Rowling, Blow & Co. - Does Buying Someone's Game Mean You Endorse Their Bullshit? - The Bear and Badger

EvilRedEye

There's the creator of some web comic who apparently doesn't believe in abortion for religious reasons. Like he doesn't think the state should get involved in prohibiting abortions, wouldn't vote for a particular political party over it but just low-key doesn't believe in it. But it caused a big hoo-haa when people found out. To me that doesn't really cross the line.

I'm not really keen on Letitia Wright's supposed anti-vax views either but it sounds like she comes from quite a tight-knit Black Christian community and you can sort of see how she could have got there. So I wouldn't really consider her cancelled either.

I wouldn't really want to financially support the work of someone I thought was actively making the world a worse place though. I wouldn't touch JK Rowling's work with a bargepole.

tigersgogrrr

It's the accusation that you are the funding behind the Ukrainian misery that I find off kilter (we should probably leave the comparison; it was off of me to use it to start with).

I get that giving the Bad money in any way can be fairly criticised, but I'm talking about the specific criticism that to do so is actively funding the problem. Which I don't think is the case.

tigersgogrrr

I suppose the crux of it is I don't agree with the premise that buying a HP product funds transphobia, which is something I have seen bandied about.

Brooks

I've yet to see Rowling get properly Kanye'd, which is to say major corporations getting the fuck rid of any commercial association with for fear of taint, so she isn't quite nutty and loud enough yet I suppose.

Raiziel

tigersgogrrr wrote:

I suppose the crux of it is I don't agree with the premise that buying a HP product funds transphobia, which is something I have seen bandied about.

This is it, really. Otherwise those up in their glorious ivory towers should start making their own clothes and farming their own food.

LivDiv

Raiziel wrote:

tigersgogrrr wrote:

I suppose the crux of it is I don't agree with the premise that buying a HP product funds transphobia, which is something I have seen bandied about.

This is it, really. Otherwise those up in their glorious ivory towers should start making their own clothes and farming their own food.

To be fair Rowling has said her royalty cheque means people endorse her views.

Personally I think she is just straight up wrong in that assesment but that quote will drive much of this premise.

Raiziel

I don’t care what she thinks.

LivDiv

Neither do I.
In fact I think a huge part of the problem in much of this stuff is giving weight to celebrity opinions on subjects they have no fucking clue about.

EvilRedEye

JK Rowling went public about funding Allison Bailey's (founder of anti-trans hate group LGB Alliance) lawsuit against LGBT charity Stonewall, which was basically aimed at publically discrediting them. God only knows what else she's done in private.

MattyJ

Raiziel wrote:

I don’t care what she thinks.

If she posted on twitter something like "all n-words should be killed", you wouldn't care?

Raiziel

EvilRedEye wrote:

JK Rowling went public about funding Allison Bailey's (founder of anti-trans hate group LGB Alliance) lawsuit against LGBT charity Stonewall, which was basically aimed at publically discrediting them. God only knows what else she's done in private.

So fucking what. What’s going on the background when you use gas to heat your home? Or what goes into making the latest iPhone? We’re all cunts for enabling nasty shit. But the new Harry Potter game is where we suddenly draw the line?

Raiziel

And here’s the thing. It’s fine if you hold these views. But leave the people alone that just want to enjoy a video game that just so happens to take place in Rowling’s intellectual universe.

equinox_code

Raiziel wrote:

I hope everyone with such high and mighty values aren’t also out there treating themselves to Nike trainers and whatnot, because otherwise they really are picking such interesting places to make their moral stands.

Nobody can fight all of the good battles all of the time. That said, the more the better, and taking a stand- especially when it involves a sacrifice- is always to be commended.

Funkstain

I find the reductionist absolutist view to be frankly pathetic. Like, if you’re not a perfect human living the perfect values then you have literally no grounds to argue for things like boycotts and protests against other things you find personally bad

As if all sacrifices are the same (gas v no gas, compared to game v no game), as if all values must be the same, as if any behaviours can be excused because we’re all hypocrites anyway

Self rationalising bullshit

Raiziel

equinox_code wrote:

Raiziel wrote:

I hope everyone with such high and mighty values aren’t also out there treating themselves to Nike trainers and whatnot, because otherwise they really are picking such interesting places to make their moral stands.

Nobody can fight all of the good battles all of the time. That said, the more the better, and taking a stand- especially when it involves a sacrifice- is always to be commended.

Okay then. You’re an absolute wanker for heating your home this winter. How dare you contribute to global warming. I’m worried about the world my nephews are going to inherit because right now you’re being irresponsible with your energy usage. I’m taking a stand.

DrewMerson

Funkstain

Yes you’re dead right people protesting against, say, climate change inactivity by our government and corporate overlords should only be listened to if they have never seen a plane

equinox_code

all-or-nothingists got to launder that guilt somehow.

EvilRedEye

The problem with pointing to the general machinations of capitalism is that we tolerate these things because they are obfuscated by complexity and difficult to extract ourselves from. The relation between buying a game and the owner of the game's IP is simple and it is easy to extract ourselves from because it is just a video game.

DrewMerson

Raiziel

DrewMerson wrote:

We are all flawed. But there are levels of flaw. I wouldn’t boycott someone’s work for the level of behaviour that might end up in a post in our ‘101 things’ thread, but I’d be more likely to for criminal behaviour or promotion of hatred.

As ERE pointed to, I also see a difference between personally held views, and using your profile to promote those views.

As for hypocrisy, it’s not realistic to expect me to make my own clothes, grow all of my own food or develop my own heating system for my home. I can make as many ethical choices around that as I can. But that’s the point: we have to find our own paths through this. Some things we have little choice about, but choosing where to source our entertainment is much easier.

In this particular instance, the person in question is sufficiently wealthy that they can continue their hateful path with or without the royalties of this game. But I’d still rather not give her my money. As for why this game is getting all the attention rather than, say, the last Fantastic Beasts film, I think it’s because it’s not just JKR saying that support for this game shows support for her views, but plenty of other transphobes have said the same thing.

It’s fine if you make a stand on this issue. The thing is the rest of us should be left to play the game in peace.

DrewMerson

Raiziel

DrewMerson wrote:

See my next post. And take a breath.

I’m perfectly calm, thanks.

equinox_code

Raiziel wrote:

equinox_code wrote:

Raiziel wrote:

I hope everyone with such high and mighty values aren’t also out there treating themselves to Nike trainers and whatnot, because otherwise they really are picking such interesting places to make their moral stands.

Nobody can fight all of the good battles all of the time. That said, the more the better, and taking a stand- especially when it involves a sacrifice- is always to be commended.

Okay then. You’re an absolute wanker for heating your home this winter. How dare you contribute to global warming. I’m worried about the world my nephews are going to inherit because right now you’re being irresponsible with your energy usage. I’m taking a stand.

Yea i actually don't care if you bought the game or not, but i don't think you're entitled to immunity from hearing other people argue against it.

DrewMerson

Raiziel

DrewMerson wrote:

Raiziel wrote:

I’m perfectly calm, thanks.

That’s not really coming across in your posts. They read like the final moments of the T1000.

Huh. I didn’t realise that. Thanks for the heads-up.

Paul the sparky

DrewMerson wrote:

Raiziel wrote:

I’m perfectly calm, thanks.

That’s not really coming across in your posts. They read like the final moments of the T1000.

You don't have to like what he's saying but you don't have to project that shite on him either

Paul the sparky

MattyJ wrote:

Raiziel wrote:

I don’t care what she thinks.

If she posted on twitter something like "all n-words should be killed", you wouldn't care?

Has she posted that about trans people?

Bob

Also inferring people’s moods or attitudes On a text based message Board is a bit condescending

Paul the sparky

Has she been involved much in the development of this game by the way? I'm sure I saw something saying she'd had next to nowt to do with it. Seems a shame to punish the people who made it because she's a shit house?

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