A former fan of the Harry Potter books burned of their books and told J.K. Rowling about it on Twitter. The author responded.
Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling is very outspoken. She’s not shy about her opposition to President Donald Trump nor to alt-right politics in general—for an example of that, just look at this video summarizing her recent Twitter criticism of Vice President Mike Pence.
Political divisions seem extra touchy these days, and with her millions of followers, Rowling has had plenty of opportunities to make her opinions known. Not all of her fans are pleased. One of them even claimed to have burned all of their Harry Potter books in protest, a message to which Rowling responded personally.
Guess it's true what they say: you can lead a girl to books about the rise and fall of an autocrat, but you still can't make her think. pic.twitter.com/oB7Aq6Xz8M
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) February 1, 2017
Okay, first of all, it’s nice that Rowling has blocked out the Twitter-user’s name and picture—I imagine that was done to keep him/her from receiving hate messages from the author’s passionate fan base. Second of all, that’s a funny turn of phrase on Rowling’s part. Thirdly and most importantly, it’s sad to think that a political difference of opinion could inspire someone to burn books. The internet can be a disheartening place.
Rowling’s not letting it get her down, though. If anything, she’s just getting sassier.
Well, the fumes from the DVDs might be toxic and I've still got your money, so by all means borrow my lighter. pic.twitter.com/kVoi8VGEoK
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) January 31, 2017
Yeesh with the burning, people. Couldn’t you just tuck the books and movies away under the bed and write a politely worded critique of Rowling’s opinions in red font? And if you have to burn them, I hope you’re taking care to do it somewhere in the open—Rowling may have a point about DVD fumes being dangerous.
By the sound of it, she’s being encouraged by the number of supportive messages she’s received.
https://twitter.com/jk_rowling/status/826782378886586368
Keep it light, I suppose. No pun intended.