I’ve also been known to buy Brawny paper towels and Northern toilet paper despite knowing that it enriches the Koch brothers (well, did anyway) who have done far more real harm than Rowling. And I’ve indirectly given them a lot more than Rowling got out of me. Even when I could have bought stuff I wanted less in order to take a principaled stance. I’m imperfect and try to make up the difference where I can.
In spirit, I may be with you, but my math would be a little different. The 2 cents did not go to an anti-trans cause. It went to one person who is widely, but not universally, believed to be hostile to trans people. I think it is quite unlikely that Rowling will spend that 2 cents on a contribution to an anti-trans group. She makes statements a lot of progressives, trans and otherwise, dislike, but getting money doesn’t affect whether she makes them. So my math says it really is infinite times.
If I was to worry about who got 2 cents of mine, I would be unable to read books that challenge my views (since even library borrowing can trigger another 2 cents, often more due to eBook licensing terms). As seen in my last link, even my subscription to the New York Times could be suspect. Some will not see that as a problem, but I would.
There is a difference between “challenging your views” and someone who outright attacks and affronts causes that you care about. It’s wearing a bit thin in this thread for folks to pretend that spreading hatred is the same as challenging a viewpoint.
It’s also wearing a bit thin to conflate the purchase of necessities with the purchase of entertainment. One is easily avoided, one is not. One is the topic of this thread, one is not.
See: This whole thread.
As I said, I had other options even if I wanted them less. My options were not “Buy Northern or wipe my ass with rocks”. It’s pretty rare that our first world shopping decisions are made from necessity. I’d say that double quilted toilet paper and video games fall under indulgences that you don’t need but make you a little happier
That too. My pennies will have zero impact on what she does. Anyone who thinks she’s honestly basing her opinions or actions on book or game sales should feel badly about getting trolled.
Okay, I’m not sure that the concept applies in your scenario. Competency in a practical matter of life and death is not something that most people would consider a small difference.
I think you are conflating “trust” with “ally.” While there are aspects of one in the other they are not synonyms.
And you seem to have this really black-and-white view of what it means to be an ally.
Is your spouse your ally? Sure (one would hope). Your children? Are they the same allies as your friend you see at the pub once a week? What about a co-worker? Someone in your HOA? Your softball team? Your city council?
There are a lot of different types of ally and each may only be an ally in one area and not others.
Picking someone to hold your rope is not necessarily an ally. They are just someone who you think will do the best job at that moment.
While this is true, the continuing success of her franchise depends on your pennies, and my pennies, and the pennies spent by hundreds of millions of people. If (and this is fantasyland, let’s be clear) enough of us said “Eff that lady and her wizarding world.” she would be done. She would be the warning that if you want to be successful in business, take your bigoted ideas, mash them up into a little ball and don’t let anyone find out about them. Which would be a victory.
It won’t happen. There’s a long history of artists being horrid people and still having millions wax poetic about their work. But, don’t entirely discount the power of those pennies, they are the reason she’s outrageously wealthy.
No, but I am saying that you should be able to trust your allies.
Not really. You seem to want to pin down the exact line that divides one from being an ally, along with the implication that otherwise they are an enemy.
That’s utterly ridiculous.
Sure there are. I can have an ally for a paintball game, or I can have an ally for a bridge tournament. They may be the same person, and they may not be.
In this aspect, we are talking about the area of trans rights, and what it takes to be an ally in that area.
No, they are someone I trust to do a good job. They don’t even have to do the best job. There’s a baseline for competence and diligence, above which it’s not all that important. But, just because we went and won a paintball tourney together doesn’t qualify them to hold the rope that keeps me from death or injury.
What do you get out of being an ally? I mean, you can buy a “Trans rights are human rights” shirt and wear it for all to see. You don’t need anyone’s permission.
What do you offer as an ally? Do you have their back, do you support their causes, do you deny their enemies succor and support?
If someone saying they don’t see you as an ally alienates you, you were never an ally and never would be.
She’s a billionaire. I assume she was a billionaire before she started being terrible on Twitter. If every Potter thing from this moment forward sold zero copies and zero tickets, she’d sit in her mansion and tweet about how she’s getting cancelled so now she’s gonna TERF even harder in the name of great martyrdom. Choosing to make sure she gets zero pennies is a legitimate ethical choice to make but it’s not a realistic avenue to silencing her, much less changing her opinions.
There’s a discission on another thread about the 1982 movie “The Thing.” The original story was written in the 1930s by John W. Campbell. He’s pretty much credited with creating the pattern the writing of science-fiction took for the next several decades. “Who Goes There?” is a brilliant story, which I’ve read many, many times.
I looked up some facts about Mr. Campbell, and it turns out he was a supremely arrogant man, detested by foes and friends alike. Over and above his abrasive personality, his published views on race were reprehensible. He favored segregation and supported George Wallace for president in 1968. That’s just the tip of the iceberg. His views on everything else were just as appalling, at least they were to me.
He was a prolific writer, and based on “Who Goes There?” I’ve always wanted to read some of his other stories. Now, after reading what kind of man he was, not so much.
…a quick lesson on how allyship does not work.
Nope. They do not issue you with “trans ally badges.” And if someone gives you a trans ally badge that doesn’t make you an ally.
And twelve badges doesn’t make you an extra special ally.
I figure it like this:
If you’re going to avoid giving her any of your money, you’d have to basically abandon a majority of games, movies, shows, merch, music, theme parks, etc. because Universal and Warner and the vast, interconnected web of who owns what is so massive that it’s nearly impossible to avoid.
I also wonder why those who are up in arms about this waited until this particular game to get worked up. Why weren’t they already boycotting Universal Studios? Why is this specific game the sudden focus?
I tend to choose my battles. If someone is spewing ignorance, I think it sucks, but I don’t get worked up about it. I focus my ire on those who have the power to make policy and take away rights. JK Rowling is not one of those.
Also, there is no consensus in the trans community on this because many are playing and enjoying this game and think their raging counterparts are being ridiculous. I don’t think anyone can say than only the trans people who are upset about this game are right. None speak for all.
I also make a distinction between those who do actual harm and those who merely offend. I don’t care about offensive, I care about actually harmful. While Bill Cosby was my intro to standup comedy and was very influential, it turned out he physically sexually assaulted many women, so, I stopped partaking of his material. He actually hurt people.
JK Rowling said some ignorant stuff. She didn’t physically assault anyone or take away any rights or condone doing either. I strongly disagree with her stances on trans people, but she’s getting paid no matter what you or I do.
Boycotting this game will have as much effect on trans rights as scooping a teaspoonful of oil from the Gulf of Mexico would have on climate change.
Ive concluded i dont really care about the morality of the artist. I care about the morality of the work, relative to the mores of when it was made, and Ii may also revolt where sympathy for the artist is a part if the art (eg: standup comedy)
Welcome to the Dope! I hope you stick around.
For some reason (nonsequitur though it is) your post made me think of comedian Bill Hicks instructing people that if they are against drugs then they had to burn all their records, because those people were “rrrrrreal…high on drugs”.
…
I don’t worry about the artist’s morality. It just doesn’t register with me. Instead it’s, do I like, or am I interested in experiencing, their work?
Michel Jackson’s Smooth Criminal is still in my music rotation when I workout, Louis CK can still make me laugh, and I’d check out some Roman Polanski movie if it came on, if only to see what the fuss is about his reputation as a filmmaker.
Bill Cosby? His old stuff is still good, but I wouldn’t patronize him today because he seems bitter and unfunny, and I’m not interested in hearing him lecture people. JK Rowling? I never got into her stuff that much, but I wouldn’t be phased by seeing something Harry Potter related, even if she has this weird hang up about ostracizing transgendered people.
John Hinckley has been paroled and now wants to perform and play music. He has had a hard time booking gigs. I’m curious enough to just wonder if he’s any good.
To be fair, the OP was inspired by a YouTube video made by a computer games journalist talking about the very recent release of a PC game based on Rowling’s fictional world. I have not seen all of Sterling’s videos but I think they have been consistent about Rowling.
The video does show plenty of examples of Rowling’s personal views on this topic over the years. So, this didn’t just pop onto the scene now. I just used it as a basis for a broader question since it was recent.
Also, welcome to the SDMB! I suspect you will like it here.
Oh, I watched the Revelations special more times than I can count. Yeah, a lot of that material has proved timeless.
I understand. I’m just kind of confused with the online jihad that’s going on about it why people didn’t start boycotting the Universal Studios parks and previous Potter games as soon as she started saying these things. Or, if they did, they were much quieter and less intense about it.
K D Lang’s hometown didn’t mind her being gay, I even saw an interview with a worker there who said he didn’t maind because “she’s our Kate”.
But when she campaigned for vegetarianism, boy, they turned on her. That’s because it’s cattle country and money speaks.
"A sign in Consort, Alberta, stating “Home of k.d. lang” was burned to the ground. Alberta’s agriculture minister at the time said it was “extremely unfortunate that she has decided to side with the animal rightists. There’s a certain feeling of betrayal – we have supported k.d. fairly well in Alberta”. "
Regarding J K Rowling: I don’t like what she says and it is annoying she uses her power aginst people BUT…
On the whole, when celebs and famous use their fame to speak out, there are more supporting the liberal views.