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He farts rainbows and is ded from snake. - Oh Tumblr. What are we going to do with you?
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| | Subject: | Oh Tumblr. What are we going to do with you? | | Time: | 12:15 pm |
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| Okay, since I don't know where else to put it due to the HMS_STFU being closed from a while ago, I'm showing you something that showed up on my tumblr dashboard:
http://ladymacbethbitches.tumblr.com/post/18872617476/characters-fucked-over-by-jkr-revised
Obviously, there are too many to count, but these are the ones I found particularly offensive or egregious.
Lily Evans - (inarticulate for seven books. rendered as a silent symbol of a dutiful wife and mother. reduced to being placed on a pedestal so Snape can have his precious tragic arc.)
Ginny Weasley - (entire recovery arc from being possessed left off-page, and more or less forgotten about until JKR brings her back to be a love interest. she deserved so much more.)
Dolores Umbridge - (is raped by centaurs in order to be taught a lesson. and this is laughed at.)
Petunia Evans - (is invariably blamed and badly treated, despite that Snape did similar things to her and somehow all is forgiven with him.)
Sirius Black - (erasure of mental-health issues.)
Fleur Delacour - (demonized for being beautiful. borderline racist treatment.)
Cho Chang - (demonized for daring to sob about her boyfriend and defend her friend.)
Pansy Parkinson - (that whole damn article about “stupid girls” and JKR’s obsession with aligning Pansy with the girls that bullied her as a child.)
Bellatrix Black - (has to be killed by Molly to prove some point about motherly love being better than sexual love. isn’t given much characterisation beyond being a sadistic Bad Woman.)
Peter Pettigrew - (probably the biggest victim of JKR’s obsession with ~bravery~ and ~loyalty~ being the most admirable traits. essentially shunned throughout the entire series because of this. also another manifestation of Bad=Ugly.)
Lavender Brown - (demonised for being gossipy and giggly and liking boys and dating.)
Percy Weasley - (demonized for having ambition.)
(the rankings don’t matter that much beyond the first five, because I just found the treatments of Lily, Ginny, Umbridge, Petunia and Sirius to be the absolute worst. Not to say that the others aren’t awful, but those five really stood out.)
Where do we start? Bashing Lily for being dead and a mom, bashing Ginny for being a teenage girl, bringing up the infamous "rapist centaurs" stuff, bashing Molly while holding up Bellatrix as OMG feminist model, etc. | comments: Leave a comment     |
| How the HELL can anyone say that Sirius' character arc was 'erasure of mental health issues'? If anything, after living for a dozen years with creatures that are literal representations of depression, combined with inherited mental health issues in the family, Sirius was a positive representation of how a mentally ill person can still be a good and loving person who still stands for what is right despite their illness. Goddamnit.
Bellatrix was also mentally ill, but it was the type of ill that needs to be stopped before she hurts others, and had nothing to do with family love vs romantic/sexual love. If anything, Bellatrix was a representation of how ANY sort love can be twisted, warped and tainted to harm and inexcusableness if taken too far. (And they call GINNY the obsessed, violent fangirl for ramming into Zacharias while defending all of Bellatrix's actions for Voldemort's sake as feminist because she was doing that for the man she luuuuurved.)
Snape's accidental magic against Petunia (key sodding word, accidental) is far from a woman's adult decision to ABUSE A CHILD because she didn't get on with said child's mother. Maybe Ginny's recovery could have gotten a more detailed treatment, granted, but it was being seen through the eyes of Harry, who was a) a teenage boy who b) had his OWN issues to deal with. As for Lavender and Percy, many people don't like giggly gossips regardless of their gender, and Percy was a selfish little ratbastard who was happy to let a member of his family DIE without him even being there, despite what oneandthetruth likes to claim. Also, Peter sold out two of his friends and their infant son simply because he was afraid. He was ugly because he was evil, not evil because he was ugly.
I'm drunk right now, and Asperger's even when I'm sober. And I still get this. Why don't they? | | (Reply to this) (Thread) |
| What is it with this new wave of pretentiously bashing anything popular to make you feel smarter? Is it across fandoms of does JKR get special attention? Okay, since I don't know where else to put it due to the HMS_STFU being closed from a while ago, I'm showing you something that showed up on my tumblr dashboard: I guess it goes here although I think it fits in this com as well. | | (Reply to this) (Thread) |
| | You know, this isn't even new, it's just seems new because these people seem too moronic to be trying to be pretentious. | | (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread) |
| And, to be fair, JKR comes in for a lot less of it than, say, Stephenie Meyer does. Heck, I'm doing it to Twilight right now on Dreamwidth. I would argue that Twilight deserves it, and that I'm trying to be as fair as I can, and I hope I'm not pretentious about it, but if it wasn't popular, I wouldn't bother.
I do think Meyer comes in for far more bashing than is warranted. The Twilight books are not the worst books EVAR, either in writing style or in moral bankruptcy. Jerry Jenkins has the lead there -- he's hundreds of miles in front of any other contemporary best-selling author I've heard of. I'd argue that the Twilight books aren't even as bad as Dan Brown's crap. | | (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread) |
| | Where is your Dreamwidth? Twilight deserves it, and I like to see it getting it. I think Jerry Jenkins is by far the worst, but I'd stick Dan Brown marginally above Twilight because at least it has an adventure plot. And female characters with talents and skills they work on, even if the narrative is still sexist. | | (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread) |
| I think Dan Brown is worse because he claims to base his stories on actual history and real research. Lots of people believe him. So all these lies about history are being spread around.
My Twilight stuff at Dreamwidth is here: http://lliira.dreamwidth.org/tag/twilight. It's taking me forever to get through this book, and not for a reason I expected. The book is ridiculously depressing, because Bella does not stop complaining. Except when she's describing how pretty the Cullens are.
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| I think Dan Brown is worse because he claims to base his stories on actual history and real research. Lots of people believe him. So all these lies about history are being spread around.
True! I only read the Da Vinci Code out of his works, and I knew enough to take it with a grain of salt or the entire Dead Sea's worth. So despite Brown's claims the books don't bother me as much, even though they're sensationalistic and poorly written. People who have actually done their research also sometimes play a bit fast and loose for the sake of a story.
Friending your Dreamwith - I like your thoughtful analysis. :) | | (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread) |
| I was like -_- when I read his Digital Fortress book and found out that a key plot point hinged on a completely inaccurate understanding of the radioactive isotopes used in the Hiroshima and Nagasaki explosions. I mean, shit, all the details have been declassified and if there were any errors, we'd know by now.
So yeah, not exactly rushing out to read more DB. | | (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread) |
| | Thanks :). I'm trying really, really hard to be absolutely fair. I went into it deciding I was going to do my best to like Bella, especially. And gave up on that before the first chapter was over. | | (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread) |
| | Who is Jerry Jenkins, and what's so bad about him? This is actually the first I've heard of him. | | (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread) |
![[info]](http://www.journalfen.net/img/userinfo.gif) mcity | | Link: | (Link) | | Time: | 2012-03-12 12:18 pm (UTC) |
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| >What is it with this new wave of pretentiously bashing anything popular to make you feel smarter?
Tumblr.
That is all. | | (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread) |
| Dolores Umbridge - (is raped by centaurs in order to be taught a lesson. and this is laughed at.)
No. Just no.
Petunia Evans - (is invariably blamed and badly treated, despite that Snape did similar things to her and somehow all is forgiven with him.)
Snape was a dick to Petunia, but Petunia, and her family abused her sister's only child from the time he was a baby. not to mention what she did to her own son, which I think is just as abusive as what she and Vernon did to Harry. She did nothing worth forgiveness, I never saw any indication in the books that she ever even felt bad about what she did to Harry.
Sirius Black - (erasure of mental-health issues.)
No, you want to know what that was? That, I can tell you from personal experience is someone dealing with mental health issues, surrounded by people who have no way to help him, and have no idea how to deal with it. Which in the end, as it can in real life resulted in a huge fucking tragedy.
Bellatrix Black - (has to be killed by Molly to prove some point about motherly love being better than sexual love. isn’t given much characterisation beyond being a sadistic Bad Woman.)
Sexual? possibly, but that wasn't love. She was fucking obsessed with him in the most unhealthy way possible. She was also the psychopath that I recall Snape fen like to say Hermione is.
Peter Pettigrew - (probably the biggest victim of JKR’s obsession with ~bravery~ and ~loyalty~ being the most admirable traits. essentially shunned throughout the entire series because of this. also another manifestation of Bad=Ugly.)
Peter had the capability to hide himself, stay safe, and keep the potters safe, he proved this by faking his death and hiding for what? Just TWELVE FUCKING YEARS! Instead he chose to sell out a man who thought of him as a brother, his wife, and their infant son. Then he got another friend who had shown him all the trust in the world before peter proved he wasn't worthy of it thrown in a literal hell for those same twelve years.
I have to quit now before blood starts running out my ears.
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adverb | | Subject: | Re: Fuck This Shit. | | Link: | (Link) | | Time: | 2012-03-10 03:26 am (UTC) |
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| | The Petunia one makes more sense if it's changed to despite that Snape did similar things asher . Because that I can agree with - not that Petunia should be forgiven, but that Snape should have some of the same disgust. | | (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread) |
| | In my version of the books, Fleur, Cho, and Lavender weren't demonized. Fleur was somewhat obnoxious for constantly critizing the Weasley family before the wedding, but she was also shown to be brave, loving, and caring to her family, which eventually included the Weasleys. Cho seemed to just grieve differently than Harry - she needed to constantly talk about Cedric, and Harry needed to not talk about it at all. Lavender's worst trait is being clingy with Ron. | | (Reply to this) (Thread) |
| | I don't get where these types are always coming up with the rape things. Umbridge and Arianna. I don't think either of them were raped, because when it comes down to it, it's a children's/YA series. | | (Reply to this) (Thread) |
| | I see where people get them and if they acknowledge that that's their interpretation I've got not problem with it, but I can't stand people saying that it's canon. In neither case was rape outright stated to be what happened, and other, equally plausible possibilities exist for the same proof, ergo it is not definitive canon. | | (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread) |
| | It's not even that the others are equally plausible, they are a million times more plausible because we are talking about a children's/YA series, and being beaten up is much much much (infinity) more likely than sex crimes when you get down to it. The whole rape scenario is absurd IMO. | | (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread) |
| | Oh, true. I meant "equally plausible" in terms of canon fact - does that could as Watsonian reasoning? Neither violent episode is outright described, which is in itself grounds to speculate that they were deliberately left open ... but I can't take anyone seriously unless they acknowledge that it's only speculation and that it's completely possible/likely that if JKR were to be asked about them not by an eight year old, in a situation where she could be as explicit as she wanted, she might still say no, that didn't happen. | | (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread) |
| I think the centaur rape implications are disgusting considering what we saw of centaurs before that. it's fine if you want to push Greek mythology for a fic or something, but don't pretend it's canon when there is no evidence of it on the books.
The "Ariana was raped" theory has always been weird to me. I admit I haven't read that chapter in a while but I always thought Ariana was very young at the time, and that the boys who attacked her weren't much older. The impression I got was that she had gotten a severe head injury during the beating. | | (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread) |
| | Agreed about Arianna. I was thinking she was around 4-6 and the boys 7-9ish. I kind of side-eye the people who think RAPE right off the bat, tbh. | | (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread) |
| Well, to be fair, there are other reasons to think that those attacks might have, possibly, been sexual in nature beyond just being a reader who's determined to read rape into it. My sister also was traumatised by abuse that came from outside the family, and she crashed out psychologically in a way that ruled my family for my entire adolescence, just like the Dumbledore family. And the abuse she endured was sexual in nature. So yes, when I read the Ariana story, my brain originally went there. Where else was it going to go? Likewise for other people who have been there, either with themselves or a loved one as the victim. But yeah, I imagine that plenty of people are, in fact, deliberately reading the worst into it for shock value or author-bashing value.
The impression I got was that she had gotten a severe head injury during the beating.
This is what I actually think happened. Kids don't think, and it wouldn't surprise me if they shoved her over and she hit her head on a rock, or even if they threw it at her and it connected. | | (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread) |
| Kids can and do sexually abuse each other. Not saying it's what happened in this case, but their ages don't rule it out.
The centaur thing, though, yes. The centaurs in the HP books are not like the centaurs in Greek mythology. I always thought they left Umbridge to wander the Forbidden Forest alone, and she came across all sorts of horrible things (giant person-eating spiders, for instance) before escaping. Rape is not the only bad thing that can happen to a woman. | | (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread) |
| | Does all this Umbridge-woobifying creep anyone else the Hell out? I mean, it's UMBRIDGE. The character probably written to be the most despicable personage in the entire series! I mean, not that even someone like that deserves to be raped, but... she wasn't raped. | | (Reply to this) (Thread) |
| | Centaurs do have A Certain Reputation. I don't think that Rowling meant to write gang rape, or write Ron and Hermione and Harry deliberately re-traumatising a rape victim, but combining the mythical reputation of centaurs with Umbridge's lack of obvious physical wounds I think it's possible to see where people who believe this theory get it from. | | (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread) |
| | IA with the other comment. The centaurs seemed kind of Lewis-esque, and I always figured Umbridge was given a Very Stern Talking-to by the centaurs. Just having been effectively kidnapped and held by dangerous-seeming beings who you've always assumed were inferior is probably just a teensy bit mindbending. | | (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread) |
| No need to remove this post but simply for future reference. ![[info]](http://www.journalfen.net/img/community.gif) canon_shmanon is dedfromsnake's sister comm and a The HMS STFU replacement of sorts. (Also not just for Harry Potter but for any fandom) | | (Reply to this) (Thread) |
| Bellatrix Black - (has to be killed by Molly to prove some point about motherly love being better than sexual love. isn’t given much characterisation beyond being a sadistic Bad Woman.)
And it's...a problem that a fanatical and unhinged Bad Guy exists without being given a lot of reasons beyond a fourteen-year imprisonment in a gaol staffed by the embodiments of depression and an upbringing in a fanatically bigoted family. And a problem that a stereotypically motherly character is also allowed to be a talented fighting witch. Molly should have stayed in the kitchen!
Peter Pettigrew - (probably the biggest victim of JKR’s obsession with ~bravery~ and ~loyalty~ being the most admirable traits. essentially shunned throughout the entire series because of this. also another manifestation of Bad=Ugly.)
Harry is skinny and has glasses, Hermione has bushy hair, Ron is freckled and ungracefully tall, Molly Weasley is also known as Mollywobbles, Bellatrix Black is really quite attractive. Rowling does describe sympathetic characters in nicer ways and Voldemort is physically mutated, but she doesn't treat prettiness as a direct index of moral character. | | (Reply to this) (Thread) |
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He farts rainbows and is ded from snake. - Oh Tumblr. What are we going to do with you?
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