Harry Potter Accused of Perpetuating Rape Culture

[Mehrunes]

If it's the "the victim’s autonomy is taken from them" part that is "problematic", then surely, Imperius Curse should be more "problematic", no? More prevalent in the books and has even higher degree of control over the victim. Then again it's not (loosely) related to the sphere of sexuality like love potions.

[PC2]

Social sciences do not work like, say, physics, and "rigorous evidence" has completely different standards there. It is both a disadvantage and an advantage, depending on how you look at it.

Rape culture is not a real world phenomona and is not a legitimate part of any type of "science".

[May90]

Rape culture is not a real world phenomona and is not a legitimate part of any type of "science".

I think, pretty much, any concept we can think of exists on some level. The question is, whether this level is significant on the general scale. I've yet to see a proper definition of "rape culture", but from what I've seen so far, it is something negligible that some people make look like a large problem. It might be significant in some places, especially in those in which women legally have very few rights, compared to men (Sharia countries, for example) - but it hardly is abundant on the West.

[Mehrunes]

Is it regularly addressed in a positive way? And who or what are these "Feminists?" it being such a broad church and all can any one speaking for all?

Well, if it's a positive thing, then there could be one feminist in the world doing it, and it would reflect on the entirety of feminism. If it's something negative, then there are plenty of reasons of why it's irrelevant, be it NAFALT, No True Feminist, But Teh Dictionary and plenty of other rhetorical devices, regardless of how many feminists say such things or how impactful, popular and mainstream they are. I mean, it's "feminism's valiant online defenders 101", you should know it by now.

[Rennadrel]

I'd like to point out that there are zero events of rape actually occurring in any Harry Potter novel, at best a few snogging scenes were there for some flavor but were honestly never part of the core story line anyway, particularly in the final 3 books. It's only in the earlier books and into Goblet of Fire that it is really a prevalent part of the story, but tails off quickly as the story gets darker. Also, since it is fantasy, things like Love Potions don't exist in any facet. Sure, there are illicit drugs to knock a woman unconscious, but they don't entice someone into loving you. Apparently fantasy is something foreign to feminists in this day in age.

[Mormolyce]

Is it regularly addressed in a positive way? And who or what are these "Feminists?" it being such a broad church and all can any one speaking for all?

That's exactly what I'm saying in most of these anti-feminist threads actually, feminism is highly diverse so any talk of what "feminists say" is ultimately futile, you can find feminists on both sides of almost any argument.

But yes, when I've listened to feminists discussing rape, male rape often comes up. You can take that as anecdotal I suppose. I don't know what you mean by positive or negative but obviously they're saying it's bad and that men shouldn't feel ashamed to come forward.

[Schmeebs]

That's exactly what I'm saying in most of these anti-feminist threads actually, feminism is highly diverse so any talk of what "feminists say" is ultimately futile, you can find feminists on both sides of almost any argument.

But yes, when I've listened to feminists discussing rape, male rape often comes up. You can take that as anecdotal I suppose. I don't know what you mean by positive or negative but obviously they're saying it's bad and that men shouldn't feel ashamed to come forward.

You talk to wildly different feminists than the average person.

[Pantupino]

Feminism... What a way to ruin the whole world!

[Vash The Stampede]

I'm sorry but I have to agree. Have you seen Harry Potter? Ron is always casting spells for dat ass.

[Deleted]

According to a piece on Feminist Internet, the Harry Potter series perpetuates rape culture because there are love potions involved in a couple of the storylines — and that’s “glaringly problematic.”

“[The] very existence of love potions is so akin to rape that it is almost entirely undebatable,” Emma Lord states in a piece for the feminist blog Bustle titled “The Unexpected Way Harry Potter Perpetuates Rape Culture.” “Just like in rape, the victim’s autonomy is taken from them.”

One example she cites is when Merope, the mother of the evil villain Voldemort, uses a love potion on another character, Tom Riddle, Sr., to get him to marry and have a kid with her. The other is when Ron eats some love-potion-laced candy that Romilda Vane had intended to have Harry eat in order to seduce him. “I’m surprised . . . [that] the fandom hasn’t touched on one of the most glaringly problematic things in the series: the existence and free use of love potions,” she writes.

Now call me crazy, but I’m actually not surprised that a “fandom” hasn’t been fuming over the fact that a series about magic contains magic in its storylines. Harry Potter is about witches and wizards, and what makes witches and wizards witches and wizards is that they cast spells and use potions – which, by the way, are not real.

Elsewhere in the piece, Lord states that her particular problem with Harry Potter’s potion storylines is the way that potion-ing is portrayed. She maintains that there’s “a sense in the narrative that Tom ‘deserves’ it for being an inexcusable jerk, or that Ron ‘deserves’ it for meddling in Harry’s business.”

Sources:
http://www.nationalreview.com/articl...e-rape-culture
http://www.bustle.com/articles/15928...s-rape-culture

I kind of feel a bit dirty after reading this, I didn't really want to read it but I did anyways!.. Does that mean Emma Watson is promoting rape culture as well?!

[May90]

You talk to wildly different feminists than the average person.

How do you know what feminists the average person talks to?

[Yvaelle]

You talk to wildly different feminists than the average person.

Not really, you guys always find the most absurd feminists on the internet and then pretend that's reflective of all feminists. You're talking to feminists in this thread.

[Noradin]

That said, at the same time I also can't help but facepalm when I see threads on these forums of dudes all agreeing that "women in a wow guild just are drama" and giving each other advice such as: "Never invite women to your guild"... Like seriously, while feminists might be exaggurating with it all, gamers aren't being exactly reasonable either when it comes to how they regard women. Basement dwelling teenagers are probably not people whose opinion we should take seriously on gender topics... They could do with some slaps over the head.

Maybe your problem is that you only notice those post that express the notion you expect. It is called Confirmation Bias.
I have read those same threads you seem to allude to, just because you cherry pick posts does not mean there weren't any others.

[Deleted]

If it's the "the victim’s autonomy is taken from them" part that is "problematic", then surely, Imperius Curse should be more "problematic", no? More prevalent in the books and has even higher degree of control over the victim. Then again it's not (loosely) related to the sphere of sexuality like love potions.

To be fair, the Imperius curse is considered "problematic" even within the HP universe.

[Xisa]

If the person in question had ever actually read the Harry Potter novels, she'd know that the use of Love Potions is never framed in a good light.

Their use is always seen as a bad thing...Hell, the villain of the ENTIRE SERIES exists solely because of their use. They're aren't exactly given the approving nod.

[Hawthorne Wipes]

So much free time..

[Xisa]

If it's the "the victim’s autonomy is taken from them" part that is "problematic", then surely, Imperius Curse should be more "problematic", no? More prevalent in the books and has even higher degree of control over the victim. Then again it's not (loosely) related to the sphere of sexuality like love potions.

Use of the Imperious Curse in the Harry Potter novels, even a single time, is grounds for a Lifetime in prison on a castle in the middle of the Ocean filled with Wraiths that literally consume your soul.

It's not exactly framed in a good light either.

[Deleted]

What is not rape culture these days?

[Noradin]

To be fair, the Imperius curse is considered "problematic" even within the HP universe.

So are love potions.

[Deleted]

I think most HP fans have acknowledged that the love potions are more than a little bit creepy. Obviously the whole story with Merope and Tom Riddle Sr. gives the impression that JK was trying to paint them in a negative light. But on the other hand they're sold by good characters and getting spiked with a love potion is just considered to be a funny prank. Imagine roofies being sold in a joke shop. That's literally what happens and the narrative doesn't do much to challenge that.

HP is a national treasure and one of my personal favourites, but that doesn't mean it's perfect. It comes down to whether you think JK didn't think this through or if she wanted it to be another example of how wizarding society is fucked up.