Guest post: If they are so fragile

Originally a comment by Your Name’s not Bruce? on Pink News has bad writers.

Here’s an idea: how about those attendees not interested in, or distressed by, a Harry Potter panel not go to that panel? If they are so fragile that the mere presence of such a panel at a large event upsets them so, they are likely too unwell to go anywhere, or do anything, as there’s no telling how many times they might unexpectedly run into the words “Harry” or “potter” whilst in the course of their travels. Either one on its own is bad enough. The two together? It must be like encountering a critical mass of harmful, verbal material, resulting in permanent injury and psychic scarring. Louis Slotin redux, but with words instead of uranium. “Tickling the Wizard’s Tale” * perhaps? Maybe it would be best for them to stay at home.

As for those performatively posturing on behalf of these weepy wilters, maybe they could have just come up with a waver for them to sign. Or the charity could hve pulled out. I know that’s not going to let them be seen “doing something,” but I’d bet there would have been more people disappointed at the cancellation of the HP panel than traumatized by it. The Comic Con organizers are cowards. They bowed down to bullies, allowing themselves to used as another avenue to demonize and punish JK Rowling, which is the real point of this power play.

Surprisingly, this Pink News article includes a link to the podcast series The Witch Trials of JK Rowling, and actually gives Rowling the last word:

Rowling, who has repeatedly denied transphobia allegations, claimed on the podcast The Witch Trials of JK Rowling that her comments on the trans community had been “profoundly” misunderstood.

“When I first became interested, then deeply troubled by what I saw as a cultural movement that was liberal in its methods and very questionable in its ideas, I absolutely knew that if I spoke out, many folks would be deeply unhappy with me,” Rowling said.

“Time will tell whether I’ve got this wrong … I believe there is something dangerous about this movement, and it must be challenged.”

*Dr. Louis Slotin died of massive radiation exposure during a demonstration of critical assembly, when he accidentally brought two spheres of fissile material too close together, too quickly. This seat-of-the-pants demonstration was known as “tickling the dragon’s tail.” More about this small, fatal nuclear accident here.

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