Here’s a List of Our Negative Opinions About “Harry Potter” in One Rage-Filled Burst of Text
Ah, the Internet: a place to connect with like-minded folks about our passion for Potter – unless you’re in the comments section of a Facebook post. In my years of writing at MuggleNet, I’ve noticed that many of our Facebook followers really don’t like it when we have something negative to say about JKR, the movies, or anything at all! So just for all of you who believe any negative opinion makes one an ungrateful hag, here is a plethora of negative Potter opinions straight from the MuggleNet staff, selected by yours truly.
Movies
I hate movie Dobby and think his death scene is one of the most hilarious scenes in the series” (Emily H.-W.).
I am forever angry about how Slytherin was portrayed in the films. It just fed into the whole ALL SLYTHERINS ARE EVIL stereotype” (Megan F.).
Movie 3 was dark for the sake of darkness, quirky for the sake of quirkiness…and somehow still gets lauded as the most ‘artsy’ of all the adapations” (Eric).
I WILL HATE THAT BURROW SCENE UNTIL THE END OF TIME. I WILL RAGE AGAINST IT UNTIL I DIE” (Alison).
Cursed Child
I HATE that JKR said that Cursed Child is canon. That is the only argument pro-CC-canon fans have to support their claim. She should let the fans decide what’s canon from here on out” (Katy).
I hate how the fandom’s entitlement lead [sic] to the majority of the negative feelings on CC” (Marissa).
I hate that anyone who loved CC was not a true fan in people’s eyes. I loved CC for many reasons, but I couldn’t talk about it without getting s*** thrown at me” (Aimee).
Pottermore
The new Pottermore site had huge potential. But the gut-wrenching truth [is] that JKR does not write everything. The articles are written by a range of journalists and marketing assistants, many of whom work freelance, [which means Pottermore] is no longer a passionate Potter-dedicated site. It’s a marketing tool under the guise of producing unique content that the fandom desperately wants…The reality is that she doesn’t see everything, and we need to work as a fandom to recognise the quality content from the freelance [writers]” (Lizzie G.).
People do not understand the level of suck coming out of Pottermore’s writing staff” (Kat).
Merchandise
Ahem, as a Ravenclaw, I REALLY, REALLY HATE THE FACT THAT GRYFFINDOR AND SLYTHERIN ARE PRIORITISED IN LITERALLY EVERYTHING POTTER (WHETHER THAT BE ARTICLES OR MERCH) ABOVE RAVENCLAW AND HUFFLEPUFF. EVEN DOWN TO TEA TOWELS” (Holly).
Can we talk about merch collectors and how they think their stuff makes them the biggest fan ever? *Sonorus Charm* NOT EVERYONE HAS TIME/MONEY/SPACE/DESIRE TO COLLECT THINGS. THINGS ARE THINGS AND ARE NOT REPRESENTATIVE OF ANYTHING OTHER THAN THE SPACE THEY TAKE UP AND THE SENTIMENTAL VALUE THEY HOLD” (Renae).
Fandom
My biggest issue with the Potter fandom is that they are unwilling to accept that JKR is no longer solely in control. Pottermore is owned by shareholders. There is a Harry Potter Global Franchise Development Team. It’s time to realize that this isn’t the ‘small’ story of a boy wizard produced purely for the love of storytelling purposes. It is a money-making machine, and we have to adjust our standards accordingly” (Kat).
Nothing is sacred, and J.K. Rowling (or anyone associated with any aspect of Potter) isn’t infallible to criticism. It’s okay not to like everything, [and] that doesn’t make you a bad fan” (Victor).
I hate that so many fans cannot separate their love for Harry Potter from JKR’s personal actions. I’ve grown to disagree with a lot of Jo’s political and personal stances both [on] real[-]world issues and [on] the wizarding world, yet it’s almost impossible to voice these disagreements or call her out on her actions without Potter fans jumping down your throat” (Thomas).
Potter Itself
I will forever and ever love Potter. But it’s absolutely not the best-written thing I’ve ever read…And it’s so very blindingly white, not at all diverse in any way. Any POC characters she has are token characters, and the way she writes them is slightly racist (ahem Cho Chang)” (Richa).
The overall idea that you can boil people down to one attribution [sic] to shove them into a House. The fact that we didn’t get to see a good Slytherin character or a Hufflepuff who didn’t come off as an idiot” (Amy).
What do you hate about Potter? Leave your rage in a comment below!
