I was too old for Harry Potter when it came out and was voraciously reading adult books at the time, so I don't have the same emotional attachment as someone whose introduction to reading was HP. For me, that series that got me into reading was The Babysitters Club.
I also haven't read BSC since I was about 8 and don't understand adults who obsess over a series of mediocre children's books. There are just better books out there. 1/?
All that said, Rowling is a billionaire and a TERF.
You don't get to be a billionaire without being an awful person unless the money just falls into your lap. Good people give away excessive wealth before they accumulate a billion dollars. Obviously, being a TERF makes someone an awful person too, but the fact that Rowling weaponizes her wealth against trans people and the fact that consuming particular media is entirely optional makes boycotting her works the ethical choice. 2/?
If it turned out that Ann M Martin (BSC author) was a horrible TERF who was spending her wealth to attack women's rights, I wouldn't spend my time or money watching a BSC series, despite the fond memories I have of it.*
In fact, if she was doing that, it would sour my memories of the series, which is as much about diversity, acceptance and friendship as it is about running a babysitting business.
*note: Martin seems to be quietly living her life with her partner and cats. 3/?
Just like my opinion of the adult actors involved in the new HP series has gone down (I haven't kept up on all the casting, but Nick Frost and John Lithgow have both disapointed me with their participation). They should know who Rowling is at this point and are helping her hurt more people by working to increase her wealth.
4/?
Anyway, I guess my point is that we should all just stop giving money to awful people. The books aren't great (and are probably more problematic than you remember); the movies were fine, but are on PirateBay or otherwise not worth buying at this point; the series is a totally unnecessary cash grab.
Let's let Rowling descend into irrelevance in her mould-infested castle. 5/5
#boycottBillionaires #boycottHarryPotter #boycottRowling #HarryPotter
~* Sarah