Let's talk about Harry Potter

[u/AMVilla86]

… and other problematic IP

Hi folks,

We need your input. The mods have been discussing for a bit now about crafts with complicated Intellectual Property creators. Occasionally a craft will receive reports due to the theme of the craft and not about crafting itself. While we try to be as open-minded as possible, and we follow sitewide rules (such as no hate speech targeting identity or vulnerability, etc), there is still some nuance with moderating these types of posts. These posts have raised many questions, but we realized we needed to ask the community what they thought. If the community is uncomfortable with something, we want to know and be sure to moderate appropriately.

Some of the ideas we had so far, and why they would be tough to implement:

- Ban specific IP→ Where do we draw the line of what is and isn’t allowed?

- Create specific flair for ‘problematic’ → again, where is the line drawn?

- When a post receives enough reports about the theme and not the craft, leave a high-level moderator comment explaining how to block a user and/or hide a post → might be ignoring a problem rather than solving the issue for the sub.

With that being said, there’s only so much we can police. We want crafters to feel welcome, but with all the moderating we do, it would be hard to add on a layer of “educate a crafter on why the creator of this IP is bad” on top of our normal roles. We also don’t want our subreddit to become a lightning rod for debate. Ultimately, we are a crafts subreddit. While a few comments about inspiration of a craft is allowed, and questioning of said inspiration is also welcome, once we're many comments deep in multiple comment threads with no mention of crafting, it is no longer an appropriate conversation for r/crafts. There are many other subreddits for discussion and debate where you can converse.

So, what do you all think we should do with these types of posts? If we receive a large variety of ideas, we'll put it together in a survey or poll to further gauge how the subreddit feels. Also, feel free to message the mods if you're uncomfortable commenting on the post.

[u/DreyHI]

So Rowling sucks. A lot. And in many different ways. The problem is so does Poe, and Hemingway, and Neil Gaiman now, and Harvey Weinstein and every movie he's ever touched. In fact, the more that you dig, the more that you will find that many famous artists from the producers, etc are not great people.

I am in favor of letting people draw their own inspiration from these works as long as it doesn't directly give financial gain to these people. So a Harry Potter themed craft magic wand would be cool. A bag made out of Harry Potter print fabric that gives money back to the world's number one transphobe, not cool. Someone recreates a prop from pulp fiction? Totally cool. Someone purchased a DVD of pulp fiction and bedazzled the cover, not cool.

And then for the inspired stuff, pin a mod comment that forces everyone to have their controversial fight about the source material underneath the mod comment so that op doesn't get all the notifications if they don't want to read about it. Any commentary that is not about the craft that is not under the mod comment then gets removed.

[u/Pancakefriday → u/DreyHI]

Yeah, we’re glossing over the fact that only Rowling out of those is currently openly using her funds to further her organization which harms and actively legislates against a group of people, which puts her and Harry Potter in a different bracket of “is a current and ongoing threat”.

Which is a very important distinction between “problematic” and “actively, currently, harming people’s lives”

[u/Ladyghoul → u/Pancakefriday]

I agree. as someone dating a trans woman and who has many trans friends, I have an upsetting and angry reaction to current crafts, baking, decorations, whatever it is even if it is not directly funding Rowling, it is still *advertising* for that IP. saying "I am ok showing off or selling this HP branded thing that encourages the continuation of its fans that at minimum, are misinformed and oblivious... or at worst, actively malicious and transphobic." it is perpetuating the support of someone who is CURRENTLY alive and funding laws and hate targeting specifically trans women. HP cakes in the baking subs get downvoted and subsequently locked soon after. they know what they're doing; *most* people are aware of what she and her brand represent (not all, but I would say most as these are adults whose nostalgia is more important than the safety of trans people).

People can make what they want... but I'm not naive enough to assume that publicly posting something made with or advertising for HP is not also endorsement of Rowling's beliefs. "people only say to separate the art from the artist when the artist is a piece of shit. you never see that same sentiment when the creator is wonderful and kind"