Separating the art from the artist can be incredibly challenging and ethically confusing. You might find yourself feeling lost if you enjoy a piece of media, but the creator has become a controversial figure. So, what do you do when your loved ones push you to get rid of the old literature you’re nostalgic about, even if you disagree with the author's views?
That’s the dilemma that one anonymous woman faced. She asked the AITAH online community for advice on a sensitive issue at home after her kids asked to read her old Harry Potter books. According to the author, her husband and brother-in-law then pressured her to throw away her books, written by author J.K. Rowling, who has been courting controversy in recent years with anti-trans comments. Scroll down for the full story and to see what advice the internet gave the torn woman.
While people have fond memories of the Harry Potter books, many readers have been boycotting the author, J.K. Rowling, over her controversial comments in recent years
Image credits: Ultraztechie69 / reddit (not the actual photo)
An anonymous woman shared how her husband and brother-in-law urged her to get rid of her old HP books. However, she refused to do so, and asked the net to weigh in
Image credits: Tim Sackton / flickr (not the actual photo)
Image credits: jul14ka / freepik (not the actual photo)
Image credits: Anonymous
Harry Potter has become an incredibly sensitive topic. For example, the actors involved in the new HP TV series by HBO have faced tons of criticism
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Rowling’s comments about trans people over the years have split the Harry Potter community. There has been major backlash over her statements in recent years.
As reported by Variety magazine, filmmaker Chris Columbus, who directed the first two Harry Potter movies and produced the third one, recently shared his thoughts about author Rowling’s comments against trans identity.
“I like to sometimes separate the artist from the art, I think that’s important to do. It’s unfortunate, what’s happened. I certainly don’t agree with what she’s talking about. But it’s just sad, it’s very sad.”
HBO is producing a new Harry Potter TV series, and many actors involved in the project are trying to delicately navigate the political minefield. They’ve received criticism regardless of their attempts to be sensitive.
According to The Guardian, in this day and age, accepting an acting role in Harry Potter is tantamount to “making a political statement, whether they like it or not.”
In one interview, comedy legend Nick Frost, who has been tapped to portray Rubeus Hagrid in the upcoming TV show, stated that his opinions “don’t align in any way, shape, or form” with Rowling’s.
Meanwhile, Paapa Essiedu, set to play the infamous Potions master Severus Snape, signed a petition calling for the United Kingdom entertainment industry to protect trans people.
Among the actors criticized was also John Lithgow, who is set to play the wise and venerable Hogwarts headmaster, Albus Dumbledore.
The controversies and questions surrounding the franchise are unlikely to go away in the near future
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As per The Guardian, these controversies and criticisms won’t be going away any time soon. “It’s more than a year until the Harry Potter series airs, which means it won’t finish for at least a decade,” Stuart Heritage writes.
“Every time anything of note happens—any time there is a junket or a new actor is cast—the issue will be front and centre. The actors who oppose Rowling will be forced to do it over and over again. The same goes for the ones who agree with her. The ones who just want a quiet life will twist themselves into knots trying to say as little as possible in the face of direct questioning. There is no outrunning this.”
According to The Guardian, many members of the audience probably already know if they’ll watch the new Harry Potter series or not.
“Maybe you will watch it because you loved it as a child and can overlook Rowling’s views (or support them). Maybe you won’t because you don’t want to financially aid Rowling, or because the thought of sitting through a decade-long third retelling of a story you never liked much in the first place makes you feel depressed and exhausted. Either way, your mind has been made up. What we are left with is a show that is too big to ignore. It’s going to be a long decade.”
At the time of writing, the woman’s story got 12k upvotes and garnered nearly 3k comments on the AITAH subreddit. Unfortunately, we were unable to reach out to the author for comment because she deleted her account as the story went viral.
Some internet users who weighed in on the discussion suggested that there was nothing wrong with enjoying media that you’ve already bought. However, many drew the line at any further Harry Potter purchases that would financially support controversial creators. While some people have boycotted Rowling, others believe that it's possible to enjoy her works without supporting her.
What are your thoughts, dear Pandas? Do you think the woman was right to hold on to her old Harry Potter books for her kids to enjoy? Or do you think she should have been more sensitive towards her husband and BIL’s perspectives about the author? How would you have handled the situation? Do you separate the art from the artist or not? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
The woman shared a bit more context in the comments of her viral post
Most internet users thought the woman wasn't wrong to keep her old books. They provided their nuanced thoughts here
Some folks thought that nobody was in the wrong here and offered their perspectives
However, some readers had a very different opinion. Here's their take
