Oh, TV Tropes...!

[sweettalkeress.livejournal.com]

Quite honestly, the Harry Potter stuff on that site has gotten to the point where I can't read it because just about everything is fawning over how great and super-special-awesome the series is, oh, and how Snape is an evil douchebag who wanted to get Harry and James killed so he could keep Lily. But this... this makes me want to scream:

"Hermione... [is] one of the smartest and more pro-active females in the whole Harry Potter canon and English literature in general"

WHAT THE FUCK?!?!?!

How could they make such a claim?! Hermione is a better heroine than, say, Tiffany Aching?! How about Eliza Doolittle?! And I'm sure you could come up with other examples.

No, no, in Harry Potter it seems fairly obvious that the most powerful women in the series are antagonists. Sure, Hermione's perfectly independent and capable, but in the last several books it's like she becomes Harry's servant because he's too lazy to do anything himself!

God damn it, Harry Potter wouldn't bother me so much if everyone didn't insist it was the greatest thing since sliced bread!

Comments

[oneandthetruth.livejournal.com]

I find the insistence on St. Lily rather reflective of the subtle misogyny that puts all women on pedestals, instead of being able to see her as an individual with good points and flaws. The argument that criticizing Lily = misogyny has it exactly backwards.

About 25 years ago, comedian/actor Steve Martin had a TV special. During part of it, he talked about "What I Believe." The only part I remember was him saying, "And I believe a woman should be put on a pedestal--so I can look up her dress." That says it all, right there.

Every time I hear somebody acting like it's honoring women to put them on pedestals, I think of Martin's words. Pedestals are designed for statues and vases, not living beings.