But I'm not talking about that, or about how JKR thinks "Enervate" means the opposite of "Stupefy" when in fact it means the same thing No, I'm talking about one of the most obnoxious acts of appropriation in the series since the very beginning The Unlocking Charm, "Alohomora"
-
-
It's just a huge pile of Wrong in one single Fun Fact from the Harry Potter-verse
Show this thread -
Misremembering Madagascar as being in "West Africa" Confusing the Malagasy language with the divination practice of Sikidy Misspelling Sikidy "Sidiki" And then thinking one aspect of the sign was the sign's whole meaning
Show this thread -
It's just... really fucking lazy and disrespectful It would not be a big deal -- it would be depressingly par for the course -- if it were just some random fantasy book But of course it's a big deal now because the books became a big deal And she never raised her standards
Show this thread -
This is the same shitty level of research she put into bloviating about skinwalkers in Navajo culture or naga in Hindu culture Hell, it's the same shitty level of research she put into talking about boggarts and brownies and other elements of *English* culture
Show this thread -
This is what I mean when I say she's not just a bad writer and a bigoted person but profoundly lazy Her worldview is shaped by this amazingly self-confident willingness to just glance at something once or twice and be sure she understands as much of it as she needs to
Show this thread -
Was there ever any need to go back and look up what "Alohomora" meant? Nah Was there ever any worry that someone from the culture she was shamelessly lifting from might be offended or take issue with her? Nah Just plow on ahead, Jo, let your imagination be your compass
Show this thread -
Go ahead and name that girl "Cho Chang" Who the fuck cares It sounds like a name to you and that's all that matters
Show this thread -
Lol I went back to get the full context of the original quote where she scolds Steve Vander Ark for getting the etymology of Alohomora "wrong" (he guessed it came from "aloha") and Jesus Christ the sheer audacitypic.twitter.com/Gmyp2RPtne
Show this thread -
"Maybe he should do some actual research" Jfc listen to yourself woman
Show this thread
End of conversation
New conversation -
-
-
It took me almost fifteen years to work out that when Italians were talking about "Zuppa Inglese" they were talking about sherry trifle, so really a lot of us are just that fallible. What's notable here is she didn't just say "I liked the sound of the word from some language".
-
Worth clarifying this is not a problem with me, when I asked in gellateria what exactly "English soup" is they would shrug and say "you know... soup... in England?". That shit tastes like COFFEE. What the hell, my dudes?
End of conversation
New conversation -
Loading seems to be taking a while.
Twitter may be over capacity or experiencing a momentary hiccup. Try again or visit Twitter Status for more information.