Pop Culture Persona
Words by Casey Hynes
On September 22nd 2015, a ceremony most unlike any other took place for the first time in University College Cork, held by a newly-founded society. As students of all years and ages began to enter the Aula Maxima on this fated evening, sheets containing the most important of questions were handed to each, to be poured over and deliberated upon by all - for these would ultimately determine your Sorting.
Once the papers were submitted and, ahem, magically analysed by a society committee member, each student approached the podium to find out where they belonged. Aged 18 and a half, I did the same as everyone else and was kindly guided to a seat and encased in a black robe and shabby-looking pointy hat. After over a minute of being seated and hatted, brief panic began to ensue as I became what is known as a ‘hat-stall’ until ultimately the word ‘Gryffindor’ was shouted from beside me.
I, wearing a dark-green Slytherin t-shirt, was confused and aghast, much to the amusement of my close friends. Having long studied the Harry Potter books and films (which, of course, the Sorting Ceremony described above was heavily referring to) in my childhood and adolescence, I had confidently determined at 17 that I must be a Slytherin, due to my (perceived) ambition and ability to turn a situation into my favour. I couldn’t possibly be a Gryffindor, as my 12-year-old self had once believed - I lacked courage in most situations, was incredibly anxious and was incapable of rushing foolhardy into any scenario without doing a play-by-play in my mind beforehand. Alas, it would have seemed, somehow, my older self was wrong.
For as long as we have existed, people have found ways to distinguish ourselves from each other, while connecting ourselves to one another based on specific characteristics or traits - nationality, ethnicity, sexuality, religion. As society and cultures have continued to develop, we have discovered new ways of defining and identifying ourselves, now often through our likes and dislikes.
‘Fandom’ first emerged as a concept through a collective of ardent fans surrounding Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes series in the late 19th Century, as a subculture of sorts, one that has spread to all forms of entertainment media.
Initially ‘fandom’ in the West gained traction as a new form of grouping for fans of sci-fi classics Star Trek, Star Wars and Doctor Who. In the 70s, fans of all three began to create fanart, fan-zines, fan-made movies and fanfiction, often congregating in a shared space. Fans of comic books like DC Comics and Marvel began to emerge around the same time. While not an altogether new concept - book clubs arguably achieve the same result - the rise of ‘fandoms’ shows an increase in popularity for these shared communities. Through their favourite television shows, comic books, films and novels, people of all kinds would find new ways to define themselves, both inside and outside of their fandom - ‘Who’s your favourite Doctor?’; ’Sith or Jedi?’; ‘Kirk or Picard?’.
This may come across as completely bizarre to those who may not engage in similar circles, but for most this is no different to sports fans differentiating themselves by team. Over time, pop culture has seemingly diversified - seen through the rise in popularity of different genres and different media in places they were once not known, like the new-ish popularity of Anime in the West. ‘Fandom’ is no longer obscure as certain fan communities, through various means, have grown, Harry Potter and Game of Thrones being two very obvious examples. As popularity in these books and comics grew, often through film and television adaptations, fandom tropes and characteristics began to bleed outward into wider pop culture. Questions such as ‘Which Hogwarts House are you?’ or ‘Are you a Stark or a Lannister?’ are niche no longer and are now recognisable to those who don’t engage with the media.
Comic Con is a sacred place for all of those in fandom. (Photo credits: https://www.flickr.com/people/patloika/)
Works like Harry Potter, The Hunger Games and the Percy Jackson series owe a tremendous amount of their popularity to their young audiences. Through these books and films, children and young adults can emotionally and mentally explore their individuality. Many things we engaged with and enjoyed in our youth have impacted the morals and beliefs we may end up with, in some way - and this is often deliberate. Disney films, which appeal to children and adults alike, attempt to depict virtues such as kindness, compassion and hard-work as desirous. The Harry Potter franchise attempts to instill within us the need to not only stand up for ourselves and others but to stand against discrimination and prejudice.
There is no denying that these are good and noble characteristics to develop - no matter where you learn them from. But there lies a danger in building our own individual foundations as people and forming our own personal doctrines from a piece of media without reflection or further engagement with alternative sources. An over-reliance on these media can turn enjoyment into unhealthy or toxic obsession and devotion and lead us to a place where criticism may seldom be used.
Though faults and flaws within the Harry Potter world were always available to be discovered, most people’s experiences of the fandom and the source material were positive - a seemingly good rock upon which to build our church, if you will. Potter obsession had almost become a societal expectancy - for those of us in Ireland, this is seen in how often the films are shown throughout the year, especially on RTÉ One at Christmas, and how quickly the numerous items of Harry Potter-branded merch became staples at our local Penney’s. I had always been interested in reading and storytelling growing up - Jacqueline Wilson, Roald Dahl and J.K. Rowling had provided me with numerous adventures to embark upon, not all of them happy journeys, but suitable escapes from my shy, anxious existence nonetheless. Like many, the communities surrounding the Harry Potter franchise became a safe place for me as well as a place to explore and discover newfound creativity (the Three-Year Summer was a strange and amazing time for many), and also acted as a stepping stone I could use to find joy in other fan communities. I had become fascinated with the woman behind it all, and as a young girl, I found her ‘origin story’ to be incredibly inspiring and aspirational. Despite Rowling’s over-saturation of Harry Potter trivia on Twitter, up until two years ago I still held a lot of love, respect and admiration for the woman who had helped to shape me as a person.
For those unaware of J.K. Rowling’s very public fall from grace, I’m not going to rehash it all in full detail - it’s been covered by almost every media outlet under the Sun, and Google is free - but let me take you to the moment it all started and, for many of us, the first instance of heartbreak - December 19th 2019.
Dress however you please.
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) December 19, 2019
Call yourself whatever you like.
Sleep with any consenting adult who’ll have you.
Live your best life in peace and security.
But force women out of their jobs for stating that sex is real? #IStandWithMaya #ThisIsNotADrill
On this date, Rowling put out a seemingly-innocuous tweet when, in actuality, it voiced support for Maya Forstater. Forstater was a researcher who was let go from her position at a poverty and inequality think tank, after expressing transphobic views online. This key moment was the beginning of the end for me and many others and would be the first of many destructive moments in Rowling’s reputation, in the eyes of her fans. From here would come even worse and obvious instances of transphobia from the author, and when one chink in the armour was created, there were sure to be more following.
And there were. Rowling’s choice of name for her crime-story alter ego came into question, as people realised the name was shared (accidentally or not) with Dr Robert Galbraith Heath, a psychologist now known for his work in gay conversion therapy. This was further worsened by Rowling’s newest Cormoran Strike novel, Troubled Blood, which features a male killer who targets women and who dresses up ‘as a woman’ to commit his crimes. An eyebrow-raising detail considering all of the author’s scandals with transphobia.
Like so many others, I was incredibly disappointed by this rapid chain of events. If I were to describe it, it was like falling out of faith in religion - something many of us in Ireland had already experienced in some way amidst the emergence of all of the Catholic Church’s numerous sins. It was like the moment you realise your parents aren’t perfect individuals lacking in flaws, but rather real human beings who can’t solve all of the world’s problems. But, like, times a hundred. My disappointment, however, could not compare to the hurt felt by the Transgender community, especially those who had enjoyed the Harry Potter universe and were now left out in the cold, disenfranchised by a woman who had once offered up a world to escape to.
The entire terrible, awful situation gave cause to a brighter note - many of the main actors who starred in the HP franchise, including Daniel Radcliffe (a major ally of the Trevor Project), spoke out against Rowling’s comments, defending transgender people’s right to exist safely and happily. But the fandom itself has soured in some parts, as some fans chose to side with Rowling, either in agreement with her opinions or simply unaffected by them.
Unfortunately, the situation highlighted flaws that were always to be found within both Rowling’s creations and the fandom itself and showed many the care we must take when defining ourselves by something external to ourselves, and that lies in the control of others, to avoid heartbreak. Does this mean we can’t enjoy things? We can’t engage in fandom culture, and obsess over our favourite books, tv shows and films? Of course not. But it does mean that we need to learn what we can take from the things we love - life lessons, joy, beliefs - while leaving behind what isn’t good, either for us or others. Nothing is perfect. Nothing deserves to be put on a pedestal.
Fortunately (for fans, not so much She-Who-May-No-Longer-Be-Named), the Harry Potter fandom, with all of its lore and fanon, is bigger than its progenitor. As one of the largest fandoms globally, Harry Potter’s vast wealth of fanon, fanart and fanfiction combined equate to more words than in the Harry Potter books themselves. Within the fandom community, imagination and exploration are seen in every corner, and despite or in spite of whatever takes place canonically in the books or films, almost every avenue, identity and thought has been explored. Though it is flawed and worthy of criticism, Harry Potter cannot be taken away from the fans by anyone.
As terms like ‘cancel culture’ become a common part of our lexicon - and rightfully so - those of us who once engaged so actively and ardently in fandom culture in our youth (and those of us who still do) are learning two vital and new life lessons, ones that have been accidentally taught to us by the pop culture and media we love so much:
We must continue to engage with any media or artform we come across through the eye of critical consumption - this doesn’t mean we psychoanalyse everything but rather that we must be open to spotting bullshit in what we consume, and be prepared to call it out when we see it, regardless of whether it directly affects us or not.
We as people are as vast, as deep and as complex as the ocean and its hidden depths. Our identities should be multi-faceted and diverse and related to more than one thing. We are not one-note, and should not act as or treat ourselves as such.
Besides, some labels - historical or pop-cultural - can sometimes maybe be wrong, or a bit rubbish. Following my haphazard Sorting Ceremony in 2015, I took to the newly-refurbished Pottermore website to take the Sorting quiz there, and find out what was what. I reopened my account, thought deeply about all of the questions presented to me, and got Ravenclaw. Odd. I opened a new account, took the quiz again - presented with different questions to the first round.
And got Hufflepuff.
Donate:
If you’d like to donate to the Transgender Equality Network Ireland, an Irish charity promoting education and change for transgender rights and issues in Ireland, please go to their website here.
If you’d like to donate to the Trevor Project and the fantastic work they do for LGBTQ youth in the United States, please donate on their website here.
If you’d like to donate to the UK-based charity Mermaids, which helps transgender and gender-diverse children and young people, and their families, check out their website here.
