Harry Potter vs. Twilight - "wtf, dudes?"
by Kelli
There’s been a lot of talk lately about Twilight.
I know that spouting the dreaded “T” word on a Potter news site is some sort of heinous blasphemy, but the ever-increasing amount of Twilight “bashing” coming out of Harry fans is rather alarming, and should be discussed, as I believe there is more than enough opportunity for us to coexist harmoniously. And while the following will be highly circumstantial, informal, and opinionated, there are some things that need to be expressed if we are ever to put our differences aside and start moving in a more productive direction.
Andrew Slack of the HPA posted a link on his Twitter to an opinion article on the New York Times website the other day (see: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/08/opinion/08riley.html) that sparked a mini-debate discussion on my Facebook page when I posted the link.
The argument started over whether or not Twilight fans are, essentially, as “capable” of doing good in the world as Harry fans seem to be. Having a fairly neutral stance on the issue, I noticed the following things:
1) Harry fans have the HPA, and Twilight fans don’t appear to have an establishment through which they can become as socially, politically, and civically conscious collectively.
2) The majority of Harry fans tend to bash the Twilight books (for whatever reason) without actually having read them.
3) Everybody compares the two book series, even though there is little-to-nothing the same about them.
4) There seems to be an expectation that Twilight fans should emulate Harry fans, which seems to disregard the needs and general dynamic of the Twilight fandom.
The Harry Potter Alliance is an incredibly useful tool for mobilizing Harry fans for social action. The fact that it even exists articulates clearly how ready we are to spring forth and take charge, how ready we are to “drop some dough,” donate books, fundraise, theorize, and help where we can. I am happy to champion the HPA any day of the week, and it seems to be in the nature of die-hard Harry fans to, like Harry himself, assume responsibility and take action when we are called upon.
But, can the same be expected from Twilight fans? Twilight fans are not any less capable of doing what Harry fans do, but they basically have a different agenda and tend to have different personal traits. To illustrate this point, take a look at the canon thematic material between both series. In Harry Potter, the line between good and evil is quite clear. It is made known from the beginning that Harry himself is a hero; that he must essentially go on his hero-quest and he must defeat evil. Twilight is more or less a love story. While there are small acts of heroism throughout, I argue that the primary focus of the story is not on “good vs. evil” in the same sense that it is in Harry Potter. The lines between good and evil in Twilight are harder to define, and the value systems practiced by the Twilight characters are almost completely opposite of those that the typical Harry Potter fan embraces.
While every fandom is full of individuals and individual ideas that may or may not agree with each other, (do you think that EVERY Harry fan agrees with the agenda of the HPA?) Twilight naturally attracts a different kind of person. Not better, not worse, just different…and although that is an incredibly broad overstatement, I don’t think that we, as Harry fans, have any right to judge what the Twilight fans are or are-not doing based on what WE do. What they create, what they accomplish…needs to be assessed and valued on its own scale and not our own. It’s like comparing milk and salmon.
I also believe that there should be a very clear distinction between the Twilight Franchise and the Twilight fans, just as there is between the HP Franchise and Harry Potter fans. Not all of us agree completely with everything that Warner Bros. does. Every time a film is released, it is quite clear that everyone has a very different, individual opinion about what was good or not-so-good about it, and how the movie was (basically) not as good as the book. Many Harry fans have felt exploited, for one reason or another, by the Franchise.
Why should we expect it to be any different for Twilight fans?
The New York Times article was essentially a call-to-action for the Twilighters. The author urges Twilight fans to be conscious of the merchandise they purchase, and to be aware that the actual- Quileute tribe is basically being exploited and taken advantage of by the Franchise.
If this precise scenario were happening in the HP world, I imagine there would be a very swiftly organized protest and possibly boycott of the exploitative merchandise until our Franchise decided to do the “right thing” and adequately compensate the Quileute. However, the Harry Fandom also has the luxury of the Harry Potter Alliance and other very informed individuals to take charge of such things. The Twilight “do-gooders” are much less visible. They DO exist, but they do not yet have the kind of power for mass mobilization as we have.
They are also, however, a younger fandom. Not only is the Twilight fandom newer than the HP fandom, the general ages of participants is younger. There are far more “outed” adult Harry fans than Twilight fans, and that is a factor that cannot be discounted.
I would like to suggest that perhaps the Twilight fans have just as much capability to be creative, to make a difference, to put good energy into the world, as the Harry fans do. It will just be done in a different way. They are not us. Yes, we are all fandomites, and I think that “othering” them may do more harm than good, but what Harry fans need to recognize is that they WILL NOT be the same as us. They will not do the same things. They will not do the same things in the same way. Nor do I believe that they want to.
Instead of harassing them with constant criticism, Harry Potter fans should be seeking to understand and tolerate Twilight fans. This means reading the books before we open our mouths. Many of us remember a time when Harry Potter was treated the same way when the super-conservatives sought to obliterate us because they thought that Harry Potter would encourage evil, devil worshiping, negative witchcraft, and whatever else they wanted to pin on us. To counter their argument, Harry fans constantly urged those individuals to read the books and really get to know the stories and the fans to see that really wasn’t the case. Over time, the books have been read, and the Pope has even “okayed” Harry Potter. (see: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/film-news/5826251/Harry-Potter-and-the-Half-Blood-Prince-praised-by-Vatican.html) But, the change wasn’t immediate. It took a lot of hard work, it was incredibly frustrating, and it still isn’t completely resolved.
Presently, Harry fans are hypocrites and it breaks my heart to admit it. We criticize; we claim to know what we’re talking about, when many of us have not read the Twilight series. While we claim to have several reasons for this (bad writing, don’t agree with the values, etc.), we cannot begin to pretend to criticize fairly until we have read the books. We are putting the Twilight fans through the same misery that we are still trying to escape.
Think to yourself about how many people you know in the Harry fandom who would also admit to being a Twilight fan. There are comparatively few. I don’t think this is because they don’t exist or can’t exist, I think that it is because there is a stigma around being a Twilight fan that is causing people who enjoy both to be ashamed of it.
I will admit that I have read both series. I will also admit that I enjoyed both series, but for completely different reasons. Yes, there were things about Twilight that I personally did not like or agree with, and I don’t think it was the most spectacular piece of writing I’ve ever read. I do not, however, think that I or anyone else should be condemned by what I consider to be my “home” fandom for liking the “rival” book. This is only making things worse for everybody.
Does Harry Potter not teach us that we shouldn’t hate each other? Does it not teach us that, despite our differences, we can put them aside and do Good? Did Narcissa Malfoy not recognize that she was wrong and that she needed to make sure Harry lived because even though he was on the other side she realized that what he was doing was also in her best interest?
True, Twilight fans are just as guilty of bashing Harry Potter as we are of bashing Twilight. It is our responsibility and our prerogative, however, to try to mend what is broken. There is no reason why we cannot coexist, there is no reason why we cannot befriend each other, and there is no reason why we cannot work together, as an enormous bi-fandom collective, to be even more constructive and productive in our efforts to make the world a better place. Bickering over the small, petty differences is tiresome, and once we all start to really recognize our errors and repair the damage we’ve done, the happier we all will be. Neither fandom is going away; it’s time that we start to get along.
I know that spouting the dreaded “T” word on a Potter news site is some sort of heinous blasphemy, but the ever-increasing amount of Twilight “bashing” coming out of Harry fans is rather alarming, and should be discussed, as I believe there is more than enough opportunity for us to coexist harmoniously. And while the following will be highly circumstantial, informal, and opinionated, there are some things that need to be expressed if we are ever to put our differences aside and start moving in a more productive direction.
Andrew Slack of the HPA posted a link on his Twitter to an opinion article on the New York Times website the other day (see: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/08/opinion/08riley.html) that sparked a mini-debate discussion on my Facebook page when I posted the link.
The argument started over whether or not Twilight fans are, essentially, as “capable” of doing good in the world as Harry fans seem to be. Having a fairly neutral stance on the issue, I noticed the following things:
1) Harry fans have the HPA, and Twilight fans don’t appear to have an establishment through which they can become as socially, politically, and civically conscious collectively.
2) The majority of Harry fans tend to bash the Twilight books (for whatever reason) without actually having read them.
3) Everybody compares the two book series, even though there is little-to-nothing the same about them.
4) There seems to be an expectation that Twilight fans should emulate Harry fans, which seems to disregard the needs and general dynamic of the Twilight fandom.
The Harry Potter Alliance is an incredibly useful tool for mobilizing Harry fans for social action. The fact that it even exists articulates clearly how ready we are to spring forth and take charge, how ready we are to “drop some dough,” donate books, fundraise, theorize, and help where we can. I am happy to champion the HPA any day of the week, and it seems to be in the nature of die-hard Harry fans to, like Harry himself, assume responsibility and take action when we are called upon.
But, can the same be expected from Twilight fans? Twilight fans are not any less capable of doing what Harry fans do, but they basically have a different agenda and tend to have different personal traits. To illustrate this point, take a look at the canon thematic material between both series. In Harry Potter, the line between good and evil is quite clear. It is made known from the beginning that Harry himself is a hero; that he must essentially go on his hero-quest and he must defeat evil. Twilight is more or less a love story. While there are small acts of heroism throughout, I argue that the primary focus of the story is not on “good vs. evil” in the same sense that it is in Harry Potter. The lines between good and evil in Twilight are harder to define, and the value systems practiced by the Twilight characters are almost completely opposite of those that the typical Harry Potter fan embraces.
While every fandom is full of individuals and individual ideas that may or may not agree with each other, (do you think that EVERY Harry fan agrees with the agenda of the HPA?) Twilight naturally attracts a different kind of person. Not better, not worse, just different…and although that is an incredibly broad overstatement, I don’t think that we, as Harry fans, have any right to judge what the Twilight fans are or are-not doing based on what WE do. What they create, what they accomplish…needs to be assessed and valued on its own scale and not our own. It’s like comparing milk and salmon.
I also believe that there should be a very clear distinction between the Twilight Franchise and the Twilight fans, just as there is between the HP Franchise and Harry Potter fans. Not all of us agree completely with everything that Warner Bros. does. Every time a film is released, it is quite clear that everyone has a very different, individual opinion about what was good or not-so-good about it, and how the movie was (basically) not as good as the book. Many Harry fans have felt exploited, for one reason or another, by the Franchise.
Why should we expect it to be any different for Twilight fans?
The New York Times article was essentially a call-to-action for the Twilighters. The author urges Twilight fans to be conscious of the merchandise they purchase, and to be aware that the actual- Quileute tribe is basically being exploited and taken advantage of by the Franchise.
If this precise scenario were happening in the HP world, I imagine there would be a very swiftly organized protest and possibly boycott of the exploitative merchandise until our Franchise decided to do the “right thing” and adequately compensate the Quileute. However, the Harry Fandom also has the luxury of the Harry Potter Alliance and other very informed individuals to take charge of such things. The Twilight “do-gooders” are much less visible. They DO exist, but they do not yet have the kind of power for mass mobilization as we have.
They are also, however, a younger fandom. Not only is the Twilight fandom newer than the HP fandom, the general ages of participants is younger. There are far more “outed” adult Harry fans than Twilight fans, and that is a factor that cannot be discounted.
I would like to suggest that perhaps the Twilight fans have just as much capability to be creative, to make a difference, to put good energy into the world, as the Harry fans do. It will just be done in a different way. They are not us. Yes, we are all fandomites, and I think that “othering” them may do more harm than good, but what Harry fans need to recognize is that they WILL NOT be the same as us. They will not do the same things. They will not do the same things in the same way. Nor do I believe that they want to.
Instead of harassing them with constant criticism, Harry Potter fans should be seeking to understand and tolerate Twilight fans. This means reading the books before we open our mouths. Many of us remember a time when Harry Potter was treated the same way when the super-conservatives sought to obliterate us because they thought that Harry Potter would encourage evil, devil worshiping, negative witchcraft, and whatever else they wanted to pin on us. To counter their argument, Harry fans constantly urged those individuals to read the books and really get to know the stories and the fans to see that really wasn’t the case. Over time, the books have been read, and the Pope has even “okayed” Harry Potter. (see: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/film-news/5826251/Harry-Potter-and-the-Half-Blood-Prince-praised-by-Vatican.html) But, the change wasn’t immediate. It took a lot of hard work, it was incredibly frustrating, and it still isn’t completely resolved.
Presently, Harry fans are hypocrites and it breaks my heart to admit it. We criticize; we claim to know what we’re talking about, when many of us have not read the Twilight series. While we claim to have several reasons for this (bad writing, don’t agree with the values, etc.), we cannot begin to pretend to criticize fairly until we have read the books. We are putting the Twilight fans through the same misery that we are still trying to escape.
Think to yourself about how many people you know in the Harry fandom who would also admit to being a Twilight fan. There are comparatively few. I don’t think this is because they don’t exist or can’t exist, I think that it is because there is a stigma around being a Twilight fan that is causing people who enjoy both to be ashamed of it.
I will admit that I have read both series. I will also admit that I enjoyed both series, but for completely different reasons. Yes, there were things about Twilight that I personally did not like or agree with, and I don’t think it was the most spectacular piece of writing I’ve ever read. I do not, however, think that I or anyone else should be condemned by what I consider to be my “home” fandom for liking the “rival” book. This is only making things worse for everybody.
Does Harry Potter not teach us that we shouldn’t hate each other? Does it not teach us that, despite our differences, we can put them aside and do Good? Did Narcissa Malfoy not recognize that she was wrong and that she needed to make sure Harry lived because even though he was on the other side she realized that what he was doing was also in her best interest?
True, Twilight fans are just as guilty of bashing Harry Potter as we are of bashing Twilight. It is our responsibility and our prerogative, however, to try to mend what is broken. There is no reason why we cannot coexist, there is no reason why we cannot befriend each other, and there is no reason why we cannot work together, as an enormous bi-fandom collective, to be even more constructive and productive in our efforts to make the world a better place. Bickering over the small, petty differences is tiresome, and once we all start to really recognize our errors and repair the damage we’ve done, the happier we all will be. Neither fandom is going away; it’s time that we start to get along.
Content Management Powered by CuteNews
