xps to Neanderthal
Hogwarts didn't always have bathrooms. Before adopting Muggle plumbing methods in the eighteenth century, witches and wizards simply relieved themselves wherever they stood, and vanished the evidence. #NationalTriviaDay— Wizarding World (@wizardingworld) January 4, 2019
― glindr jackson (gyac), Saturday, 28 December 2019 21:14 (four years ago) link
I started reading these when Goblet of Fire first came out (I was staying at someone's apt who had them). I still really like the entire series and have very fond memories of that time. But I also will re-read stuff like Nancy Drew or VC Andrews, even though it aged terribly, if I see it lying around someone's house.
― Yerac, Saturday, 28 December 2019 21:21 (four years ago) link
I have always maintained that the only actually good thing about these books is Snape's Only A Pawn In Their Game backstory and redemption arc. Everything else is filler.
I never understood why there's no criticism of the House system; why would everyone be so tolerant of a system where one-quarter of the student body gets sorted into White Supremacist House at age eleven?
― Lily Dale, Saturday, 28 December 2019 21:32 (four years ago) link
We have an education system where 1% of the nation's children are sorted into White Supremacist School tbf
― Bojo Rabid (Noodle Vague), Saturday, 28 December 2019 21:36 (four years ago) link
My bad, more like 7%
― Bojo Rabid (Noodle Vague), Saturday, 28 December 2019 21:38 (four years ago) link
Yea i always loved "one of our houses tends to spit out evil people at a really high rate, shame really. We were going to maybe do something about it, but...we didn't."
― looking for Mon in Alderaan places (Neanderthal), Saturday, 28 December 2019 21:56 (four years ago) link
Perhaps they shoulda just called him Professor Dumb instead amirite
― looking for Mon in Alderaan places (Neanderthal), Saturday, 28 December 2019 22:11 (four years ago) link
Everyone going on and on about how Harry Potter is really bad because it's not about systemic change and kids should really read this edited book of the best speeches by Jeremy Corbyn that Tribune is putting out for christmas is really boring me, but... It is kinda weird that they have Slytherin, and basically the entire house bands together in a genocidal mania that nearly kills off everyone, and then they just keep on as if nothing happened, and then fifteen years later the entire house again bands together in a genocidal rampage, and... Again nothing happens? Like, clearly Rowling is aware something is very very wrong with boarding schools, yet she is unwilling to even consider that something should be done to fix it.
― Frederik B, Saturday, 28 December 2019 22:20 (four years ago) link
Like, the moral of the story is basically 'tories are only ever one charismatic leader away from going full fascist, but eh, what are you going to do...*
― Frederik B, Saturday, 28 December 2019 22:21 (four years ago) link
Everyone going on and on about how Harry Potter is really bad because it's not about systemic change and kids should really read this edited book of the best speeches by Jeremy Corbyn that Tribune is putting out for christmas is really boring me, but...
― hot nuts (small) (bizarro gazzara), Saturday, 28 December 2019 22:24 (four years ago) link
they're just bad children's books lads
― Banáná hÉireann (darraghmac), Saturday, 28 December 2019 22:26 (four years ago) link
and movies and theme parks and political outlooks and
― hot nuts (small) (bizarro gazzara), Saturday, 28 December 2019 22:28 (four years ago) link
Never go full Jolyon.
― glindr jackson (gyac), Saturday, 28 December 2019 22:34 (four years ago) link
One hopes that children who begin with the Potter books later move on to books which will teach them life lessons of greater value.It's been 20 years, doesn't seem to have happened yet for many of them.― Greta Van Show Feets BB (milo z), Saturday, December 28, 2019 2:53 PM (one hour ago) bookmarkflaglink
It's been 20 years, doesn't seem to have happened yet for many of them.
― Greta Van Show Feets BB (milo z), Saturday, December 28, 2019 2:53 PM (one hour ago) bookmarkflaglink
A friend of mine posted a FB story the other day that was a multi-part video of two of her friends (both around 30) having a heated argument about Potter arcania--pretty sure it was meant to be an "oh, how cute!" thing, but it left me fearing for our nation and ashamed of my generation.
― a bevy of supermodels, musicians and Lena Dunham (C. Grisso/McCain), Saturday, 28 December 2019 22:43 (four years ago) link
Someone’s (fortunately) never heard of Harry Potter fandom, you’re like 20 years late on this.
― glindr jackson (gyac), Saturday, 28 December 2019 22:47 (four years ago) link
I should have informed everyone itt that I am being dragged to a live showing of Goblet of Fire at the performing arts center tonight, with a live orchestra playing the score.
It's a present for my parents.
(I actually liked the books and movie, but I'm sick of Potter, living a half hour from the Potter park)
― looking for Mon in Alderaan places (Neanderthal), Saturday, 28 December 2019 22:55 (four years ago) link
spare a thought for me, i (almost literally) work at hogwarts
― hot nuts (small) (bizarro gazzara), Saturday, 28 December 2019 22:56 (four years ago) link
Some of these dorks are dressed up.
Ugh
― looking for Mon in Alderaan places (Neanderthal), Saturday, 28 December 2019 23:41 (four years ago) link
Another complaint is that my nearly-9-y/o son's teacher has told the class that they aren't allowed to use the word 'said' in their creative writing, and must cram in as many adjectives and adverbs as they can. I understand that this is an attempt to broaden vocabulary use, but it's still the imposition of an ugly style, and it seems like the HP books are the model for it.
― mfktz (Camaraderie at Arms Length), Saturday, 28 December 2019 23:45 (four years ago) link
Elementary school teachers never give correct or even good writing advice. Be fearful of their rules.
― Swilling Ambergris, Esq. (silby), Saturday, 28 December 2019 23:46 (four years ago) link
yikes I really made a mistake taking Fred off of killfile, fixing that now
― subway Stalinist (sleeve), Saturday, 28 December 2019 23:50 (four years ago) link
and thanks for that great Tove Jansson quote, JoeStork!
― subway Stalinist (sleeve), Saturday, 28 December 2019 23:51 (four years ago) link
I remember a creative writing teacher telling us we could set our film scripts anywhere except the USA and could use any topic except organised crime, that was a good example of restriction, but was at university, actually that was the only good writing teacher I've ever had, he was called Seamus Finnegan, which is also the name of a character in the HP books, he would not be impressed by this run-on sentence.
― mfktz (Camaraderie at Arms Length), Saturday, 28 December 2019 23:51 (four years ago) link
So glad I grew up in a time when children's books weren't subject to such analysis; no-one gave a shit about Jennings and Darybishire, afaik.
― fetter, Saturday, 28 December 2019 23:52 (four years ago) link
Yeah CaAL my daughter used to get told to use "wow words" and it was painful explaining decent prose style to her
― Bojo Rabid (Noodle Vague), Saturday, 28 December 2019 23:53 (four years ago) link
I count among many of my students and colleagues in the university English department where I work and study a large number of people who got into reading via the HP books and then moved on to various other literary fields. These books are basically Star Wars, in that some people are going to use these touchstones as a jumping-off point towards the wider, richer world of film/literature, while others are going to remain willfully trapped in their fanboy bubble.
― Maria Edgelord (cryptosicko), Saturday, 28 December 2019 23:53 (four years ago) link
Star Wars is also bad though
― mfktz (Camaraderie at Arms Length), Saturday, 28 December 2019 23:54 (four years ago) link
Personally I think it's OK to chat shit about the terrible politics of children's authors who publicly flaunt their terrible politics but I guess there's more important stuff we could be doing
― Bojo Rabid (Noodle Vague), Saturday, 28 December 2019 23:56 (four years ago) link
my nearly-9-y/o son's teacher has told the class that they aren't allowed to use the word 'said' in their creative writing
tell him that whenever he might use "said", he should just substitute "burped". that should appeal to a 9-y/o boy.
― A is for (Aimless), Saturday, 28 December 2019 23:56 (four years ago) link
I guess there's more important stuff we could be doing
― hot nuts (small) (bizarro gazzara), Saturday, 28 December 2019 23:57 (four years ago) link
potter
fanboys?
what a poor selection of a word
― Banáná hÉireann (darraghmac), Sunday, 29 December 2019 00:00 (four years ago) link
Fanbutts
― looking for Mon in Alderaan places (Neanderthal), Sunday, 29 December 2019 00:01 (four years ago) link
I had an English teacher in the early '80s who forbade the use of "get/got" or "nice". He also taught us the correct plural of "gin and tonic" is "gins and tonic". Stood me in good stead, that.
― fetter, Sunday, 29 December 2019 00:02 (four years ago) link
― mfktz (Camaraderie at Arms Length), Sunday, 29 December 2019 00:07 (four years ago) link
I have virtually no Harry Potter exposure (read maybe a couple chapters of the first one as a kid and bounced off hard; watched a few of the movies when friends did but had no real opinion) but some people seem a lot more outraged about the existence/imagined reading habits of harry potter fans than anything the author has said
xp also the "said"/"got"/etc thing extremely predates HP
― like, I’m eating an elephant head (katherine), Sunday, 29 December 2019 00:11 (four years ago) link
this is a very lazy google books search but should illustrate well enough that it's been around https://www.google.com/search?q=%22dialogue+tags%22+%22said%22&rlz=1C1CHBF_enUS838US838&tbs=cdr:1,cd_min:1900,cd_max:1999&source=lnms&tbm=bks
― like, I’m eating an elephant head (katherine), Sunday, 29 December 2019 00:16 (four years ago) link
(yikes, sorry)
Sometimes it seems like the poptimism ethos does not include books!
― reggae mike love (polyphonic), Sunday, 29 December 2019 00:21 (four years ago) link
Poptimists can’t keep a straight face when it’s books
― Swilling Ambergris, Esq. (silby), Sunday, 29 December 2019 00:22 (four years ago) link
I know it predates HP, but it seems to be pushed now in a way it very much wasn't when I was in school here in the 80s, it's like she has shown this is a good model and everyone has got trapped in her slipstream. on the plus side seems like they have shit up about split infinitives.
― mfktz (Camaraderie at Arms Length), Sunday, 29 December 2019 00:23 (four years ago) link
We were barred from using said and also in elementary school writing.
― Greta Van Show Feets BB (milo z), Sunday, 29 December 2019 00:23 (four years ago) link
only a poptimist knows how to accurately complain about pop culture
― mfktz (Camaraderie at Arms Length), Sunday, 29 December 2019 00:24 (four years ago) link
Poptimism does fine with books, sci-fi/fantasy/other genres aren’t ghettos nearly as much as they used to be.
YA is a whole other thing - even poptimists would look askance at an adult who only listens to Disney Channel compilations.
― Greta Van Show Feets BB (milo z), Sunday, 29 December 2019 00:25 (four years ago) link
he can't even use the same verb twice
he already knows "belched", now you can teach him "eructed".
― A is for (Aimless), Sunday, 29 December 2019 00:51 (four years ago) link
― mfktz (Camaraderie at Arms Length), Saturday, December 28, 2019 7:23 PM (thirty-six minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink
just a wild guess but there might be more influential changes in the writing curriculum since the 1980s than harry potter
― like, I’m eating an elephant head (katherine), Sunday, 29 December 2019 01:02 (four years ago) link
the split infinitive 'rule' is easily the worst pile of dogshit among all the trumped up grammatical 'rules' foisted on helpless youngsters. it's nonsense.
― A is for (Aimless), Sunday, 29 December 2019 01:22 (four years ago) link
oh, it gets worse, he can't even use the same verb twice, burped is good once, then it becomes this ridiculous game of searching for new verbs, they have not thought it through at all.
As a college comp teacher, I spend so much time correcting the damage done by idiots like these. So many obedient students writing unreadable crap because they've been told "said" and "asked" are bad words.
The book Three Lives to Live, by Anne Lindbergh, has a great chapter about this - since the premise of the book is that the narrator is writing it as an assignment for her middle school English class, we get this amazing scene where the class workshops a chapter we've already read and then the teacher makes her rewrite it with new verbs.
― Lily Dale, Sunday, 29 December 2019 01:47 (four years ago) link
Camaraderie, I would absolutely encourage your son to subvert the exercise in creative ways, like making all the characters act like birds, so they sing, tweet, squawk, twitter, or chirp. Or have all of them gargling, gurgling, burbling, snorting and wheezing. At least that will make it less tedious for him. Hand him a thesaurus, let him go wild, then tell him to throw the thesaurus away as soon as he loses that teacher.
― A is for (Aimless), Sunday, 29 December 2019 02:22 (four years ago) link
So it's over...i forgot this is the movie where Ron is obsessed with butts and Myrtle keeps trying to see Harry's weiner
― looking for Mon in Alderaan places (Neanderthal), Sunday, 29 December 2019 03:00 (four years ago) link
gah all those ghosts.. having established that ghosts exist and are essentially comic she proceeds to do.. nothing with themand speaking of speaking with the dead, how come harry never just asks dumbledore’s picture frame all those burning questions about horcruxes, the sword of gryffindor etc?
― Li'l Brexit (Tracer Hand), Sunday, 29 December 2019 09:29 (four years ago) link