If you look up "Alohomora" on Google you will find endless repetition after repetition of a variant on this paragraph: "Alohomora is derived from the West African Sidiki dialect used in geomancy, meaning 'Friendly to thieves'" It is an extremely widespread factoid thanks to JKR
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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"Maybe he should do some actual research" Jfc listen to yourself woman
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End of conversation
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Indeed, and a bad one
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