Well, I just brought up the fact here that the really evil characters had French names and basically everyone tried to persuade me otherwise.
Persuasion was not my intent, ftr.
Why couldn't Giles have shackles like any self-respecting bachelor?
Xander ,'Beneath You'
The Buffista Book Club: the Harry Potter iteration
This thread is a focused discussion group. Please see the first post below for the current topic and upcoming book discussions. While natter will inevitably happen, we encourage you to treat this like a virtual book club and try to keep your posts in that spirit.
By consensus, this thread is reopened specifically to discuss Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. It will be closed again once that discussion has run its course.
***SPOILER ALERT***
-t - Oct 23, 2007 5:17:24 pm PDT #3213 of 3301
I am a woman of various inclinations and only some of the time are they to burn everything down in frustration
Hil R. - Oct 23, 2007 5:31:07 pm PDT #3214 of 3301
Sometimes I think I might just move up to Vermont, open a bookstore or a vegan restaurant. Adam Schlesinger, z''l
Mine either. More playing with the idea.
Trudy Booth - Oct 23, 2007 5:45:05 pm PDT #3215 of 3301
Greece's financial crisis threatens to take down all of Western civilization - a civilization they themselves founded. A rather tragic irony - which is something they also invented. - Jon Stewart
I was trying to talk you out of it because I think you're evil.
Well, half-evil.
megan walker - Oct 23, 2007 5:58:03 pm PDT #3216 of 3301
"What kind of magical sunshine and lollipop world do you live in? Because you need to be medicated."-SFist
Well, I am evil, but that's neither here nor there.
I just remember thinking at the time that, had I been Jewish and noticed that the most evil characters all had Jewish names, the conversation probably would have gone in a different direction.
More playing with the idea.
Which is how it was taken. The evil French thing is not something that bugs me per se, because it's a long-standing cross-channel rivalry, but, with my background, it's not going to go unnoticed either.
Hil R. - Oct 23, 2007 6:01:55 pm PDT #3217 of 3301
Sometimes I think I might just move up to Vermont, open a bookstore or a vegan restaurant. Adam Schlesinger, z''l
I was mostly amused by the one Jewish-sounding name in the book, Anthony Goldstein. We know almost nothing about him -- he's a Ravenclaw, a year younger than Harry, and friends with Michael Corner. His name gets mentioned a bunch of times, but I don't think he ever actually said anything or did anything other than being noted as being in the room.
Typo Boy - Oct 23, 2007 6:13:05 pm PDT #3218 of 3301
Calli: My people have a saying. A man who trusts can never be betrayed, only mistaken.Avon: Life expectancy among your people must be extremely short.
Not many Jewish names, but I did notice the Goblins came awfully close to some old anti-semitic stereotypes. I'm not the only one who noticed. Not accusing her of anything. But it kind of makes me think that Rowling is well intentioned, but not all that well informed on diversity.
§ ita § - Oct 23, 2007 6:20:08 pm PDT #3219 of 3301
Well not canonically, no, but this is transformative fiction.
Did they have any anti-semitic traits that are actually semitic, if that makes sense? Or was it all about the money-grubbing?
Because in Jamaica that'd make it more an anti-Chinese thing.
Typo Boy - Oct 23, 2007 6:22:26 pm PDT #3220 of 3301
Calli: My people have a saying. A man who trusts can never be betrayed, only mistaken.Avon: Life expectancy among your people must be extremely short.
Money grubbing, and a deep conviction that all the jewels (and I think gold) really belong to them -- so a deep hostility to the rest of the world, and some hints they have a desire to take over.
§ ita § - Oct 23, 2007 6:25:22 pm PDT #3221 of 3301
Well not canonically, no, but this is transformative fiction.
Perfect example about where you're standing. I understand that's a negative Jewish stereotype set, but Jamaican Jews aren't stereotyped that way. The money people would be Chinese instead which makes me wonder...isn't it just possible she wanted a money-grubbing species?
Of course, once you come to the place where you ascribe hard and fast positive and negative personality traits to equivalently sentient creatures, tolerance of diversity can take a nose dive.
Connie Neil - Oct 23, 2007 6:27:16 pm PDT #3222 of 3301
brillig
I saw the goblins more like D&D/Tolkienesque dwarves, or some other Germanic mythical creature. Your cultural template may vary.