I know a lot of us, myself included, like to believe that piracy allows us to consume problematic media without supporting artists we do not like. But piracy demand also indicates to companies an untapped market that they could tap if they create the right product. HBO is absolutely keeping tabs on piracy of their show now and seeing our traffic the same way Crunchyroll used to keep tabs on pirated fan-translated anime back when they cared.

Also, there is a similar ethical zero-sum game with all other Harry Potter media and products. Normally we can buy on the secondary market if we need a hard copy to scan and rip but don’t want to support the creators. But almost every Harry Potter book in circulation is purchased by someone with intention to sell for a profit, and HBO is also likely keeping tabs on sales and resales of DVDs of the old movies. Every time money leaves your bank account for Harry Potter media, you are directly feeding the ecosystem which sustains the Queen of the TERFs.

It’s honestly pretty incredible how morally radioactive this one human is. Orson Scott Card is equally repugnant, but the Ender’s Game series doesn’t even have a small fraction of the market share of Harry Potter (IMHO this is the fault of that movie being just okayish, not good or bad, but that’s another topic.) Trump’s MAGA movement is comparable in badness, but there really isn’t much most of us can do other than voting and never shutting up about how unconstitutional the things he is doing is. Rowling really is comparable to Disney or Nestlé, and she’s just one person, not a whole company.

Right now, the only ethical way to consume Harry Potter is watching or reading movies and books on your copies that either:

  • you obtained before 2020
  • were given to you for free in some non-trackable way, e.g. offline or sneakernet.

There is no ethical Harry Potter consumption within capitalism. We will have to see if this changes once she is dead.

  • GrindingGears@lemmy.caEnglish
    65·
    2 hours ago

    So let me get this straight, I’m supposed to abide by a clear set of rules, set by, who again!?

    Also i disagree. You can enjoy something, completely guilt free, even if it was created by the biggest trologodyte known to man. Reading a book or watching a movie doesn’t equal wholesale support. Hell I think it would do the world a whole lot of good to read more books, even that are written or suggest ideas that we find offensive or repugnant. For it allows you knowledge, to listen, understand, and to form independent ideas and thought. Basically it creates a better source of knowledge and a defence against darknes. Versus just blindly listening to today’s serially offended internet warrior, who basically has almost zero to offer to humanity other than constant judgement and authoritarian like viewpoints from the opposite spectrum.

    Fuck you, I won’t do what you tell me. I also won’t watch this show, but only because it looks terrible.