting" biological women

[@LysolMyFace]

I’m shocked that the satirical part didn’t mention Disney as part of what you’d have to stop consuming.

[@LilRedWitch]

Please made a video about ranting about your wizard rants . Id love to hear you go off about how wizards make no sense in for twenty minutes. Thanks for another awesome video 💜

[@ViThePrincess]

As a trans person i literally lost a trans friend for wearing a ravenclaw hoodie i bought off etsy. like, i'll be the first to disown jk rowling, but people are so toxic. not allowing me to enjoy stuff i like when i go out of my way to make sure she doesn't profit

[@ojyochan]

What a puritan

[@boopinoop4545]

Ah yes, I’m transphobic because I want to get a game that has what I’ve wanted in a game since forever that just happens to be Harry Potter! Glad to know that there’s an intrinsic link in wanting a type of game that just so happens to be Harry Potter and discriminating against trans people! Thanks TikTok and Twitter for educating me on that fact!

[@pigeon_manpp]

This perfectly summed up what I couldn't express lol

[@mandymagnolia1966]

I’d say since Persona 5, and the Persona series as a whole, are Japanese games, there’s going to be more Japanese culture than western culture. I also play the Harvest Moon (now Story of Seasons) and as far as I’ve seen the translation for the same-sex wedding is still “best friend ceremony”. The English version calls it a wedding, but I think it reflects society in a way. Now not everything’s black and white, and there are thankfully changes being made in Japan. But I guess at the end of the day to be a completely ethical consumer one would have to give up anything imported from Japan, which would encompass the Persona series as well And honestly, if most people were to be completely ethical consumers, there’s a huge chunk of stores gone. Looking at just a basic list of stores, that’s the majority of stores in my area, plus if you avoid anything made in China, there’s not much left

[@nepoleon92]

I don't think liking Harry Potter makes one transphobic and I don't know many serious people that do, but Rowling used the continued popularity of it and the wealth she's gained from it to actively spread anti trans ideas and support anti trans groups. Since the year or so since this video was made she's gone even further against trans people and has stated she sees her wealth and the popularity of the series as proof that people agree with her. Boycott the series or dont, it makes little physical difference but if your trans friends ask you to not buy Hogwarts Legacy or not mention Rowling or HP around them and you refuse it is perfectly valid if they no longer trust you. I wanted to play the Wizard Game but my trans friends told me.how upset they were and how much they'd appreciate me not playing it, so I didn't. I agree with the sentiment of "it's just a game". It's art yes but like, get it in ways that don't support the transphobic lunatic. Argh. Also yes there is no ethical consumption under capitalism but that doesn't mean you shouldn't... Try? People only pull that shit out when something they want is being questioned. I don't think you're a horrible monster for getting the game but it does mean that when it came down to it you wanted to rather go out of your way to get a game that people very politely asked you just not to buy. You're being asked to just not do a thing, there are better games and better ways to get the game so just don't buy it.

[@gooseylucy2158]

He's right, it's so hard to commit to ethical consumption under capitalism. There has been a lot of reductive discourse around this, but as someone who was absolutely obsessed with the series as a child, I just can't see myself supporting the IP in the future, and won't stop trying to have conversations about discouraging others. Rowling's comments have been too much for too long. Unlike navigating life without big conglomerates like Amazon, like Twitch, like Spotify, where a couple companies have the monopoly/it's not always financially viable to pick a smaller, more ethically-run source (like with groceries etc), this is very much a conscious choice to give money towards a transphobe. It's a game I would have always loved, and I absolutely understand the appeal - the concept is so fuckin exciting as a long time fan from childhood. But as someone with trans friends, it just feels morally itchy for anyone to pay full price on this game, and that a chunk of the game's commercial success was down to transphobes trying to get one over on the libs type. The people who worked hard on it deserve fair pay for what they created, but although it's hard - it really is, as someone who went through the disillusion -, it's really not impossible to cut ties with a longtime love in order to boycott seriously bad shit. Any friends who were desperate to play I suggested they buy reused or just straight pirate/avoid - most just didn't even bother getting the game. Rowling has specifically gloated about her pockets being well lined regardless of the shitty things she says, so if anything, people could have been discouraged from buying it out of spite for a rich person's admission that their controversy doesn't touch them? The IP can always hold a special place in your heart, but be wary that the creator is a real c*nt, who piggybacks off of its success to invalidate people, lash out, and stir unrest on Twitter - with pride in her actions. It's fair game to criticise people who want to overlook someone with such a huge platform doing that.

[@leafyishereisdumbnameakath4259]

Liking something is not the same as supporting the person financially. J.K. Rowling actually goes out of her way to kick trans people out of womens' shelters and homeless shelters in general. I did not know this, now that I know, I no longer support her, please spread the reason why this is a problem instead of not doing so

[@FireGlitch]

Trans women aren't the same as biological women and also since trans women are biological men, it might negatively effect those suffering from Sexual Violence/Assault mentally and emotionally. If anything, it shows that JK Rowling actually cares about what she is supporting as opposed to just believing anything because everyone else is saying it.

[@leafyishereisdumbnameakath4259]

@FireGlitch so....trans people should not be allowed in shelter of any kind? I said homeless shelters not just women's shelters. By your logic, men also shouldn't be allowed in homeless shelters as it is dangerous and triggering for victims and survivors.

[@FireGlitch]

​​​@@leafyishereisdumbnameakath4259Literally never said that trans people shouldn't be in homeless shelters or any type of shelters. All I did was basically give an explanation or guess for why JK Rowling did that. What the fuck is wrong with you, man? Not everyone is out to harm transgenders(including JK Rowling). Edit: Women shelters and homeless shelters aren't even the same thing. I really do hope that you're just fucking with me. At least the joke would be on me.

[@spencerhamilton3084]

Why I normally agree with you in the case we're unless u already own the movies and books you shouldn't be buying them or reading them. She is a self admitted terf and if you actively choose to buy merchandise that is over priced and supports transphobia (the entirety of the books is based off sterotypes) ur actually harming these community's and arent a good ally however I do agree with alot of the point you've made in the video

[@ethanearley8802]

I have to say Jimmy, I just found your channel and despite probably disagreeing with you on several issues I have to say I appreciate your clear arguments with sound logic. Like I said we disagree but it’s obvious you know why you believe what you do and argue in a respectful and even convincing way. I like to have inputs from both sides of issues and normally it can be hard to find one opposed that can argue things correctly but you do and will continue to have my ear

[@QUEERVEEART]

people are allowed to like things and not like the artist. nobody should be shamed for liking harry potter, its so dumb. me and my sister have a connection with harry potter and its like part of how we became so close when we were younger. so even tho jkr sucks, hp is about my sister to me, not her. i decided to no longer support jkr so i wont be buying any merch like i used to. and for me im not AS into hp as i used to be, because it is a little harder for me to separate art from the artist. but, its still special to me, its just more like something of the past now. but even if people are really into it currently, that is so valid.

[@USDS_TikTok_Mike]

I really don't see what JK Rowling said that was all that wrong. I have nothing against trans people and I think they should live their best and happiest lives however they see fit. But there ARE legitimate experiences and things that come with growing up as a biological girl into a woman that CAN NOT be emulated by anyone who has transitioned or is actively in transition. And those lived experiences are very real, intrinsic and valid to women who were born as women. That's all Rowling really said... is that you can't devalue the lived experiences of women who were born as women rather than one who has transitioned Into one. Like it or not, trans women are still emulating women. It may not be a comfortable truth but it's still the truth. They want to live as women and are doing their best to emulate and imitatethoe things they believe will make them appear most like a woman... and there's nothing inherently wrong with that. It's fine to do that, and I'm all for accepting them however they are most happy.... but to say it's EXACTLY the same as being a female at birth and that there is no difference between the lived experiences of a trans woman vs a biological woman is very simply and undeniably false.

[@_Adie]

Ah yes, this is my favourite topic. Always gets me heated, because I've been directly against someone who subscribes to the "person bad = thing bad = you bad" ideology. Or at least they did for that specific case, because it was easy for them. Never been much of a HP fan, never read the books, never seen the movies past the fourth one (Prisoner of the Azkaban is GOATed though), so I don't really have a horse in this race. I do like Borderlands, however. Loved it since I was a kid. It was just a cool game, looked sick, I loved it. Then, years later, news came out about Randy Pitchford supposedly being a terrible person. (Which, I don't think we even know how true they actually are.) And now, somehow, I'm being branded as "unethical" for buying a game in a series that I've played years before I knew that a person like Randy Pitchford even existed. The series kinda fell of for me by this point (2 was really cool, but I didn't like it as much as the original, and I never even had an opportunity to play 3), but the first game is still very special to me. But now I'm being shamed for that. It's just simply ridiculous. My opinion is this: you can think whatever you want, you can hate the product (even though you hate the person who made the product, so it's already ridiculous, it's like hating a child for something their parent did), but if you project your rage on people who just want to enjoy something, you're an idiot. People on Twitter love to be on an imaginary moral high ground and look down upon others. I can still play the game, enjoy it and think "The person who made it is a piece of shit though," it's not that complicated. Even goddam SNL made a skit about that. Sure, I don't have to buy it, but what if I do? I pay for the product, it was delivered, and now I also have to trace those 60 dollars and make sure they end up in a good place? Ain't my job to be the moral police of Big Companies (or rich people). Because, also, guess what, for every person who won't buy the product, there's three who will. And yes, I know that I'm not doing my best, but damn, I have my own life to deal with, I'm definitely not the one to fix the world. Also, something something, only a matter of time until something like that happens with something you like. And then you'll probably look for excuses as to justify why this case is different. (No ethical consumption under capitalism and all that.) But if you do a complete 180 and start hating it, then, well, did you really like it in the first place? In general, you're spitting. It's surprisingly hard to find a level-headed approach to an issue (any issue) on the internet, but it seems like this channel is a good place for that.

[@teddybetts3254]

12:40 With the exception of KZbin (which I will never pay for and if they ever make it mandatory, I will give it up), I do not use any of these products or services that you've mentioned... for this reason... so... Also I don't watch movies anymore; they all suck, even the old ones too.

[@emcustard]

There's a tweet that gets shared on almost every social media platform that rubbed me the wrong way for these very reasons. Basically saying that if you wear HP merch, talk about the franchise, or just vocally enjoy it, the person reblogging it doesn’t feel safe around you. Those people must never feel safe, even around friends. (Like you said, do they feel unsafe with people who listen to Chris Brown, Blurred Lines, and similar artists/songs?) Because what about the queer people who enjoy the franchise? Harry grows up being called a freak for something he can’t control and finds people who accept him, and even love him, for who he is. That’s incredibly relatable to a lot of people, especially as a child when you’re still looking for that unconditional love you might not get at home.

[@captainjoy8976]

I'm nonbinary and the series formed a lot of my childhood memories. We've been to every movie and I distinctly remember the first one being one of the more mature movies I've watched in the cinema. It has a lot of value to me only because of the memories surrounding it. I love the worldbuilding, though I found book potter to be very... depressing to read. I always thought I wouldn't buy the game because of all the controversy, but it sounds like a nice game and tbh it would be a shame if so many talented people who made it come to life lose income or even jobs. It's their work I appreciate and maybe I'll be able to separate the art from the artist (well the art from the original creator) by the time the game comes out. But as of now I still am not sure of it

[@amatanata]

In my opinion, Harry Potter has grown big enough to exist pretty much without her

[@legoshirocha]

No

[@amatanata]

@@legoshirocha lmao, ok.

[@youtubeuserremainsanonymou9022]

just have to engage responsibly. Cut the funding is the goal, just as I would for Lovecraft, if was still alive.

[@erenjaeger1738]

Ngl that's pretty f up.

[@Lemon_Moonlight]

Personally. I’m completely aware about all the struggles Jewish people have gone through. And I’m under the trans umbrella so take everything I say with a grain of salt. But, I feel like talking about how the goblins are antisemitic feels like it’s taking away from what she’s said about trans people. Especially when there’s no *real* proof that that’s what they stand for when there SO MANY tweets about trans people. And honestly. Again, I’m under a trans umbrella and I don’t see an issue playing the game. Or taking in Harry Potter media at all. And *I* take in Harry Potter media so sue me.

[@mahogara]

It was very recent that I discovered goblins in HP are antisemitic. I've never made the connection. 1) probably because I didn't grow up and am not familiar with antisemitic caricatures and depictions 2) It wasn't the first time goblins were described as such in fantasy stories 3) I thought goblins being bankers was quite unique touch and 4) well I was just a kid when I read the books and watched the films. I remembered thinking how lazy and uncreative that one East Asian character was given the most made up sounding name. The name almost sounds like the noises people made when making fun of East Asians. But I'm asian so I picked up on the weirdness of it all. I guess that's how people picked up on antisemitism too even though there hasn't been any concrete evidences like her anti-transgenders tweets and statements. HP was a big part of my childhood and the books that got me into reading English novels. I remember combing through the first book with an English dictionary beside me. But honestly speaking, I've never reread the books or rewatch the films after the first time. All of the HP content I still consume are fanmade. I don't know how to explain well but I'm more of a fan of the fandom, the community, the world that fans have expanded and built upon what Rowling's created and the feeling of belonging and childish wonder that HP has given me (which I would always be grateful for even though I don't agree with her views or support her), than the official books or films. So, I really have no problem with still consuming HP content because no money is going towards her. I've no stakes in this boycotting the game debate because I'm not into gaming. So whether I agree or disagree with boycotting, I'm not gonna buy or play the game. But I do agree with the more effective alternatives given in this video instead of completely boycotting it.

[@Kaeldra3]

@@mahogara just wanted to say that I thought you wrote out this reply really well

[@jht3fougifh393]

I think you're missing the radfem's, like Rowling's, point. Her argument is that gender is not very (or at all) important, but sex is. She doesn't lack understanding, exactly. She thinks the opposite in terms of focus compared to people who prefer gender ideology taking priority over sex-based rights. Both sides take it personally because these are moral issues that are tied in to their sense of identity. So in turn, both sides view one another as bigoted. I'm not a radfem, myself, but I do still think it's extremely important to accurately represent people's opinions (and ideally, the values that inform them). Just posting this for reference.

[@jh565bb]

Exactly and she withdrew her support of that woman who was fired after she turned out to be bigoted, she only initially defended her because it seemed like she was fired for simply holding a different opinion, not using it to abuse others. Even her tweet having a go at the article that instead of saying women, said people who menstruate, is understandable as it comes across as an attack on women's identity. The books basically just a response to the harassment and death threats, JK got hauled through the coals and by hypocritical people who are probably more intolerant.

[@Katsandkatsandkats]

She’s said some really weird crap over the years and I truly think there’s something off about her. Like the Ink Black Heart thing seems legitimately deranged. I do agree with her on some points though, mainly that biological women’s issues are consistently ignored or pushed to the side. She seems to have gone pretty far off the deep end with it though.

[@jh565bb]

@@Katsandkatsandkats I think like most of us she's struggling to get her head around it. Its pretty confusing and when they let trans women in woman prisons and athletics, it does sometimes feel like the worlds gone mad. I think a lot of people especially gen zs forget older millennial, zennnials and boomers didn't grow up with this stuff being so forced. And that does sometimes rub people of those generations up the wrong way because you are being told suddenly everything you were taught is now wrong/politically incorrect and you have people attacking you for the views that you were raised with. I remember when you could have a sexual preference and it was fine, now if you say 'Im not into trans people' your branded a bigot for a sexual preference, even Dave Charpelle and the south park creators are being attacked for making jokes, when its what they do for a living. So I can understand why JK is taking it so badly, even Blair white a trans woman gets shit for saying there is a difference between trans people and cis people and that hormone blockers shouldn't be given to kids. And lets not forget how Charpelles trans friend Daphne Dormann was harassed to the point it contributed to her taking her own life because she supported him. I could go on, but I do really sympathise with her. She's had a horrible time of it with the death threats, harassment and the spineless celebrates who made their careers off her work turning on her.

[@susanc.5759]

@@jh565bb I have to agree. I basically got condemned and attacked for basically trying to make the argument that I don't think Rowling is anti-trans in the sense that she hates the trans community, I think she just feels that it's confusing to say trans men are men and trans women are women. I do think trans women are women but at the same time, I think Rowling (and anyone else who shares this view) has a point feeling that you can't necessarily say trans women are equal to women because of the biological differences and that is a very distinct difference. And I think perhaps why people (I ended up getting so much shit for it saying I'm being stupid for defending a celebrity) are so quick to label her as anti-trans on social media is that people don't take the time to really understand where she's coming from and it's easy to just misconstrue what she actually means. (I might get a ton of hate for this, but oh well).

[@jh565bb]

@@susanc.5759 You might do, but you're right, people don't like it when other peoples opinions differ on controversial topics. Especially those who are woke. Which is a shame because it shuts down any chance of conversation and the possibility you of changing anyone's mind.

[@jaxmaw]

I came here after watching your Try Guys video, and I knew it would be the video that made me subscribe or not. I can see that you clearly want to do right by trans people. You took care to learn about movements and how JK Rowling fits into them, and highlighted why this is a bad thing. If a cisgender person watching this had never heard of this situation before, it would leave them with a trans-positive understanding, and that's awesome. I have family members who are really into Harry Potter and I feel like this video could catch them up to speed on the situation pretty well. Now for what I hope you work on: I really felt like watching this video that you didn't do enough research into the trans perspective, or didn't engage with it in good faith. You don't seem to know much about the history of the TERF movement, which I think is important context to this problem. More than that, there were times where it really seemed like you were demeaning the trans perspectives you engaged with. Describing platforms where (a lot of trans) people are talking about this as 'people who get super upset about nothing' came off that you read trans perspectives and couldn't empathize with the strong emotions tied to this topic, so you wrote their perspective off as hysterical. I hope you read this comment and reflect on your audience. This is a video a lot of trans people would watch, but it's pretty clearly meant to be speaking to cisgender people and comforting them that they don't need to listen to trans anguish, they can keep watching Harry Potter and feel good about that. To me, it doesn't line up with the values I hoped you would have after watching the Try Guys recap. Besides the fact that it's a cowardly stance to take in general, it displays a proud lack of empathy for trans people and gives cis people permission to support a work with a myriad of other problems (we could sit here all day and talk about the anti-Semitism, fatphobia, racism, etc. that's baked into the Harry Potter universe). I would love to see you remake this video a few years from now with some added thoughts. Right now you have a pretty surface-level understanding of the topic, but really need to sit down and think more on it. There's a lot of implications that this whole "Don't engage with Harry Potter or you're transphobic" conversation has. Trans people talk about it a lot. Now for that lead I buried: I'll be subscribing to you. I didn't think I would be when I started this comment, but I like supporting smaller channels, and clearly I think that you're capable of a lot of growth. I hope to see more of your personal thoughts in these sorts of videos moving forward: they're more compelling than the drama recap.

[@princessbani3301]

My favorite take on the "that goblins are mocking Jewish people" veiw was from a (very) Jewish friend of mine who asked why people think the goblins are mocking Jewish people. When they would answer "Their looks, their voices, they run the bank!" He would simply ask if they're insinuating that he looks/sounds like a goblin? As the depiction of goblins in HP is honestly not that much different than any other depiction of goblins throughout fantasy. Usually shut people up very quickly.

[@yolo9212]

hello! i am trans FtM and i LOVE harry potter, my best memories are playing the lego games with my siblings and reading the books in the school library. does that mean i´m going to force people to stop playing or not buy the game? no. yes, there is problems with the franchise itself. but as Jimmy and many people in the comments pointed out. a lot of things do, and whether or not you support them is entirely your choice. i choose not to support jk rowling, yet i also choose to still consume content (playing old games, watching videos of harry potter). in my opinion it just depends on the person. you can't force people to back you and harrasing people about it doesn't help

[@glengaines4286]

She’s so rich she can say how she feels with no worries. The rest of Hollywood and famous society have to play along to get along. I just like knowing how someone truly feels without the agenda and faking and shaking.

[@Hypnos_Sleep]

I know I’m a bit late to this conversation but keep it up with this “sorry guys I gotta keep it up with the gen z” honestly I formally apologize for my fellow gen-zers broken and odd humor :insert emoji here: Also your opinions on this matter is such a breath of fresh air, you’ve earned a sub!

[@Hypnos_Sleep]

Adding my own personal opinion on this matter, think of it like this, if you buy a nerf gun does that make you want to comit crimes? No maybe it just looked cool or you wanted to have fun with your friends. Buying a thing doesn’t mean you support what the owner of that thing does. I have tons of friends who are lgbtqia+ (me included) and most of them love to eat at Chick-fil-A, does that make them homophobic? Being afraid of every little thing isn’t a healthy way of living

[@andrewcassell5299]

This was really helpful for me, Jimmy thank you for helping me learn more about this topic.

[@papasalvo]

I have no issue with trans people but there was never a reality where this game was going to fail and saying that the purchase of this game directly hurt the trans community is a longer reach than the last Dunk in space jam. At the end of the day rolling is already rich as all hell she's one of the richest people alive and always will be. The amount of money she got in royalties from this game is a drop of water in the ocean for her. I'd bet if they didn't give her the royalties she wouldn't even notice. The best way to protest in my opinion would have been to arrange and encourage content creators to play this game make content but to donate the proceeds to a major fundraiser for some kind of charity aimed to help trans people. I bet if they did that it would have been amazing it would have spread so much positivity and it'd be a giant middle finger to Rowling

[@blueturtle3623]

This was actually really helpful, I didn't really understand what was transphobic about "Respect pronouns/names, but trans women are different from cis women" but the metaphor makes sense. She wasn't saying trans women are different from cis women, she was validating cis women as "real" women and invalidating trans women as "pretend" women. Speaking as a Jew, I don't subscribe to the "Goblin=Jew" idea because it is retroactive, wouldn't be considered if people weren't already mad at JKR, and frankly its so loose that it makes me think anyone who believes it might be anti-semetic. What, they run the banks and look like goblins so they're Jews? So, you think Jews look like goblins and run the banks. Also, love "white people are allowed to say nothing once in a while."

[@theonelad3028]

I grew up in an extremely abusive home and harry potter and the games gave me an escape from that. reading the books an picturing myself as a wizard getting taken away to study at hogwarts after my parents would beat me to playing the games when to cover my ears while my parents screamed in the background. I support the trans community and always have/will so its really torn me apart since all the shit that happened

[@eatbagels2034]

You know, I can't take away people liking Harry Potter. It was a big part of our lives. There are a lot of problems within the writing but overall I think it had a positive effect. But I've been on the receiving end of JK Rowling's ideology. Multiple death threats, mocking, bullying, passing legislation that harms trans people... You don't have to just give up on Harry Potter. But please, understand that monetarily supporting a terf means you're monetarily supporting terfism. Her money is being donated to anti trans groups. I'm not saying to drop everything Harry Potter ever. But make sure you understand where your money is going if you choose to continue buying product.

[@eatbagels2034]

This is in no way hate to the video, I love it! Everything has nuance. Just please seperate the artist from the art, and seperate your money from the artist

[@tsulfcosplay]

I agree and I also think buying things on etsy or eBay is a good way of getting merch without giving money to Rowling.

[@radarmua2316]

Great video. Thanks for the tips at the end too!

[@JimmyRobins]

Thank you!

[@felicityflynn6480]

I really liked the practical suggestions you gave for people who wish to play the game but wish to reduce any support they give to the author. I have never been a fan of Harry Potter. I was too old to get into it as a kid at the height of its fame and too young to get into it as an adult, so the whole phenomena managed to pass me by. But I sympathize with anyone who is a fan but is conflicted due to the ethics of the author.

[@pumpkintartable]

Harry Potter was like an important thing to me for a long time, and then all this ... IDK, I'm not going to lambast anyone for liking Harry Potter ... but it all kind of makes me wish I never started reading it.

[@lindsay3995]

Ultimately I think it’s down to semantics. It’s about preserving the right for there to be discourse uniquely identifying/about people born w/ female genitalia & all of the physical/social experiences that go w/ being raised as girls/women. I can’t imagine many people disagree with that being important…but when it comes to replacing that traditional word “woman” with “womb-haver” rather than ask that transwoman be an added class of woman (delineating a difference)etc., that uterus-specific language feels more dehumanizing to many people than simply differentiating trans-woman/woman. Frankly to me that language sounds like reducing a person to a meat sack or collection of organs & ignored the social aspect of “a person socialized along specific lines according to their physical sex since birth” I can see Rowling and plenty of others being onboard with the whole thing if the terminology aspect were given its due consideration & a better plan were proposed.

[@cooky2991]

For the most part women is still the word to use in most situations. Body-specific language is generally only used in medical/medical-related circumstances as far as I know, but I could be wrong. I don't really understand why people don't feel very positively about gender-neutral language when it comes to medical spaces like Gynecologists. I'm honestly curious about this, so if you'd be interested in explaining I'd love to understand it better. (Also never heard us be referred to as womb-havers, but that sound a little hilarious to me xD) I personally am a person with a capacity for pregnancy/someone who has to go to a gynecologist, but don't identify as a woman, so I feel pretty awkward with how everything is always extremely gendered. Not really looking forward to future appointments when I'll have a beard :/

[@StephanieSmith-rh9yg]

@@cooky2991 I wanna add on this and say that gender neutral language when it comes to reproductive care is critical. I've heard stories of trans men being unable to get any prenatal care covered by insurance because they're legally a man and the insurance only pays for prenatal care for women. So this gendered language when it comes to medical instances can have problems for those who aren't cis.

[@cooky2991]

@@StephanieSmith-rh9yg that too. The care I get from doctors already gets generally worse when I say that I am Trans (i.e. doctors dismissed a condition that could have killed me as being probably cause by the binder I wear, which it really fucking wasn't. Gynecologists don't see dysphoria as a good reason to get me on birth control that isn't pills etc). I really hope that neutral language can at least be adopted legally and will move into the doctor's Office soon after cause it sucks to know that I can either get good care or not feel respected and safe in saying who I am. Leaving out this kind of information could also lead to insufficient care depending on what is going on, so it's a shitty situation all around.

[@Tobelia]

@@cooky2991 ​ absolutely - I don’t see people trying to get rid of the word “woman”, otherwise there would not be so much effort being made to try and deny that label to trans women. “Women” is just not the universally best term in all circumstances - eg when talking about menstrual issues/access to products etc, the phrase “people who menstruate” is much more specific and relevant than “women”, since even aside from some trans men, there are a large number of women who don’t menstruate and plenty of young girls who do. (The recurring argument that this bodily change means that a child “becomes a woman” is especially creepy.)

[@Iva744]

@@Tobelia Try and see if you notice it going forward. The thing is that this change from female to neutral language happens a lot more than male to neutral which is really weird but does make it seem like there's an expectation for cis women to let go of some of their identity while, as always, there's no similar expectation of cis men. There's a pattern and it's a weird one.

[@flufflewarrior]

*How did I get here!?* You have a really calming voice

[@Sarah-vo2qu]

If you think that ethical attacks of accusing people of bigotry are limited to consumption of the Harry Potter series… boy do I have news…

[@Lexi_Zone]

I have a complicated relationship with Harry Potter now. On the one hand, I don't begrudge people for liking it when it was an important part of their life. On the other hand, I don't really want to be around it. I don't think boycotting the purchasing of Harry Potter merch will make much of a difference since rowling is too rich for it to matter; I'd rather creators just remind their audience about her horrible views before they review Harry Potter movies or games or whatever, because it's the quietly keeping her relevant and unchallenged that really feels like the problem. Tl;Dr if someone wants to keep enjoying Harry Potter in private or with friends or whatever, that's fine; but if they're going to make content about it and basically give it and rowling free advertising, the least they can do is take a moment to call out her shit.

[@jackoflames]

No hate, been listening to several of your videos and I think you seems like a good guy who means well. But it feels weird how you talk about fighting Tate's bigotry in one way, and Rowling's in another. I am saying this as a former fan of Rowling (HP got me into reading). We already knew years before the release that there was an alt-right person who were involved making the game, and stuff like the goblin artifact which Jewish people have said reads very anti-semitic makes it feel like his involvement wasn't scrubbed clean from the game. And many predicted rightly how the game would be used to push bigotry. While some big streamers got backlash and harassment over it, small streamers and just small accounts online got as much or more hate thrown of them for just saying "I won't play this", "please don't play this", or even just "with you streaming this, I don't know if I feel safe in your community". Several of the smaller streamers stopped all together, while the streamers that was reported about are still streaming away.

[@Lauren-pl7bi]

I know the bit about "you can't ethically buy from anybody these days" was satire, but to some extent, it's true. At this point, the overwhelming majority of businesses are just five businesses in a trench coat, none of which can really be called ethical. You splurge on a candy bar you really enjoy, only to learn that candy bar is sold by a company also known for stealing water from struggling countries and trying to sell it back to them. Humans need food, furniture, and entertainment. We can't have happy healthy lives without these. Assuming you don't want to personally build all your chairs and grow all your food from scratch, this only leaves two options: First, you can spend hours researching each and every company to maybe find one that really is ethical, and pay ten times the normal price because that's what this company needs to continue fairly paying all their workers. Unfortunately, most people can't afford to do this long term and in all categories. This leaves them with option two: complacency. You realize that you really can't afford to live decently without supporting some form of corruption. And that really sucks. But it doesn't make you a bad person. Sure, videogames don't seem like a basic necessity, but I promise you can't live without some kind of entertainment. And their industry isn't a whole lot better in regards to the big companies with the best products you can afford. Just look at the Hasbro/ Wizards of the Coast controversy or the writers strike that happened only a few months after this game released. Ultimately all we can really expect of anyone is this: When buying from someone like Rowling or one of unnamed water company's countless sister companies, try to mitigate the amount of money you give them to the best of your ability, and if you're in a positing to buy the same or similar product in a more ethical manner, opt for that if it's affordable to you.

[@seaweedhead9467]

You need more subs and likes, you use common sense and you cut through the annoying sides. Keep it up dude

[@aphoticlotus4625]

I feel like I got lost on this one. I guess I didn’t see what he saw in the tweets…? I think perhaps a lot of how you interpret something is what ur looking for when u see it.

[@adriencloud2130]

I had know Idea Goblins were anti-Semitic. And I wish I continued to live my life in blissful ignorance. I always had this idea goblins were just fantastical creatures nothing more. It maybe obvious to others but not for me. so yeah I'm kinda upset people inserted this notion of hate in my head where someone out there created a goblin to hate on Jewish people. I know its controversial but some ideas deserve to die. why must you remind me about hateful symbol when for most (I'm being sensitive and vague) that was never even a flicker of an idea. is it being informative or is it bringing new life to a racist stereotype?

[@martelraykin]

I find it kinda dumb because goblins in every piece of fiction they appear in are a money-centered people. They just decided that it was a representation of Jewish people because of their own interpretation and because they want to find some hateful stuff in HP. I agree with you, it's bringing new life to a stereotype. Why did they interpret them as Jewish people ? Because goblins like money ? Because they hold banks ? Ain't that the antisemitic part, just associating those to Jewish people and then claim the writer intended it as a caricature ?

[@didostempest2966]

The stereotypical depiction of a witch with a hooked nose is also based in antisemitism. I just wanted to throw that out there. The Catholic Church is super crafty and repurposing pagan religions to their own benefit and the down fall of other religions.