Dumbledore kerfluffle
Oct. 25th, 2007 05:06 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sparkindarknessDumbledore’s gay. It amuses me muchly, especially since I imagine there are many ultra-religious righties who were already burning the books for witchcraft have now just spontaneously combusted with outrage (and that’s always funny, you have to agree).
Is it a big step forward for gays everywhere? Well, millions of people are apparently reading books with a central gay character, but wouldn’t know about it unless the hear of Rowling’s revelation. Still, it’s a lot of exposure there. Personally, I think it can only be a good thing and certainly does no harm :) When it comes down to it, it's a character. he happens to be gay, there's no need to read anything more into it than that
People have bitched about why he didn’t reveal this in the books. Well, let’s take a step back and look at the books shall we. They’re about Harry Potter (hence the titles) a boy from the age of, what, 10-18? And his battle against Voldemort. The books are written nearly entirely from Harry’s point of view to my memory, less than, what, 5% of the book isn’t from his view point and they usually involve death eaters.
Right, now remember when you were between the ages of 11-18 and your relationship with your teachers. At which point did your headmaster avow his love for cock or pussy to you? What? You mean you headmaster didn’t discuss his love life with you? Damn, how heartless!
I didn’t know if any of my teachers were gay, straight, bi, single, coupled or in happy polygamous groups. The only clue I ever had was some of the women had “mrs” in front of the names. I didn’t even know the first names of some of my teachers. They could have been gay. They could have been straight. They could have been bi. They could have been sexing up their neighbour’s Rotweiler. I don’t think I’m unusual on that score, teachers are usually rather reticent in discussing their sex lives with their pupils, well, except for in one or two rather sensational cases.
So at which point in teaching Harry, advising Harry, guiding Harry and otherwise fighting the evil of Voldemort should Dumbledore have turned round and said “Did I ever mention how much I love hawt mansex?” At which exact point in the books would it have been appropriate, believable or realistic for Albus Dumbledore to explain his sexuality to his student?
(And to everyone saying she just added this after the series finished... well, point 1: You did read Deathly Hollows, right? Because, y'know Dumbledore/Grindelwald? Written in pretty LARGE print, really. Point 2: she said she had to tell a screenwriter that when he had dumbledore mention a past female love - don't you think he'd come forwards and sday "bitch please, that never happened?")
ETA:
Oh and can we have a big WTF to all those who are saying this is some kind of political statement? Hello, various studies have concluded that homosexuals make up between 3%-10% of the population (depending on study - the closet makes it hide to track us) yet the mere EXISTANCE of a gay character is a political statement? That's ridiculous! That's like saying the ethnic diversity shown throughout the Harry Potter novels was a political statement. Acknowledging people exist isn't political correctness or agenda driven or any other stupid clap trap they're spouting. It's simpel acknowledgement of the diversity of the human race.
Is it a big step forward for gays everywhere? Well, millions of people are apparently reading books with a central gay character, but wouldn’t know about it unless the hear of Rowling’s revelation. Still, it’s a lot of exposure there. Personally, I think it can only be a good thing and certainly does no harm :) When it comes down to it, it's a character. he happens to be gay, there's no need to read anything more into it than that
People have bitched about why he didn’t reveal this in the books. Well, let’s take a step back and look at the books shall we. They’re about Harry Potter (hence the titles) a boy from the age of, what, 10-18? And his battle against Voldemort. The books are written nearly entirely from Harry’s point of view to my memory, less than, what, 5% of the book isn’t from his view point and they usually involve death eaters.
Right, now remember when you were between the ages of 11-18 and your relationship with your teachers. At which point did your headmaster avow his love for cock or pussy to you? What? You mean you headmaster didn’t discuss his love life with you? Damn, how heartless!
I didn’t know if any of my teachers were gay, straight, bi, single, coupled or in happy polygamous groups. The only clue I ever had was some of the women had “mrs” in front of the names. I didn’t even know the first names of some of my teachers. They could have been gay. They could have been straight. They could have been bi. They could have been sexing up their neighbour’s Rotweiler. I don’t think I’m unusual on that score, teachers are usually rather reticent in discussing their sex lives with their pupils, well, except for in one or two rather sensational cases.
So at which point in teaching Harry, advising Harry, guiding Harry and otherwise fighting the evil of Voldemort should Dumbledore have turned round and said “Did I ever mention how much I love hawt mansex?” At which exact point in the books would it have been appropriate, believable or realistic for Albus Dumbledore to explain his sexuality to his student?
(And to everyone saying she just added this after the series finished... well, point 1: You did read Deathly Hollows, right? Because, y'know Dumbledore/Grindelwald? Written in pretty LARGE print, really. Point 2: she said she had to tell a screenwriter that when he had dumbledore mention a past female love - don't you think he'd come forwards and sday "bitch please, that never happened?")
ETA:
Oh and can we have a big WTF to all those who are saying this is some kind of political statement? Hello, various studies have concluded that homosexuals make up between 3%-10% of the population (depending on study - the closet makes it hide to track us) yet the mere EXISTANCE of a gay character is a political statement? That's ridiculous! That's like saying the ethnic diversity shown throughout the Harry Potter novels was a political statement. Acknowledging people exist isn't political correctness or agenda driven or any other stupid clap trap they're spouting. It's simpel acknowledgement of the diversity of the human race.
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(no subject)
Date: 2007-10-26 12:54 am (UTC)SO. GODDAMN. TRUE. It's called being fucking realistic, people. I'm seriously pissed off by both sides here. I expected the usual fundie idiocy, but I was blindsided by the sudden vitriolic attacks from the left, screaming that the bitch should have had the balls to put it in the book, not "announce" it afterwards. Christ on the cross. She didn't "announce" it; she answered a question, one of many that she has similarly been asked and answered in the past and no doubt will continue to do so.
It had no place in the book, except insofar as it was hinted at, and considering how my flist exploded with "OMG did you see the Dumbledore/Grindelwald it was everywhere" after the seventh book, that's some pretty damn texty subtext there. I didn't see any gossip about the school slut being banged by the entire Hufflepuff Quidditch team, either, and for the same reason: it's not fucking relevant. All that we needed to know was that Dumbledore was completely blinded by Grindelwald's brilliance until it was too late. That it was partly sexual attraction was irrelevant and would have been rather difficult to shoehorn in, since we'd have to see Harry's reaction to that bit of news and probably get bogged down.
Grrr.
(no subject)
Date: 2007-10-27 12:18 pm (UTC)The stupid over this is amazing. We expect the religious wrong to be up in arms and frothing over this but the numbe rof my fellows screaming "well if he were gay it should have been obvious" (yeah, because we NEED more damaging stereotype characters out there) "and he should have told everyone!" (because no-one is closeted, y'know) "And he should have told Harry!" (because teachers always discuss their love lives with pupils).
Please. It's a book. It has a gay character. We should celebrate that and not whine because she didn't bedeck hogwarts in triangles, rainbows and linked mars symbols. She isn't obliged to try and force great strides in gay recognition because she is accepting enough to have a gay character. I want to scream at them "C'mon, she's said one of her major characters is gay. This is a GOOD thing. She is on OUR side! What the hell is wrong with you?!" It's like having a volunteer soldier then bitching because they refuse to join the suicide squad.
Oh yes and that was another thing "she's just made it up after the fact" c'mon - Dumblodre/Grindelwald was pretty heavy TEXT. I think it's because heteronormative thought just doesn't go down those pathways even when they are verrrrry clearly marked. But yea, we hear very little about the sex lives of most of the pupils let alone the teachers because that's not what the books are about!