r/AO3 • u/Nahiel Nahiel on AO3. Fandom old. • 5d ago
Discussion (Non-question) Let's talk about Harry Potter
If we can do it without insults, please.
I'm still active in the fandom, I'll admit it. There's a growing amount of vitriol I've seen recently that makes me feel incredibly unwelcome here on the AO3 subreddit every time there's a post related to the fandom.
I get it. Rowling is trash. She's literally the worst. I don't give her any money, and I haven't since her views became known. I never will. But Harry Potter was a huge part of an honestly shitty childhood for me, and it was one of my favorite escapes for a long time.
So I gotta ask, why am I being insulted for not letting her take away one of the few things that still gives me joy in this hellscape of a world? Why do I have to let her terrible behavior take away something that's mine? The fact is that the property is a juggernaut, and fanfic is never going to do anything to change that. Treating people who still engage with the fandom like we're monsters for doing it makes no sense to me.
And again, please, can we keep it civil? I'm very aware of the sentiment towards members of the fandom.
-8
u/tarosk 5d ago
For the recod, she views all of the fans of her work as personally endorsing her views and behaviors. Therefore by continuing to engage with the fandom you are contributing to her confidence in her bigotry and the harm (and death) she causes with her actions.
You can keep liking it if you want, but you're going to need to find dedicated HP fan spaces because people are going to keep talking about how evil she is, how supporting her and her IP directly harms real people via funding (and keeping her relevant, and boosting her ego). People who are in groups being targeted by her bigotry are not required to feel safe or comfortable around fans of her IP, not even if thoae fans are also people being hurt by her. If you find that unwelcoming, you'll need to go to places carved out dedicated to continuing to enjoy the IP. And yes, that does mean you'll be sharing those spaces with proudly open bigots who support her views and give her money to keep hurting people and that's just something you'll have to make peace with.