Cursed Child nonsense
I know that there are some excellent snarky Cursed Child sporking, reviews and reactions already. And I fully plan to read them and comment on them. But I wanted to wait until I read the blasted Cursed Child thing.
However I won't be finishing this book. As much as I hate leaving books half read; this is just too much for me. And for my blood pressure.
Still, I would like to rant discuss the part that made me see red and give up on this mess.
"HERMIONE: But still ignored. You know, there’s some interesting stuff in here . . . There are mountain trolls riding Graphorns through Hungary, there are giants with winged tattoos on their backs walking through the Greek Seas, and the werewolves have gone entirely underground"
Let us unwrap this.
- There are "mountain trolls riding Graphorns through Hungary".
Well, my first reaction was that we should be thankful it's not Albania again. But it still makes no bloody sense.
Even the most basic Google search would have served to show JKR (or whoever did most of this thing) that Hungary is not some Überwald like, high mountains covered country.
Yes, there are mountains there. But mountains that would allow for bands of mountain trolls (each weighing over a tonne) to ride Graphorns through them? And without anybody noticing this?
Without people seeing trolls (who won't even attempt to conceal themselves) ridding big (for the sake of my sanity; I'm going to assume that they must weight more the trolls), purple, beasts with golden great horns?
Oh, and those animals are trying to shake loose* the trolls. So there's absolutely nothing stealthy or hard to notice about any of this?
Yeah, I sincerely doubt it.
- There are "giants with winged tattoos on their backs walking through the Greek Seas".
Okay, first off; just what are "Greek Seas" supposed to be?
Again, even a cursory look at a map would have showed them this:
And lets not forget the Mediterranean Sea
That's a pretty big area to cover.
So, where are those giants supposed to be? All over the Mediterranee, Aegean, and Ionian Sea? Or in just one place?
I guess we should count ourself fortunate that they hadn't added something about giants sinking ships.
Still, giants? Weren't we told that there's not many left of them? And that they prefer living in colder mountains in the North?
So what are they doing in "Greek Seas"? And also how did they get here? They had to walk over half of (densely populated parts too) Europe to get to Greece. So how come nobody noticed them?
Also; "winged tattoos on their backs"?
Are we to assume that this is Augurey / Delphi connection? And if it is: why?
Why would Delphi want to give some "Darkmarks" to giants? And as the giants are resistant to most magic, how did she tattoo them? More importantly, considering just how much courting DE had to do to get giants on their side (and just how little came off of it) just how did Delphi get them on her side? And why did she send them there? Or are we to think they are running away from her?
Or, if the tattoos are not her doing, is this just random nonsense that have nothing to do with anything?
- There are "werewolves (that) have gone entirely underground".
Considering that apparently Harry&co have done nothing** to make their life easier; isn't that understandable?
WW society have been trying to eradicate or make them disappear for years and years. What is so shocking about them keeping their heads down and trying not to be noticed?
Now let us talk about imperialism.
"HARRY: Great, let’s get out there. I’ll get the team together."
If JKR only had H and Hr reading reports and discussing things that are happening "abroad" the whole thing wouldn't be so bad. Sure, it would still be a serious geography fail and it would still be condescending and patronizing.
But this line?
Harry would be ready to form a team and invade or just descend on foreign countries / Ministries?
Just wtf? Why would anybody in Hungary or Greece let him do that? Are we to believe that they can't deal with their own problems? Or do our "heroes" just don't think that those people can deal with this? Are we to accept that Hungary and Greece need Harry to fix things for them?
. . . I can't even with this.
Seriously, JKR was always terrible with writing "foreigners". And the "History or Northern America" showed that she only got worse and more offensive.
But other people have been involved in writing "Cursed Child". Did they to fail to notice just how insulting and imperialistic this is?
Are they setting out to insult everybody who's not of (white) British middle-class? And even then only non socially aware parts of British middle-class?
For all that she enjoy painting herself as a liberal; JKR really doesn't shows that in her (non Twitter) writing.
Also, this:
"HERMIONE: I’m busy enough with my own. These are people and beasts that fought alongside Voldemort in the great wizarding wars. These are allies of darkness."
Just look at that. Hermione (she of the House Elf crusade, she who was Lupin's friend, and she who, supposedly, is still friendly with Hagrid) the Minster of Magic is lumping all those people and beings into EvilTM category.
This is years and years after the war, in the "All was well" era with out heroes in power: and absolutely nothing have been done.
All old prejudices are still going strong. Nobody cares.
Also, aside from being morally wrong, this is also just plain wrong.
Trolls? They have IIRC never been on Tom's side. In fact we had security trolls employed by the Ministry and DD.
Giants? Sure, some of them supported Voldy. But Grawp was on their side. Do Harry and "Hermy" see him as being part of "allies of darkness" thing? And what about Hagrid? Is he tainted too?
Werewolves? Remus Lupin was somebody they, supposedly, loved and respected. And he was a werewolf. Is he supposed to be the "only good one"? Are we to accept that all others are evil? Only Greyback was on DE side and fought in the Battle of Hogwarts. Where are those other evil werewolves who supported Voldy? Is this another example of Jo forgetting what she wrote?
Also, considering just how much praise she got for the way she treated Remus Lupin, and the whole thing about condemning the way WW is acting toward people with lycanthropy? And metaphors involved?
Yeah, this really doesn't sound good.
One more thing, I find it very interesting that Dementors weren't mentioned at all.
They were on Voldy's side (they even make trouble for our "heroes" in this play itself) and are closest to pure evil creatures we have seen.
Yet they weren't mentioned. Why?
Are they still torturing prisoners in Azkaban? Are our "heroes" okay with that?
Or did they find a way to destroy them? Is Azkaban Dementor free?
Seriously, I would really like to know this. Not enough to read more of this dreck, but enough to Google it. And maybe I'm not looking at right places, but I don't think they bothered to answer that in this book.
The most I found was this from the hp wiki:
"Shacklebolt disbanded the Dementors as guards of the wizard prison. It is unknown where they went or what they did without their only known application. After the Dementors were removed from the prison, Aurors were placed in the prison as guards. "
So, yeah.
It's important to track trolls and giants but it's not important to know where the hell Dementors are?!!!
Like, really think about this. WW let them go. They just sicced them on the rest of the world and don't even care to know what they might do.
The one thing that might make rest of the world's Ministries actually ask for help with (or you know reparations for letting those horrors wander as they please) of British wizard; and they aren't mentioned.
I don't even know what to say about that.
*HP wiki tells me that Graphorns hate being ridden. And that they fight the trolls.
Btw, what is with JKR and her apparent love of things and people trampling all over free will of others?
**Way to go JKR. I'm really feeling those "All was well" warm fuzzies.
However I won't be finishing this book. As much as I hate leaving books half read; this is just too much for me. And for my blood pressure.
Still, I would like to rant discuss the part that made me see red and give up on this mess.
"HERMIONE: But still ignored. You know, there’s some interesting stuff in here . . . There are mountain trolls riding Graphorns through Hungary, there are giants with winged tattoos on their backs walking through the Greek Seas, and the werewolves have gone entirely underground"
Let us unwrap this.
- There are "mountain trolls riding Graphorns through Hungary".
Well, my first reaction was that we should be thankful it's not Albania again. But it still makes no bloody sense.
Even the most basic Google search would have served to show JKR (or whoever did most of this thing) that Hungary is not some Überwald like, high mountains covered country.
Yes, there are mountains there. But mountains that would allow for bands of mountain trolls (each weighing over a tonne) to ride Graphorns through them? And without anybody noticing this?
Without people seeing trolls (who won't even attempt to conceal themselves) ridding big (for the sake of my sanity; I'm going to assume that they must weight more the trolls), purple, beasts with golden great horns?
Oh, and those animals are trying to shake loose* the trolls. So there's absolutely nothing stealthy or hard to notice about any of this?
Yeah, I sincerely doubt it.
- There are "giants with winged tattoos on their backs walking through the Greek Seas".
Okay, first off; just what are "Greek Seas" supposed to be?
Again, even a cursory look at a map would have showed them this:
And lets not forget the Mediterranean Sea
That's a pretty big area to cover.
So, where are those giants supposed to be? All over the Mediterranee, Aegean, and Ionian Sea? Or in just one place?
I guess we should count ourself fortunate that they hadn't added something about giants sinking ships.
Still, giants? Weren't we told that there's not many left of them? And that they prefer living in colder mountains in the North?
So what are they doing in "Greek Seas"? And also how did they get here? They had to walk over half of (densely populated parts too) Europe to get to Greece. So how come nobody noticed them?
Also; "winged tattoos on their backs"?
Are we to assume that this is Augurey / Delphi connection? And if it is: why?
Why would Delphi want to give some "Darkmarks" to giants? And as the giants are resistant to most magic, how did she tattoo them? More importantly, considering just how much courting DE had to do to get giants on their side (and just how little came off of it) just how did Delphi get them on her side? And why did she send them there? Or are we to think they are running away from her?
Or, if the tattoos are not her doing, is this just random nonsense that have nothing to do with anything?
- There are "werewolves (that) have gone entirely underground".
Considering that apparently Harry&co have done nothing** to make their life easier; isn't that understandable?
WW society have been trying to eradicate or make them disappear for years and years. What is so shocking about them keeping their heads down and trying not to be noticed?
Now let us talk about imperialism.
"HARRY: Great, let’s get out there. I’ll get the team together."
If JKR only had H and Hr reading reports and discussing things that are happening "abroad" the whole thing wouldn't be so bad. Sure, it would still be a serious geography fail and it would still be condescending and patronizing.
But this line?
Harry would be ready to form a team and invade or just descend on foreign countries / Ministries?
Just wtf? Why would anybody in Hungary or Greece let him do that? Are we to believe that they can't deal with their own problems? Or do our "heroes" just don't think that those people can deal with this? Are we to accept that Hungary and Greece need Harry to fix things for them?
. . . I can't even with this.
Seriously, JKR was always terrible with writing "foreigners". And the "History or Northern America" showed that she only got worse and more offensive.
But other people have been involved in writing "Cursed Child". Did they to fail to notice just how insulting and imperialistic this is?
Are they setting out to insult everybody who's not of (white) British middle-class? And even then only non socially aware parts of British middle-class?
For all that she enjoy painting herself as a liberal; JKR really doesn't shows that in her (non Twitter) writing.
Also, this:
"HERMIONE: I’m busy enough with my own. These are people and beasts that fought alongside Voldemort in the great wizarding wars. These are allies of darkness."
Just look at that. Hermione (she of the House Elf crusade, she who was Lupin's friend, and she who, supposedly, is still friendly with Hagrid) the Minster of Magic is lumping all those people and beings into EvilTM category.
This is years and years after the war, in the "All was well" era with out heroes in power: and absolutely nothing have been done.
All old prejudices are still going strong. Nobody cares.
Also, aside from being morally wrong, this is also just plain wrong.
Trolls? They have IIRC never been on Tom's side. In fact we had security trolls employed by the Ministry and DD.
Giants? Sure, some of them supported Voldy. But Grawp was on their side. Do Harry and "Hermy" see him as being part of "allies of darkness" thing? And what about Hagrid? Is he tainted too?
Werewolves? Remus Lupin was somebody they, supposedly, loved and respected. And he was a werewolf. Is he supposed to be the "only good one"? Are we to accept that all others are evil? Only Greyback was on DE side and fought in the Battle of Hogwarts. Where are those other evil werewolves who supported Voldy? Is this another example of Jo forgetting what she wrote?
Also, considering just how much praise she got for the way she treated Remus Lupin, and the whole thing about condemning the way WW is acting toward people with lycanthropy? And metaphors involved?
Yeah, this really doesn't sound good.
One more thing, I find it very interesting that Dementors weren't mentioned at all.
They were on Voldy's side (they even make trouble for our "heroes" in this play itself) and are closest to pure evil creatures we have seen.
Yet they weren't mentioned. Why?
Are they still torturing prisoners in Azkaban? Are our "heroes" okay with that?
Or did they find a way to destroy them? Is Azkaban Dementor free?
Seriously, I would really like to know this. Not enough to read more of this dreck, but enough to Google it. And maybe I'm not looking at right places, but I don't think they bothered to answer that in this book.
The most I found was this from the hp wiki:
"Shacklebolt disbanded the Dementors as guards of the wizard prison. It is unknown where they went or what they did without their only known application. After the Dementors were removed from the prison, Aurors were placed in the prison as guards. "
So, yeah.
It's important to track trolls and giants but it's not important to know where the hell Dementors are?!!!
Like, really think about this. WW let them go. They just sicced them on the rest of the world and don't even care to know what they might do.
The one thing that might make rest of the world's Ministries actually ask for help with (or you know reparations for letting those horrors wander as they please) of British wizard; and they aren't mentioned.
I don't even know what to say about that.
*HP wiki tells me that Graphorns hate being ridden. And that they fight the trolls.
Btw, what is with JKR and her apparent love of things and people trampling all over free will of others?
**Way to go JKR. I'm really feeling those "All was well" warm fuzzies.