Anytime anything popular gets dragged here there’s always a few “let people enjoy things” and “don’t ruin peoples fun” and “don’t be a weird cynical hipster” and what have you.

Except for the most popular series of children books in history. For whatever reason that’s apparently weapons free for Hater Team 6 to go to town on. I’ve seen people say was shouldn’t ruin peoples “favorite toy” when it comes to sports, Twilight, Marvel Movies and astrology, but what makes those sacrosanct and Harry Potter fair game?

This applies somewhat to Hamilton too.

  • D61 [any]
    ·
    3 years ago

    Would like to echo that there's a difference between "enjoying" something and "identifying with" something.

    I liked the Harry Potter series when I was younger, like it a bit less after some things that were pointed out and the ideas that JK not only expresses but openly advocating for.

    I absolutely loved Ender's Game when I was growing up but the author is absolutely trash. I keep meaning to find a copy to reread as a middle aged adult instead of a tween/teenager.

    Hamilton is actually dangerous. Smarter people than me have pointed out that its revisionist as fuck and people are actively thinking they are learning history from consuming the slop from that trough.

      • D61 [any]
        ·
        3 years ago

        I'm not enough of a history aficionado to be able to copy/pasta bullet points. Sorry.

        But from some of the history themed podcasts I've listened to over the years that talked about the musical, their opinion was that it was ahistorical.

        It would be like a Hitler/Third Reich musical that frames their part in WW2 as just trying to build up their economy and give their people something to be proud of after their loss during WW1. But completely omitting all the atrocities, racism, institutionalized evil, etc.

        This might not be horrible, except that there are people who think that they are learning US history by watching/listening to Hamilton.

        • crime [she/her, any]
          ·
          3 years ago

          It would be like a Hitler/Third Reich musical that frames their part in WW2 as just trying to build up their economy and give their people something to be proud of after their loss during WW1. But completely omitting all the atrocities, racism, institutionalized evil, etc.

          To extend your metaphor, your Springtime for Hitler would tout a Jewish cast to laud itself as progressive and further launder the third reich's reputation

            • BolsheWitch [she/her, they/them]
              ·
              3 years ago

              Oh fuck. I’ve never seen the musical, was that not done as a way to comment on the racism of amerika’s founders? Do they just totally white wash the slavery, racism, and sexism they all had?

              • HumanBehaviorByBjork [any, undecided]
                ·
                3 years ago

                It really depends on what you mean by commentary. The play acknowledges that slavery happened and it was bad, but doesn't seem to think that implies anything about the mythology of America's founding. The Founding Fathers who all owned slaves or participated in the slave trade are presented as uncomplicated heroes. At the end there's a throwaway line about how if Alexander Hamilton hadn't died in a completely inane duel he would have totally become an abolitionist and a feminist.