The way the Harry Potter fandom (and the reading community at large tbh) casually overlook the myriad of disturbing and offensive content in these novels is shocking to me. Especially given how many professed fans of the series are grown adults.

(Spoilers for themes, plot, and worldbuilding of Harry Potter)

!The slavery apologia is by far the most disturbing content in Rowling’s work. I cannot believe a novel that was published in the year 2000 has extended passages of characters lifting arguments in favor of slavery verbatim from real world historical arguments that slave owners and racists used to justify holding human beings in chattel slavery, while at the same time continuously ridiculing Hermione as hysterical SJW for trying to advocate for the rights and freedoms of enslaved peoples. And yet the fandom will talk circles around you about how because the enslaved group (house-elves) are a fantasy race, that makes it totally acceptable to enslave them and repeat real world arguments that were made when holding African peoples in bondage in the Americas.!<

!The way people uphold Rowling’s books as radical anti-prejudice tomes of social justice while completely sweeping under the rug the ways in which she characterizes non-human creatures with vile racist caricatures is awful. House-elves are basically walking Uncle Tom stereotypes who love to be abused and mistreated slave workers. Goblins embody all of the horrid tropes of antisemitism with their huge noses and disfigured faces, associations with banking and wealth hoarding, and constant description as conniving and greedy. And the centaurs are coded as indigenous peoples who engage in capturing humans who stray onto their protective lands to meet violent and lurid fates.!<

!Rowling certainly isn’t a stranger to other forms of prejudice in her writing either. Her fatphobia is well documented in both Harry Potter and her later adult novels, which obese individuals being dehumanized in cruel and corpus descriptions of their bodies and attitudes. Rowling’s well documented transphobia is on full display with villainous character of Rita Skeeter, who’s constantly described as ugly, mannish in appearance, and with other non-traditionally feminine characteristics that are meant to make the reader feel put off by her.!<

!The series in general does not hold up to a feminist reading either. Women and girls in the series receive constant scrutiny and ridicule for both the crime of being ugly, and the crime of being too pretty/overly concerned with their appearances. The text in general heavily emphasizes parenthood (and especially motherhood) as the best and most righteous path for someone to follow, and indeed most of the characters we are meant to view as good who survive the series end up married with children. Though this heteronormative and judgmental outlook on gender and family isn’t really much of a surprise given what we know now about Rowling’s own personal believes on those things.!<

It’s just all so awful, and it pains me to see so many readers simultaneously try and tout themselves as politically enlightened and socially accepting while turning a blind eye to all the terrible content in this series that’s meant for children.