death to capslock

If this sounds judgmental, then I apologize in advance, but I think the OP of that thread got upset that someone (not necessarily a troll, to be fair) accused hir of having a vendetta on JKR because the OP believed that the Rolf character was named after the BBC guy who got into sexual harassment (including on minors?) charges, so (s)he ended up terminating the thread. I can PM you screencaps if you want. (How does one PM on LJ, anyway? *_* )

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Re: Lily II

I think she stayed at home to draw or read books, I'd like to think she'd inherited some real brains for a change. :)

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kycoo.livejournal.com

Whoops, I'm the one who made that comment. Though I wasn't accusing the OP -- I was just confused at how s/he assumed Rolf Scamander was named after the BBC guy and that everybody knew it. Seeing as we have no way of knowing whether JKR got the name from there, the OP's vitriol seemed unwarranted.

But thanks for not assuming that I'm a troll. :P

Anyway, back on topic... it really does make it seem like Harry and the other DA members were in hiding for the past decade or something. Surely Harry would have appeared now and then on the news and at other events, but this makes it seem like he's been gone for years.

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oryx_leucoryx

Some traits are known to skip a generation or two. Maybe she had an ancestor with actual brains we never met.

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jana-ch.livejournal.com

I'm with you. My new headcanon is that Lily-Lu is hates sports, both magical and muggle. She likes reading fiction and poetry, and is quite good at drawing. In a few years, a teacher at muggle school will discover she has a real gift for music. She eventually talks her parents into letting her attend Beauxbatons because Hogwarts has no art or music program. The bonus is that she gets away from her emotionally incestuous extended family with their inexpressably tedious fondness for "pranking" her.

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nx74defiant.livejournal.com

the same article on which I read Rita's piece the previous time, except some of it is now missing

I have the same problem.

I remember one part Rita's comments that Harry is letting Little Teddy run wild.

Which made me think - what kind of parent do you think Harry would be?

The Dursley's showed him the child you love you spoil rotten, you make the child you hate do chores.

At Hogwarts what was he shown? Dumbledore treats the rules as a joke, lets Harry be on the Quidditch team as a first year, gives Harry a forbiden cloak so Harry can break the rules. Snape wants to punish Harry for breaking the rules, which only shows that Snape hates Harry.

Edited Date: 2014-07-20 10:34 pm (UTC)

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That's a great vision. Strangely enough, in the fanfics I'd read where the author cares to delve into extracurricular activities in Hogwarts students, almost every time there'd be classical mucic practise or even Shakespearian theater practice and performances.

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@kycoo
Thank you for understanding. I was a member of an HP forum, and about a year ago I made a comparison with Nicholas Sparks (who i cannot stand) and Qiong Yao, the author of the mopey "period piece" 还珠格格, and said that he wrote like a middle-aged woman. That incurred that wrath of many other members and I got the virtual treatment of eggs and tomatoes before I apologized for being sexist with my words.

I should've just sticked with the old "he writes like my grandmudder" routine.

Good thing I didn't use the term "retarded" or something, I knew it was offensive but didn't know that it's "ableist" offensive.

So, no, I've become very careful when labeling other people. In fact I sometimes think I've gone over to the other extreme and cannot express myself with conviction and a sense of deserved finality anymore.

Edited Date: 2014-07-22 12:50 am (UTC)

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Remember the time when Jo revealed which one of the kids discovered the Cloak and who got ahold of the Map?

Edited Date: 2014-07-21 12:37 am (UTC)

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I read what was at the link you gave. This is just embarrassing and stupid.

Starting with something you left out of the above: "a certain gang of infamous wizards (no longer the fresh-faced teenagers they were in their heyday, but nevertheless recognisable) had arrived for the final"

Well, my lord, I hope they're recognizable! Unless they've had major plastic surgery to conceal their identities, there's no reason they wouldn't be. It's been 50 years, but people still recognize Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr.

That's the stupid part. Now for the embarrassing part. Re the stampede passage you quoted, if John Lennon and George Harrison rose from the dead, and the Beatles reunited, there might be this kind of excitement. Other than that, it's not going to happen.

Speaking of the Beatles, Rowling really needs to quit comparing HP to them. The comparison does not hold up. She sold many tons of books, but she did not revolutionize literature. Half a century from now, people may still be reading HP, but they won't be using it for artistic inspiration. They might be analyzing it to see if it possesses a formula they can use to get rich, however. ; )

I also found this part of the vapid pseudo-article interesting: "The jury is out on whether she [Ginny] really had the talent or experience to be sent to the Quidditch World Cup (jury’s back in–-no!!!) but let’s face it, when your last name is Potter, doors open, international sporting bodies bow and scrape, and Daily Prophet editors hand you plum assignments."

Yeah, works for people named Rowling, too. Major publications give everything you write inordinate attention and rave reviews because they're afraid to incur the wrath of you and/or your fans if they don't. :D

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You can read "Rita's" gossip article in full at examiner. It called "JK Rowling releases article about heroes".

On Pottermore "Daily Prophet" have a series of Cup articles. Most are not very interesting. There is one "New for JKR" text that is just . . . I have no words. We thought that Hermione was a self interest and that Jo, for example, can't separate her dislike of that chemistry teacher from Snap. But now she went even further.
Now we find out that the whole Wizarding World (every wizard in every country very much included!) cheers for and adores Scottish rugby team.
The fact that Jo is Scottish rugby fan have nothing to do with that at all. /sarcasms
And the explanation for this is stupid, highhanded, stupid jokes infested and looks down on non-magical people.
I probably should sit and summarize it.

Anyway, back to this gossip "gem".

Potter took his young sons James and Albus to visit the players’ compound, where he introduced them to Bulgarian Seeker Viktor Krum.
Potter kids where introduced to Krum for the first time so many years after the war? What happened with Viktor being on the Weasley wedding? Should we take this as proof that he was only invited because Fleur wanted him there? And that after that nobody keep in contact with him?
Also, why Hermione hadn't went to visit players compound too? Yeah, she hates the stupid sport and yes, childhood crushes fade. But she was corresponding with Krum for a long time. Shouldn't they be friends? Or was the correspondence just another way to make Ron jealous? And was later dropped once Ron was hooked?
Or maybe they are friends but Ron's jealousy is so high he would have blown a gasket if Hermione went to say hi.

In the immediate aftermath of the battle Weasley, whose famous ginger hair appears to be thinning slightly, entered into employment with the Ministry of Magic alongside Potter, but left only two years later to co-manage the highly successful wizarding joke emporium Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes. Was he, as he stated at the time, ‘delighted to assist my brother George with a business I’ve always loved’? Or had he had his fill of standing in Potter’s shadow? Was the work of the Auror Department too much for a man who has admitted that the destruction of He Who Could Not Be Named’s Horcruxes ‘took its toll’ on him?
Well, Arthur was also balding so no big deal that Ron's hair is thinning. And I think that Rita is on the mark here. Ron never liked hard work. And as a Auror, even a famous and privileged one, he would have had to work hard. Without Hermione there to all the work for him and Harry it's no wonder he got bored. And yes, I do think that he had it with "standing in Potter’s shadow". But then he went to standing in his dead brother's shadow trying to fill Fred's shoes. So, I guess Ron is really not good with making job decisions. On the up side for him he probably doesn't need to think much. Just try to avoid any "pranks" George plays on him.

Still delightfully eccentric, Luna has been sweeping around the VIP section in robes composed of the flags of all sixteen qualifying countries.
But being in head to toe in the colors of one team you cheer for is perfectly okay? If you support everybody and just wish for the best to win then you are odd. But if you hate the rival and make fun of them that's the proper way to go?

Bill who, poor man, is grievously scarred from an encounter with a werewolf and yet somehow (enchantment? Love potion? Blackmail? Kidnap?) married the undeniably beautiful (though doubtless empty-headed) Fleur Delacour
English is not my native language so maybe I have this wrong, but would it be less sexist to say "married to the undeniably beautiful"?
Just married sounds like he was the one deciding on it and she had no choice in it.
Anyway, the rest is definitely sexist. Fleur gets no mention of being a Tri-Wizard champion and is just pigeonholed as pretty but "doubtless empty-headed". Later she doesn't even get called by name but downgraded to "Mrs Bill Weasley".

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Oh, and how does the "half-werewolf" thing works?
What is a half-werewolf anyway? Is that just somebody like Bill? Just born with a bit of wolf blood and not bitten? Or is it something more? And is it something people use to look down at Teddy? Or are werewolves now accepted? Because Rita is using it as a reason for him not to be trusted. "Half-werewolf" and "wild boy" that should be kept at "tighter rein" or else "one shudders to think what will become of Master Lupin without urgent intervention"? He's even "lurking" in "dark corners". And parents of any girl that's attracted to him should be worried? That sure sounds like "WW : We still hate werewolves" to me. But I must be wrong. Harry told us "all is well" so I'm sure WW is an Utopia of acceptance now.

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merrymelody.livejournal.com

LOL, Rita's always been a bit of a meta-voice for the series. All women have to trap or misled men into marriage (this mention of Bill would be the first to reverse the trend), looks are a signifer of character, stereotypes especially to do with gender rule.
It's funny how JKR thinks she's somehow making some deep commentary on the (admittedly shit) UK press when she validates every one of Rita's prejudice within the series - there's little difference between the sexist picture Rita draws of poor, ugly Hermione trying to trap Krum with her manipulative wiles, and the spiteful way JKR writes women who actually pursue men (Pansy, Hepzibah Smith, Merope, Parvati, Lavendar, Fleur); rather than deciding on their soulmate at 11 and trying to make him jealous and getting their allotted one kiss as 'experience' before gaining the privilege of washing her husband's underwear forever.

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Now we find out that the whole Wizarding World (every wizard in every country very much included!) cheers for and adores Scottish rugby team.

Yeah, never mind the fact that, in the entire series there is no mention whatever that anybody in the WW is even aware rugby exists, let alone cares about it. That's just a stupid muggle game, right?

English is not my native language so maybe I have this wrong, but would it be less sexist to say "married to the undeniably beautiful"?
Just married sounds like he was the one deciding on it and she had no choice in it.

No, it wouldn't matter. If you changed it to "is married to" it would mean the same thing. The only difference is between a direct object (married the...) and the object of a preposition (is married to the...). So Fleur's an object either way (grammatically, and arguably in the eyes of the sexist and misogynistic WW).

I can see why you might think that, though. "Married" sounds more forceful than "Is married to." Skeeter's sleazy insinuations--particularly the thinly-veiled accusations of rape and forced marriage--add to that impression.

Why doesn't this woman get sued for libel? In Britain, she'd have a hard time defending herself since these allegations are clearly both malicious and false.

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Anyone here watched NBC's "Hannibal"? In S02E03 "Hassum", Freddie Lounds (blogger of the tabloid site Tattle-Crime) was called up as a witness to prove that Will Graham is a murdering psycopath, but Will's attorney swiftly discredited her with the following:

"Ms. Lounds, please tell us how many times you've been sued for libel?"

"six..."

"I'm sorry I can't hear you."

"SIX."

"Six... And how many times have you settled outside of court?"

"Six."

"Six times...thank you. Oh, no further questions, Your Honor."

Edited Date: 2014-07-22 03:20 am (UTC)

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kycoo.livejournal.com

Ahahaha I never would have drawn that comparison myself, but now that you mention it, Nicholas Sparks and Qiong Yao do have the same flair for dramatic love stories that are extremely cheesy but also popular with the masses and occasionally tear-inducing.

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I wish I can claim originality but I can't, I got that comparison from the "Honest Trailers" clip for "The Notebook", when some of my compatriots ripped it off Youtube and added Chinese subtitles before uploading it onto 优酷, the translation for narration "From Sappy Author Nicholas Sparks" had an extra footnote behind the name: "This guy's like Qiong Yao only he's American."

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But "Hannibal" is an American TV show, and American and British libel/slander laws are polar opposites. In Britain, it's assumed that if you make a statement like Skeeter's you're being both dishonest and malicious. The defendant has to prove his/her innocence. In America, if you write something like Skeeter did, it's assumed you're stating your honest belief or sincere opinion. The plaintiff has to prove you were being both dishonest and malicious. So it's easy for the plaintiff to win a case in Britain and very hard in America. In addition, it's virtually impossible for celebrities, which Bill and Fleur are, to win a case in America because it's assumed people are going to say bad things about celebrities, and that's just part of being famous, so suck it up, rich and famous person. In most ways, American and British laws are very similar, but this is a glaring difference. America's extremely liberal First Amendment allows for a lot more verbal leeway, so that figures in, too.

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Why would WW need libel/slander laws?
"Daily Prophet" had a joint Ginny and Rita article on the Cup finale. Ginny was covering the game and Rita was lookign at the VIP box and, well, commenting on former DA (and families) in classic Rita way.
Somehow Ginny was able to watch the game, write her part of the article and read what Rita was writing all at the same time. So, in the end Ginny hexed her (we aren't told what hex it was) so much that Rita was unable to write more or recover in time the article come out.

In WW there's no reason to bother with law case when you can just put people in hospital and not be punished for it.

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Rita's always been a bit of a meta-voice for the series.
True. Rita is nasty. And she's not above lying and trying to destroy a schoolgirl out of pettiness. But a lot of times she is saying (admittedly presented in worst light possible) the truth.

Yeah, never mind the fact that, in the entire series there is no mention whatever that anybody in the WW is even aware rugby exists, let alone cares about it. That's just a stupid muggle game, right?
The whole rugby thing is horrible.
It's stupid, makes no sense, turns everybody in WW into JKR sport fan self-insert, shows us that even before DD all Hogwarts professors were crap at their job and utterly unable to care for children.

But to me the Fridge Horror of "one of (suspected) Squib players looks suspiciously like Hagrid".
We know just how sensitive and tolerant of Squibs Hagrid is so can you imagine him having a kid that can't do magic? Not only would the poor body be in constant danger that some of daddy's "interesting" critters would eat him, he would also have to deal with Hagrid's prejudices.
And that's the better option! I don't even want to think that we are supposed to consider the possibility that Hagrid is that player's uncle.

Only bright spot is when Jo admits that wizard's love of rugby have a "element of sadism in it".

Thank you for explaining that!
It really sounds terrible. If it was just Rita being catty it wouldn't be so bad. But WW is sexist. And the way Jo writes female characters she dislikes also smacks of internalized misogyny. That or lack of empathy and narcissistic tendencies.

Edited Date: 2014-07-22 05:33 pm (UTC)

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But @oneandthetruth, the character of Freddie Lounds (in the original book Red Dragon he's a male tabloid journalist and in the TV series a gender-flipped blogger) keeps getting taken down a peg in the stories, even though he/she makes big money writing exploitive and mostly untrue material. In the book he threatened to foil the FBI's plan unless he gets in the investigation and writes a piece, an inter-state transmission of a threatening message which the FBI totally recorded down in case they needed to burn him, since in such a case even the 1st Amendment won't be saving him. What I'm trying to say is that both Skeeter and Lounds had done damage to their reputations as a journalist that no one in their right mind ought to believe them anymore. But they just booody do.

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jana-ch.livejournal.com

In another version of my headcanon, Headmaster Snape (of course he survives! Did we ever see a body?), besides bringing discipline to that madhouse of a school, introduces mandatory classes in math, science, literature, and genuine history, along with programs in art, music, and sports that more than a couple dozen people can play--say, soccer for a team sport and tennis for individuals. Lily-Lu would have no problem going to that school.

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Well, dracasdiablo, Ginny obviously didn't do a good job of controlling Rita if she let that vile libel about her brother possibly being a kidnapper and rapist get by her. I'm sure Ginny wouldn't care about Fleur being trashed, but you'd think she wouldn't want Bill to be insulted.

BTW, I didn't know Ginny was watching Rita write her article. It doesn't say that in the OP, and the excerpt I read didn't mention that.

You have a good point about lawsuits not being necessary when you can assault people and get away with it. Yet they consider themselves more civilized than non-magical people.

Edited Date: 2014-07-24 11:55 pm (UTC)

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both Skeeter and Lounds had done damage to their reputations as a journalist that no one in their right mind ought to believe them anymore. But they just booody do.

That makes sense if you're talking about an open society with a variety of news sources, but it's easily rebutted with an example from current news about the Malaysian airliner that was shot down.

I watch a lot of political talk shows. Recently I've seen several conversations like this:

Talking Head 1: In Russia, the news media are saying the plane wasn't an airliner, it was a spy plane. They're saying a lot of the people were already dead when the plane took off, which is why some of the bodies were naked when they were discovered.*

TH 2: But that's crazy! Surely the Russian people wouldn't believe anything so ridiculous.

TH 1: Yeah, they would, because the government controls all the news media in Russia. So the people only hear what the government wants them to hear, and they never hear information that conflicts with what the government is saying.

Now, I realize the British WW does not have government-run media, but it is a closed society with only a few news outlets. So it's reasonable for people to assume that if Rita Skeeter has been able to write whatever she wants for years and years, it must be reasonably close to the truth, or she would be either reined in by her bosses or fired.

*When I first heard this, I immediately thought the Russian media must have seen the first episode of that new TV show, The Strain, and were ripping it off. It involves a plane full of dead people that lands at JFK Airport. They were killed by a super vampire that was hidden in the cargo hold and was being shipped in so some dying billionaire could have eternal life. 'Cause what's a few hundred innocent dead people, and the possibility of an epidemic of super-vampire virus infecting one of the world's biggest cities, matter when an old rich guy's life is at stake? (no pun intended)

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