actually, I've been thinking about this a bit because I was a big harry potter fan as a kid and I met a lot of my friends that way, and the whole idea that it's consumers' fault for putting people on pedestals is just...not fair? https://twitter.com/jaythenerdkid/status/1310268326317228033

firstly, we live in a society that encourages rampant consumption and building an identity around that consumption, and maybe there are people who have somehow managed to completely avoid that pressure but I know I sure as hell haven't

for better or worse, lots of people do build identities around the things they love and while that does create a lot of problems, it's also very understandable

also, art of all kinds reflects the societies in which it's created but also shapes those societies and it's not unreasonable that people are shaped by the art they consume because that is literally part of its purpose

you're not some kind of sucker because a work of art changed the way you see the world or helped shape your belief system, and you're not a sucker for feeling betrayed or let down or shocked when the creator of that art doesn't live up to the ideals you thought they espoused

it's so cynical but also so unrealistic to expect that people can just switch off their emotional attachments to the things they consume

I'm not saying we shouldn't divest from or boycott art created by awful people, just that it's not a bad thing to admit that doing it *sucks*

I gave away all my harry potter stuff years ago but I'm not going to pretend like it was an easy or fun decision - coming to terms with the fact that this part of my identity that had brought me joy for years was something toxic was actually pretty painful, you know?

and while we're boycotting and divesting I think there just needs to be a little space for people to grieve without being mocked or shamed or whatever

it sucks finding out that other people suck, let people feel sad about it

my siblings and I used to quote the it crowd at each other all the time, it was one of very few things all six of us had in common

being trans and watching graham linehan just go completely off the rails honestly hurt, I can admit that

it was one little silly thing that brought me joy and that my siblings and I bonded over, I'm still sad that I don't have that anymore

I'm sad about not rewatching the harry potter movies with my little brothers and quoting along with them in silly voices, I miss that too

I'm sad every time someone I looked up to goes on TV and says people like me are dangerous because guess what, kids look up to the people who make the stuff they like and disappointment hurts and that's a normal reaction to have

we can talk all day about no ethical consumption under capitalism and not buying into celebrity culture but like, come on, we're human and humans need stories and heroes, it's just how we are

there's nothing wrong with feeling sad when your heroes let you down

maybe one day we'll all have evolved past the need for heroes but I doubt it'll happen in my lifetime or in any of yours, and until it does, maybe give people a little space to mourn when their heroes turn out to be assholes