Rowling’s mockery of her Twitter critics does her no credit at all

Last Updated: February 3, 2017By

Rowling has never shied away from expressing her political views on social media [Image: Reuters].

Let us be clear: If JK Rowling has been criticising Donald Trump, then she is on the right side of history. I can’t tell if she is right in every instance because I haven’t read the tweets. But it is clear that Trump is malign.

But there’s no way I can support her decision to defend her anti-Trump tweets, against his supporters, with mockery.

I had a very minor spat with her on Twitter last year (she had the worst of it, in the end), so I know it is very easy for her to fall into responses that should be beneath her.

My problem with the comments highlighted below is that she often makes good points, but then ruins them by going too far.

Yes, she already has a Harry Potter reader’s money, so what they do with the books now is their business. Isn’t that a better way of putting it – still emphasizing that burning the books won’t make any difference to Ms Rowling herself?

Why bother claiming another person has burned the books because they “can’t… think”? Ms Rowling doesn’t know that. The person concerned may have thought very carefully, to the best of their ability, yet simply not reached the conclusion she (or I) would have preferred.

Why question the intelligence of the person who told her to stay out of politics? The fact that, in free countries, anyone can talk about politics should be enough.

The vitriol simply harms her position and will turn more people against her, in This Writer’s opinion.

Harry Potter author JK Rowling has hit back at Twitter users who threatened to burn her books following her criticism of President Trump.

Some followers have taken umbrage with her stance, with several saying they have burned her books or plan to do so, and one suggesting she “should stay out of politics”.

One Twitter user said they would now “burn your books and movies, too”.

Rowling hit back: “Well, the fumes from the DVDs might be toxic and I’ve still got your money, so by all means borrow my lighter.”

Another said she had “just burned all their Harry Potter books after being a fan for 17 years”.

Rowling’s riposte? “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.”

Another Twitter user posted: “You’re a grown ass woman whose entire career is based on stories about a nerd who turns people into frogs. Stay out of politics.”

Rowling responded: “In – Free – Countries – Anyone – Can – Talk – About – Politics.

“Try sounding out the syllables aloud, or ask a fluent reader to help.”

Source: JK Rowling hits back over threats to burn Harry Potter books – BBC News

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9 Comments

  1. Di ane February 3, 2017 at 7:01 am - Reply

    JK Rowling accused me [on twitter] of condoning the mistreatment of the MP Jess Phillips, which I NEVER did!
    What I actually DID write was: how subjective the security of women is: i.e. Jess Phillips could have thousands of pounds spent on her security [post Jo Cox], but a domestic violence victim [needing a panic room] had to fight in the courts because of the bedroom tax imposed on that room.
    Even though I proved what she accused me of was wrong, she NEVER apologised.

  2. chriskitcher February 3, 2017 at 9:29 am - Reply

    Have to disagree with you here Mike. If anyone is moronic enough to support the Orange Fart’s idiocy then she has a perfect right to hit them as hard as possible. Hopefully it might get through their thick skulls how stupid he is and how foolish they are to support him.

    One other point is that she is right on the tweets even though it might offend.

    • Mike Sivier February 4, 2017 at 1:09 pm - Reply

      This tactic won’t get through to them; it will harden them against her and her arguments.

      • chriskitcher February 4, 2017 at 1:58 pm - Reply

        Trouble is Mike that this is the typical rock and a hard place. They are too thick to recognise what she is doing, and a gentler more reasoned approach will be ignored by them completely because they are incapable of anything else..

        Sadly even ignoring them completely merely lets them think that have got away with it.

      • Kitty S Jones February 7, 2017 at 7:05 pm - Reply

        Unfortunately, Mike, the comments Rowling responded to indicates these are people that are not actually up for an open debate. I agree with Chris, and have had enough experience with trying to be reasonable towards unreasonable people to know there are some people that will simply get nastier and nastier in the face of critical and rational discussion.

        • Mike Sivier February 8, 2017 at 1:01 am - Reply

          … Thereby defeating their own case, in the opinions of anybody observing.
          But I take your point.

  3. Dan Delion February 3, 2017 at 11:39 am - Reply

    “Sometimes one must fight fire with fire” Isn’t JKR following DJT’s advice? One needs to remember that there may be consequences to illogical thinking….and that opinions may change in the light of new objective observations.

  4. Steven James Rudd February 3, 2017 at 6:38 pm - Reply

    Go go go JK Rowling. Sometimes morons have to have things spelled out for them. I thought her responses were excellent, especially the “borrow my lighter”

  5. Kitty S Jones February 8, 2017 at 4:10 pm - Reply

    I do see your point, too, Mike

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