Pseudointellectual HP wank
In hp_essays, of all places.

Anyway, darkthirty wants us all to know that the discourse in HP is not up to his lofty standards.

Okay, I've of course been hearing about Harry and the Potters, and other "bands" for a while - didn't catch H and the Ps at the Vancouver Public Library last year since I knew they were, fankly, unmusical, goofy and boring. But what I said about Pirates II holds for this - it's banal stuff that gets hyped into some kind of cultural acceptance, which I think is really shitty and which has, in fact, taken over much of television itself these days - witness the immense audience still for fantasy TV ("reality TV" they call it). There's a section of Rowling fandom (Rowling Fandom, I repeat) that stands for everything these lame bands do not, and I am certain must suffer fools continuously in the general, cultural register.

An honest reading of Rowling will not, however, be morose. In fact, it is much more humourous than the orneriness that passes for wit (often enough the lowest common denominator of snarkiness, bitchiness, pettiness, "my cool is the real cool", after all the sum and substance of most so-called comics or comedians since the great anti-political hammer fell on Television in the 80s, just as it had hammered comic books into stupidity for 4 decades) in the bickersites and wankoffs of the internet.

JK Rowling must, in all ways, be examined as we would examine any other author. Okay, not a revolutionary statement - but to the casual reader, online fandom treats her in exceptional, and exceptionally ridiculous, ways. The subjects talked of, or at least suggested, at the numerous conferences, do NOT make it into the journals and fansites. What, can't attendees remember what was said? Can't they incorporate at least some of what they heard into their gossipy, flower print posts? It's stupid and ridiculous that out of 4 or 5 conferences, online fandom has only people like Melissa and Emerson, for example, those endlessly prancy, poncey and silly guys, who are more than a little irritating, to represent it.

Cultural industries, as they are called, like hollywood cinema and tv, have long excelled at encouraging folks to identify with the burp of the day - people study this, hone and refine this. Advertising has grown so important, governments that would spend their propaganda dollar without either employing orconsulting advertisers are being careless. But if someone just jumps to the dumbdrum, since what they want is such a powerful drive, having little, perhaps, or having little of value in their lives, that doesn't seem like serious, anti-terrorist vigilance (ie - being afraid, just generally, and particularly of strangers, and insisting on being right about, um, well, whatever they feel they need to be right about, regardless of whether or not they CAN be right) that a stupid dog of a movie like Pirates II can be the hit of the year, a hit in the heads of the fans who really could have asked for at least a half-decent movie, and not the monstrous insulting piece of glib they got, they are utterly and completely lost, and they really should try reading something that will, at least potentially, unblinker them from such claptrap, like, say, Rowling.

Where's all the good stuff, eh? Come on, post it!

Please, urls, since there's apparently so much!!!!!
Michael Bronski here,, in case you haven't read her essay yet.

Boils down to "Waah, people aren't writing what I want them to write! PS, everything you like sucks." Unsurprisingly, people take offense to the digs at Harry and the Potters, POTCII, and Melissa and Emerson. What they don't realize is that they're taking offense because they're poopyheads, as darkthirty makes sure to inform them.

Some of the better exchanges:

POTCII objectively sucks!

"Dude, this is a rant, not an essay." "Is not!"

The only meaningful discourse is in conventions! Every online HP meta community is banal and insipid.

"You only disgree with me because I insulted your favorite things." "Actually, I don't like any of the things you insulted." (Whoops!)

Don't miss the appearance by our favorite TMI queen. Apparently the secret cabal ruling HP has forced the intelligent criticism underground. Vive la revolution!

Dunno about you, but I'm amused.

ETA: Deleted, by the mods. You may think they deleted it because it was a rant thinly disguised as an essay, or because of the wank, but darkthirty knows the real reason: because the mods don't like people dissing Emerson and Melissa. Oy vey.

ETA2: The mod's smackdown, for posterity.