A Deep Dive into Potterheads
A Deep Dive into Potterheads
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00:00 and watch the special together.
00:01 It's gonna be so great.
00:02 I'll be there too during the premiere.
00:04 I'll be in the chat talking to everybody
00:05 and watching along with you 'cause it's really funny.
00:08 But if you're busy tonight, that's okay.
00:09 You can still buy and stream the special until November 24th.
00:13 For those of you who don't know,
00:14 I've been actually doing standup comedy
00:16 for longer than I've been making YouTube videos.
00:18 I'm really proud of the special.
00:19 I'm incredibly happy with how it turned out.
00:21 We worked really hard on it and it was really expensive.
00:25 So it would mean a lot if you guys checked it out.
00:27 There's also some really cool exclusive merch pieces
00:29 like a signed poster and a super cool graphic tee
00:32 all designed by Kel Loren
00:34 that you can only get your hands on if you buy the special.
00:36 So click the link in the description
00:37 and I'll see you guys tonight,
00:39 November 10th at 8 p.m. Eastern.
00:41 If you watch the special or not,
00:42 thank you so much for the support and enjoy this video.
00:46 See ya.
00:47 I solemnly swear I am goaded with the sauce.
00:51 Folks, "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone"
00:55 was released June 26th, 1997.
00:58 A book about an orphaned wizard boy destined for greatness,
01:02 navigating his first year
01:03 at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
01:06 Due to the immediate success of this book,
01:08 author J.K. Rowling began writing more and more installations
01:12 into the "Harry Potter" series,
01:14 ultimately writing seven novels.
01:16 Along the way, immensely successful movie adaptations
01:19 were created that absolutely catapulted the popularity
01:23 of the "Harry Potter" franchise
01:24 to levels never seen before.
01:26 They made "Harry Potter" games.
01:28 The first three were fucking awesome.
01:29 The rest were literal god shit.
01:32 They made "Harry Potter" clothing, toys, pancake mix.
01:36 They even made "Harry Potter" cologne
01:37 that I wish they handed out for free
01:39 at the midnight book releases.
01:41 P.U. I'm just kidding, but not really.
01:43 I saw the first "Harry Potter" film in theaters
01:45 when I was seven years old
01:47 and I immediately fell in love with it.
01:49 I remember it was November when it came out
01:51 and it hadn't snowed yet that year
01:53 and it wasn't supposed to snow for like another week.
01:55 But when me and my family walked out of the movie theater,
01:58 it was fucking snowing, dude.
02:00 And I freaked out 'cause I thought it was magic.
02:01 But looking back now, it was just a classic case
02:03 of weathermen being wrong all the time.
02:06 I then started reading the books
02:07 after I saw the first movie,
02:08 but then I realized video games and skateboarding existed.
02:12 So I just did that instead
02:13 while I waited for the rest of the movies to come out.
02:15 And let me tell you, dude,
02:15 I was a huge "Harry Potter" fan growing up.
02:18 I played all the video games.
02:20 Dude, I got sorted into my Hogwarts house
02:22 on the original "Harry Potter" Flash website.
02:26 I also did Hogwarts role play on "Habbo Hotel,"
02:29 but I'm not gonna divulge any further details about that.
02:33 I kept up with the "Harry Potter" franchise
02:34 up until the last movie's 2011 release.
02:37 And it felt cool watching the finale
02:39 to the series that I grew up watching.
02:42 Seeing the characters I grew up with
02:44 also dealing with the same issues I was dealing with
02:46 while becoming a young adult.
02:48 I mean, not all the same issues, obviously.
02:50 I mean like evil snake man trying to kill you.
02:52 - Happens every teenager, man.
02:53 - And when the credits rolled on the final movie,
02:56 that felt like a good time for me
02:57 to leave "Harry Potter" in the past.
02:59 But for other people, the love for "Harry Potter" persisted.
03:03 The Hogwarts Express kept on chugging.
03:05 Although the book series and main movie franchise
03:07 came to an end, "Harry Potter" fans,
03:09 also known as Potterheads,
03:11 had no shortage in ways to keep the fandom alive.
03:14 And look, there's nothing wrong with being a fan
03:16 of a particular piece of media.
03:18 But as I mentioned in my deep dive into Disney adults video
03:21 that I made a couple of years ago,
03:23 some people take things a little too far.
03:26 And that's what we're gonna talk about today
03:28 on this deep dive into Potterheads.
03:31 So with this video, I categorize everything
03:33 by making my very own Potterhead iceberg.
03:36 Icebergs are a way to categorize
03:38 the tame surface level stuff
03:39 and gradually work your way deeper down the iceberg
03:42 until you reach the super messed up stuff.
03:45 And not to sound like a Titanic here,
03:46 but before we get into the iceberg,
03:49 I feel like I do need to address the transphobic elephant
03:53 in the room, J.K. Rowling.
03:55 I feel like I can't talk about "Harry Potter"
03:57 without mentioning the many controversies
04:00 surrounding the series author, J.K. Rowling.
04:03 One of the tame criticisms of J.K. Rowling
04:06 is how she retroactively adds shit
04:09 to the "Harry Potter" series.
04:11 Like a couple of years ago when she was like,
04:12 "Oh yeah, Dumbledore is gay, by the way.
04:15 "Did I not say that?
04:16 "Did I not tell you guys that?"
04:17 Yeah, the last lines of the final book
04:19 were actually supposed to be,
04:20 "The scar had not pained Harry for 19 years.
04:23 "All was well.
04:24 "Dumbledore was gay, but I ran out of time."
04:28 That's the publishing business.
04:29 But that's definitely not her biggest criticism.
04:31 J.K. Rowling is what many refer to as a TERF,
04:35 and I don't mean a fake patch of grass.
04:38 TERF, T-E-R-F, a trans exclusionary radical feminist.
04:42 A person whose views on gender identity
04:44 are considered hostile to transgender people
04:47 or who opposes social and political policies
04:49 designed to be inclusive of transgender people.
04:52 Someone who's like, "I'm all for equality, yeah,
04:54 "except for trans people."
04:57 J.K. Rowling has posted many transphobic things on Twitter.
05:00 You know, for example, five reasons for being worried
05:03 about the new trans activism,
05:05 and also claiming that the existence of trans people
05:08 erases the lived reality of women globally.
05:11 She even recently claimed that she would, quote unquote,
05:14 "happily go to jail for using someone's incorrect pronouns."
05:18 Okay, then go, go to jail.
05:20 - Mr. Electric, send her to Azkaban
05:22 and have her bewitched immediately.
05:24 (dramatic music)
05:25 - Also, dude, what the fuck does that mean, dude?
05:27 What do you mean, J.K. Rowling?
05:30 When would that ever happen?
05:31 What are you in for?
05:32 DUI, classic, driving under the influence.
05:36 Nah, someone told me their pronouns,
05:38 and I DUI, didn't understand it.
05:41 (laughs)
05:43 Okay, fine, I grabbed a cop's gun.
05:47 And all of those transphobic comments
05:48 are pretty crazy things to say,
05:51 especially when the main themes
05:52 in your seven children's novels
05:54 were love, acceptance, and belonging.
05:57 You know, I'd like to believe since J.K.'s full name
05:59 is just kidding, I assume,
06:02 that these are all just fucked up jokes,
06:04 but unfortunately, they're not.
06:06 She's being serious.
06:07 And following these statements,
06:08 a ton of cast members of the Harry Potter films
06:11 spoke out against her hateful rhetoric
06:12 and distanced themselves from the franchise.
06:14 And since then, the topic of separating the art
06:17 from the artist is always prevalent
06:19 when anybody is discussing anything related to Harry Potter.
06:22 And I'm not gonna sit here and tell you
06:24 what content you should or shouldn't consume.
06:26 Unless it's my comedy special that premiered tonight,
06:28 you absolutely should consume that.
06:29 But when it comes to consuming Harry Potter content
06:32 that directly supports J.K. Rowling monetarily,
06:36 I don't know, maybe just don't do that.
06:39 Life's fine without Harry Potter, you know?
06:41 It's the fucking same.
06:43 If you really wanna watch children go to school that bad,
06:46 (sad music)
06:47 I don't know, dude.
06:48 That's a whole other problem you gotta deal with.
06:49 Like being a diehard Potterhead pre-transphobia
06:53 was already like a side eye, but now, dude,
06:56 that's not a fucking side eye.
06:57 That is a, what's more, like a back eye.
07:00 Fully all the way around.
07:01 This is me back eyeing you.
07:03 Criminal offensive back eye.
07:04 Okay, sorry, I just feel like
07:05 I couldn't really make a Harry Potter video
07:07 without talking about that off the top.
07:09 So iceberg time.
07:10 So this iceberg is five levels deep
07:12 and the Potterhead mania gets crazier the deeper we go.
07:15 So the first level is casual Potterhead,
07:18 watches the movies once a year,
07:20 knows their Hogwarts house and their Patronus,
07:22 possibly read the books once.
07:24 And I feel like this is the majority
07:25 of the Potterhead fandom.
07:26 People who know everything about Harry Potter
07:28 and how they would fit into the Harry Potter universe,
07:31 but they don't really make it a part
07:32 of their personality that much.
07:33 I'd probably say this is the level I operated in
07:35 when I was a kid.
07:36 Dude, I remember getting sorted into Hufflepuff
07:39 when I was a kid and having like a literal
07:41 existential crisis because I wanted
07:43 to get sorted into Ravenclaw.
07:44 Thinking back, I think I fucking cried,
07:46 which is so embarrassing.
07:48 - Hufflepuff ruined.
07:49 - For those of you who don't know,
07:50 there are four houses in Hogwarts
07:52 where the students are segregated, sorry, sorted into.
07:55 And each house is associated with certain traits.
07:57 But to boil it down as simple as I can,
07:59 Gryffindor is good guys, Slytherin's bad guys,
08:02 Ravenclaw is smart people, Hufflepuff is everybody else.
08:05 And it's fucked 'cause like Gryffindor
08:06 and Slytherin are opposite, right?
08:08 Good guys, bad guys.
08:09 So therefore, the other houses should be opposites
08:11 of each other as well.
08:13 And if Ravenclaw is smart, then Hufflepuff is,
08:17 I guess that would mean they're,
08:19 I don't know what the opposite of smart is.
08:21 I'm a Hufflepuff, we're fucking stupid.
08:23 I cried when I got sorted online alone in my computer room.
08:28 If I had to do that in front of like thousands of kids,
08:31 if I was an 11 year old magic boy and I sat down
08:34 and some fucking person put on a magic hat
08:36 and he was like, "Dumbass!"
08:38 I'd fucking transfer to a public school immediately.
08:41 And usually the people in the first category
08:43 also know what their Patronus is.
08:46 And a Patronus is like a sort of spectral animal
08:49 that protects that person when they cast the spell,
08:52 Expecto Patronum.
08:54 She expect my Patronum until I own.
08:56 And that was one thing I never liked in the movies.
08:59 I'm realizing now the first part of this iceberg
09:00 is just me making fun of the movies,
09:02 but let me get it out of my system.
09:03 I never liked the Patronus concept in the movies
09:06 'cause like some kids' fucking Patronus
09:08 was like a grizzly bear.
09:09 And then another kids would be like a rat.
09:12 You're telling me both of those
09:13 are gonna do the same amount of protecting?
09:15 Fuck no, that's impossible.
09:16 And you can't change your Patronus.
09:18 Like what if you just got like a super shitty one
09:20 that doesn't help you at all?
09:21 Oh my God, a Dementor.
09:22 That's okay, I know the perfect spell.
09:25 Expecto Patronum.
09:26 ♪ Don't let this, don't let this ♪
09:31 ♪ Don't let this go too far ♪
09:34 - The fuck is that?
09:36 ♪ Don't let this, don't let this ♪
09:39 - That's my Patronus.
09:40 He's an early 2000s break dancer.
09:43 - I thought a Patronus was supposed to be an animal.
09:46 - I'm an animal on the dance floor, brother.
09:48 - Okay, well, I'm gonna kill you now.
09:50 - Patronus, are you gonna do anything?
09:52 (Patronus growling)
09:55 - Okay, let's move down one more level of the iceberg.
09:57 The next level is Genuine Potterhead.
10:00 Watches the movies several times a year
10:01 and they've read every book.
10:03 They straight up bring butter beer to a pre-drink
10:05 and have their own wand.
10:06 They have at least one Harry Potter tattoo.
10:09 Join their college's quidditch team.
10:10 This is where it starts to get a little more gnarly.
10:12 Once you get a Harry Potter tattoo,
10:14 there's no going back, I'm afraid.
10:16 And that's coming from someone with a fucking Gooby tattoo.
10:18 I just remembered the actor who does the voice for Gooby
10:21 was Robbie Coltrane, rest in peace.
10:23 He also played Hagrid in the Harry Potter movie.
10:26 So I kind of inadvertently have a Harry Potter tattoo.
10:29 The Deathly Hallows tattoos are a staple, obviously.
10:32 That design kind of lends itself to a tattoo.
10:35 And I feel like JK Rowling knew that
10:36 when she was cooking up that design.
10:38 I'm going to create a design that is so simple.
10:40 But some Harry Potter tattoos are a little more questionable
10:44 like this Harry Potter full leg piece.
10:47 I'm gonna go out on a limb here
10:49 and say that you shouldn't go out on a limb there, okay?
10:51 Legrid.
10:53 I also found a Harry Potter forehead tattoo
10:55 of the number seven with Harry Potter's face in the number.
10:58 Absolutely fucking unhinged tattoo to get.
11:01 It's called a forehead, not a seven head.
11:03 (screaming)
11:05 Must be a Hufflepuff.
11:06 I assume she got the number seven
11:08 because that's how many books there are.
11:09 But like, dude, could you imagine if JK Rowling,
11:11 surprise, dropped an eighth book?
11:13 First one would be fucked.
11:14 (eerie music)
11:16 But I think the most questionable Harry Potter tattoo to get
11:20 is the Dark Mark tattoo.
11:23 For those of you who don't know,
11:24 there's a group of evil wizards who follow Lord Voldemort.
11:28 And they're called Death Eaters.
11:30 Their goal is to create a wizarding, pure blood ethno state
11:34 and kill anybody who isn't a pure blood.
11:36 These Death Eaters all have a Dark Mark
11:38 burned into their forearms
11:39 to show their allegiance to this genocide.
11:41 And people in real life get this Dark Mark tattoo.
11:46 (scary music)
11:48 What the fuck?
11:50 And look, you can say it's just fiction all you want,
11:52 but the message is still the same.
11:54 It's a genocide.
11:55 It represents a genocide.
11:56 If someone has a fucking swastika tattoo,
11:58 they're not gonna be like,
11:59 "Oh, I just liked the movie 'Inglorious Bastards'."
12:02 Obviously I'm not saying anybody
12:03 with a Dark Mark tattoo is a Nazi.
12:05 But like, out of all of the things
12:07 from Harry Potter to get tattooed,
12:09 that's the thing you got?
12:10 I'm giving you another back up.
12:12 But the last line of this level that I wanna talk about
12:14 is the college quidditch team.
12:16 Because I had no idea that this was a real thing.
12:18 In the Harry Potter series,
12:20 there's a popular sport called quidditch
12:22 where everybody flies around on broomsticks
12:24 and the chasers try to throw the quaffle through the hoops
12:28 and the keeper tries to block the quaffle
12:30 from going in the hoops.
12:31 And the whole time there's these beaters
12:33 that try to bat away the pledgers
12:35 that are flying around trying to hit everybody.
12:36 And there's also these two seekers
12:37 who try to fly around and catch a little ball,
12:40 a little magic ball called the golden snitch.
12:42 'Cause if they catch it, they win the game.
12:43 If anybody said what I just said pre-Harry Potter,
12:46 they'd be put in a fucking straitjacket.
12:48 Yes, there's a quaffle,
12:49 and the chasers, and the beaters.
12:51 Believe it or not,
12:51 quidditch doesn't just exist in the wizarding world.
12:54 It's also here now in the muggle world.
12:57 The only difference is they just run with brooms
12:59 between their legs instead of flying.
13:01 And unlike the movie, they don't draw a crowd.
13:04 Okay, sorry, that was mean.
13:05 - Silly moment.
13:06 - The funniest thing about real life quidditch
13:08 is how they incorporate the golden snitch.
13:11 I was really curious how they were gonna do this
13:13 because the golden snitch is a magic little flying ball
13:16 that sort of zips around.
13:17 So I had no idea how they were gonna add that
13:19 to the real life game, but this is how they do it.
13:22 - Seeker's job is to catch the snitch
13:24 and the seekers have to get the tennis ball
13:26 without actually touching the snitch runner.
13:28 - The seekers have to go look for me out on campus.
13:31 - Some poor bastard dresses up in all gold
13:34 and the seekers have to just hunt him down
13:37 and find him somewhere on the campus
13:39 and grab a tennis ball out of a weird sock
13:41 that's hanging from his groin.
13:43 And that's how they win the game?
13:44 What the fuck?
13:45 That might be the funniest thing I've ever seen.
13:46 Just two dudes holding a broomstick between their legs
13:50 running around a college campus like,
13:52 "Where is he?
13:52 "Where the fuck is that son of a snitch?"
13:54 Like do you try out to become a snitch?
13:56 Like it can't be the thing that you want it to be, right?
13:59 Or maybe it is, I don't know.
14:00 Like I wonder who like the best snitch ever was.
14:03 You know, that is a sports docu-series
14:05 that I would watch front to back.
14:07 - Welcome back to Snitch, a golden story,
14:10 where we learn about the trials and tribulations of Tyler,
14:13 the best snitch the world of real life quidditch
14:16 has ever seen.
14:17 - Tyler was the best snitch I've ever seen.
14:19 Nobody could ever find him.
14:21 I've been a seeker on my college's quidditch team
14:24 for 10 years.
14:25 - You've been in college for 10 years?
14:27 - Yeah.
14:29 In the four years that Tyler played, he was never found.
14:32 Nobody could ever find him on campus, not once.
14:35 It's crazy, but sometimes I think he actually might be magic.
14:38 Every sport has their greats.
14:40 Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, Mike Tyson.
14:43 I think another name needs to be added to that list.
14:46 Tyler.
14:48 - And in a Snitch, a golden story exclusive,
14:51 we've secured the very first on-camera interview
14:54 with the golden snitch himself, Tyler.
14:57 How were you able to elude every quidditch player
15:00 for all those years?
15:01 - Oh dude, it was so easy.
15:02 All I had to do was go to the one place
15:04 a Harry Potter fan will never go, a girl's bedroom.
15:08 Okay, sorry, we'll move down to the third level
15:10 of the iceberg now.
15:11 This is where things really start to kick up a notch.
15:13 Harry Potter exists in every aspect of their life.
15:16 They have Harry Potter themed weddings,
15:18 Harry Potter collections, clothing,
15:21 and even name their children after Harry Potter characters.
15:23 Weirdly obsessed with the actors in the movies,
15:26 they go to the Wizarding World theme park
15:28 any chance they get.
15:29 This level of fandom, it's kind of like
15:30 the Bully McGuire montage in Sam Raimi's "Spider-Man 3"
15:35 where Peter has like fully accepted the symbiote
15:38 into his life and he's letting it like dictate
15:40 how he behaves and how he acts and dances.
15:43 That's what's happening to these Potter heads,
15:45 but instead of like a black suit,
15:46 it's just a black robes and a Gryffindor scarf.
15:49 And dude, I don't know what it is
15:51 about millennials in fandoms,
15:54 but you don't have to make your wedding
15:55 based off of the thing you like.
15:57 You could just have a wedding or two.
15:59 I had two of them, dude, and none of them were Harry Potter.
16:02 And I know it's their wedding day,
16:03 they can do whatever they want.
16:04 I know that, like who am I to judge, right?
16:06 But also at the same time, let me be a hater for a second.
16:10 Dude, straight up, if I got an invitation
16:12 to a serious Harry Potter wedding, I am acting a fool.
16:15 I'm showing up dressed as Moaning Myrtle
16:18 and during the whole ceremony,
16:19 I'm gonna be in the back row like,
16:20 (moaning)
16:23 Don't invite me to a Harry Potter wedding
16:24 or else I might cast my Patronus at the reception.
16:27 ♪ Don't let this, don't let this ♪
16:29 Also the part where they have Harry Potter collections,
16:32 I'm not saying that's bad.
16:33 I've got a crazy stupid collection
16:35 of a bunch of nerdy ass bullshit.
16:37 So I can't make fun of anybody in that sense,
16:39 but naming your child after a Harry Potter character,
16:43 that I can make fun of.
16:45 There are countless articles online
16:47 giving examples of like Harry Potter names for babies.
16:51 What are we doing?
16:52 If you're naming your baby Lucius or Severus or
16:56 Bunty, that is child abuse.
17:00 And I am so serious, you are ruining that baby's life
17:04 before it even takes its first breath, dude.
17:06 Not even the actors in the movies would do that.
17:08 And they were in the movies.
17:09 Speaking of the actors, this is a good time to talk about
17:12 the other line in this level,
17:14 weirdly obsessed with the actors in the movies.
17:16 Like how a Harry Potter fan legally changed his name
17:20 to Lucius Malfoy and sent a letter to the actor Tom Felton
17:25 who plays Draco Malfoy, the son of Lucius Malfoy.
17:29 And this Harry Potter fan who changed his name to Lucius
17:31 wanted Tom to change his name to Draco Malfoy legally.
17:35 So this new guy named Lucius Malfoy
17:37 could legally adopt Tom Felton.
17:39 That's so fucking weird.
17:41 And also I don't think it works like that.
17:44 If some kid also has the last name Connor,
17:46 can I just adopt him legally?
17:48 Is that true?
17:49 If it is, I am going to adopt every single Connor
17:53 until I have acquired them all.
17:54 It will be the biggest con of all time.
17:56 And finally, I will be the true Connor.
17:59 But the last line I put on this level of the iceberg is,
18:02 they go to the Wizarding World theme park all the time.
18:04 And the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios
18:07 is actually what inspired me to make this video.
18:10 Disney adults and Harry Potter adults,
18:12 they're cut from the same cloth.
18:13 They all take stuff just a little bit too far
18:15 when it comes to the theme parks.
18:17 And I've been to the Wizarding World before.
18:19 I went in 2012 and I had a great time.
18:21 But let me tell you,
18:22 there is nowhere on earth less magical than Orlando, Florida.
18:27 No matter how many British people
18:29 in cloaks they put in that park,
18:31 nothing will take my mind off of the fact
18:34 that I have an ungodly amount of sweat in my ass crack
18:37 and balls in my balls.
18:39 Fucking miserable, man.
18:40 I was so hot.
18:41 I was sweaty.
18:42 I was thirsty.
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20:10 Back to me.
20:11 We're talking about the Harry Potter theme park.
20:12 The rides were fun,
20:13 other than the fact that I got a nosebleed
20:15 on the hippogriff ride.
20:17 But that's only because I was on Accutane at the time,
20:19 so I'm not gonna blame Harry Potter for that.
20:21 People in this level of the iceberg
20:23 probably also go to King's Cross Station in London
20:26 on September 1st,
20:27 where a huge crowd forms at nine in the morning,
20:31 because that's when they announced
20:32 the train leaving for Hogwarts in the station.
20:35 Train doesn't actually leave, 'cause it doesn't exist,
20:37 because Hogwarts isn't a real place.
20:38 But holy shit, dude,
20:40 look at how many goddamn people are there in that station.
20:43 Imagine like rushing to catch your train
20:45 because you have a really important job interview coming up,
20:47 and when you finally get to the station,
20:48 there's like thousands of people there,
20:51 and they're all just like, "Locomoto, apiro!"
20:54 Or even worse, dude,
20:55 what if you were like an actual wizard
20:57 trying to get to Hogwarts,
20:58 but there was all these fucking people in the way?
21:00 So you miss the train,
21:02 so you gotta go steal your buddy's dad's flying car,
21:05 and then you end up crashing the whip
21:06 into the Whomping Willow.
21:08 Then what?
21:09 Then what?
21:09 Sorry, back to the Harry Potter theme park really quick.
21:11 I think Universal Studios is much better
21:13 than any Disney park,
21:14 because they got "Simpson's Land,"
21:15 and I like drinking Duff beer.
21:17 But still, dude,
21:18 there's people who've had like gorilla-style weddings
21:21 in the wizarding world of Harry Potter
21:23 when they're not allowed to do that there,
21:25 and there's also people who go to this park
21:26 every single day.
21:28 And you know, I start judging this shit like crazy,
21:30 and then I see a video like this,
21:32 where it's someone crying the entire time
21:34 they're at Harry Potter World,
21:36 because they're so happy.
21:37 And then I feel like an asshole.
21:39 Maybe being a Potterhead isn't so bad.
21:40 If a piece of media can bring someone this much happiness,
21:44 then maybe there's nothing wrong with it at all.
21:45 Maybe we just need to accept some people...
21:47 Oh, wait, sorry,
21:48 I just remembered the last level of the iceberg.
21:50 Disregard what I was just saying.
21:51 Let's keep going.
21:52 The second last level we have is
21:54 they genuinely believe Harry Potter is real.
21:58 They write their own Harry Potter fan fictions.
22:00 They call people Muggles unironically.
22:02 Well into their 30s,
22:03 but still waiting on a Hogwarts acceptance letter
22:06 in the mail.
22:07 Harry actually enjoys the Fantastic Beasts films?
22:10 Question mark, question mark, question mark?
22:12 The last line is the most egregious of all,
22:14 because that movie sucked.
22:15 I watched it on a plane.
22:16 I've never wanted to skydive so bad in my life.
22:19 And this level of the iceberg
22:20 is the point of no return for Potterheads.
22:22 This is when the delusion fully consumes them,
22:25 and they genuinely believe that they are legitimate wizards.
22:29 Like this, let's look at this one Facebook post
22:31 from Potterheads for Life.
22:33 "Harry Potter International Day.
22:35 In memory of all those who died during the Hogwarts battle.
22:37 Today is May 2nd, the day of the Battle of Hogwarts.
22:40 The day that Harry, Ron, and Hermione snuck back
22:42 into Hogwarts and destroyed the Horcruxes.
22:45 The day that Harry finally defeated Voldemort.
22:47 The day we could see the real courage and sacrifice.
22:49 We will never forget everyone who fought in the war
22:52 and all those who died.
22:53 Fred Weasley, Nymphadora Tonks, Remus Lupin,
22:57 Colin Creevey, Severus Snape, and many more.
23:00 Let's raise our wands for those who fought and died.
23:03 Remember, May 2nd, 1998."
23:06 And these next comments are great.
23:07 "This is a fictional event.
23:09 Please read another book."
23:10 And that's from Carl Boom Boom.
23:12 Carl Boom Boom.
23:15 No, it's not.
23:16 Carl Boom, where'd I get the fucking Boom Boom from?
23:19 (laughing)
23:22 Straight up can't read.
23:23 I'm a Hufflepuff, man, we're fucking dumb.
23:25 And then in response to Carl Boom Boom,
23:27 Nathan says, "Carl, you do realize
23:30 that the Ministry of Magic modified
23:32 all of the Muggles' memories,
23:33 so they would not remember this historic event, right?
23:36 You do realize you had your memory erased
23:38 by the Ministry of Magic,
23:40 but even though me telling you that they did that
23:42 sort of negates any effect that they had, right?"
23:46 I totally get, you know,
23:47 submersing yourself into a piece of media, you know,
23:50 as a form of escapism and stuff,
23:52 but like, it's wild to genuinely believe
23:54 that Hogwarts exists, dude.
23:56 I talked about this in my
23:57 "Internet's Most Absurd Lies" video,
23:59 but someone posted a video saying
24:01 that they actually received an acceptance letter
24:04 from Hogwarts, and they were being 100% serious.
24:06 Like, there are people out there
24:07 who genuinely think Harry Potter is real,
24:10 and I don't think it's like funny or cute.
24:12 At a certain level, it's like harmful, I think.
24:15 And you'll agree after you read this.
24:16 I found a Reddit post in r/HarryPotter
24:19 that is super messed up, if it's real.
24:21 I hope it's not, I hope I'm getting fucking pranked,
24:23 but here it is.
24:24 Since our daughter was five
24:25 and my wife and I first started reading her
24:27 the Harry Potter books,
24:28 we have told her that she is a witch
24:30 and that the wizarding world is real.
24:32 She is almost eight,
24:33 and as her questions have gotten deeper,
24:35 we've kept building the illusion with more details
24:37 about our family, genealogy,
24:39 and its connection to book characters,
24:41 stories about times we use magic,
24:43 and the life and moral lessons we learned about it.
24:45 She has processed many difficult subjects
24:47 like racism, climate change,
24:49 and even the coronavirus through this lens.
24:52 Before other parents judge or lecture,
24:54 we know it's gaslighting,
24:55 and that eventually she'll have be disappointed
24:59 and have trust issues with us when she learns the truth.
25:02 We justify it that we are adding magic to her childhood
25:05 and giving her motivation
25:06 to reach her full magical potential,
25:09 since she needs to study hard to be accepted to Hogwarts.
25:11 We've asked serious questions of her teachers,
25:13 and they think it's more awesome and creative than damaging.
25:16 At the very worst case,
25:17 my take is that it's analogous to children being raised
25:21 to believe that traditional religious stories are true,
25:24 and that when the truth hits,
25:26 it will teach her to ask critical questions
25:28 and not accept everything she hears or reads at face value.
25:32 Just absolutely diabolical parenting.
25:36 This is literally a villain origin story for this child.
25:40 This is how Voldemorts are made.
25:42 When this kid actually finds out magic isn't real,
25:44 they're gonna be so angry and betrayed.
25:46 They're gonna be like, "No, Voldemort, cut the rope!"
25:48 And then nothing's gonna happen because magic isn't real.
25:51 Also to compare it to religion
25:53 and frame it as like a weird lesson
25:55 to never take things at face value.
25:58 Dude, what a fucking terrible lesson for your child.
26:01 You're dumb for believing us.
26:02 We're your parents.
26:03 You should never believe a word we tell you.
26:06 Got it?
26:07 Okay.
26:08 We love you.
26:09 This is like a modern version
26:11 of Plato's allegory of the cave.
26:14 But instead of an allegory, it's just someone's life.
26:17 This is like being the last kid that believes in Santa,
26:19 but a million times worse.
26:21 I feel like this could escalate
26:23 to something really dangerous.
26:24 Hey, Dad, up here.
26:26 Check it out.
26:27 Oh my God, what are you doing up there?
26:28 Get down right now.
26:29 No, it's okay, Dad.
26:30 I'm gonna fly just like you told me.
26:33 Here we go.
26:34 Hey, whoa, whoa, whoa.
26:35 Don't let that, oh my God.
26:36 (screaming)
26:37 Oh my gosh, I can see everything from up here.
26:40 Oh my God.
26:41 You're flying.
26:42 You're really flying.
26:44 You are a wizard.
26:45 No, I think I died when I hit the ground.
26:47 I'm going to heaven.
26:48 Yeah.
26:49 Bye.
26:50 Looks like I'm gonna be in the dog house.
26:55 And I think the Potterheads at this level
26:57 take their Hogwarts houses way too seriously as well.
27:00 I've seen a lot of posts where people
27:01 will put their Hogwarts house
27:04 in their Tinder and Hinge bios,
27:06 which I don't know what would compel you to do that.
27:08 I also found a YouTube video titled,
27:10 These Harry Potter YouTubers Have Something to Say.
27:13 When I saw that, I was like, damn, dude,
27:15 this is gonna be some hard hitting shit.
27:16 This is gonna be some serious stuff they're covering.
27:18 Let's see what they have to say.
27:19 - One thing that really annoys me about being in Slytherin
27:22 is that people think we are all bad.
27:23 Just because we are in Slytherin
27:25 does not make us bad people.
27:27 - Our house mascot is a blimmin' eagle.
27:29 It is not a raven.
27:31 - Be called a fake fan for being in Gryffindor
27:33 because people always assume
27:35 that you're in Gryffindor house
27:36 because Harry, Ron, and Hermione are in Gryffindor.
27:38 - I think other houses are favorited over Hufflepuff
27:41 because if you're Hufflepuff, then you're weak
27:44 or you can't do this or you can't do that.
27:46 - One thing that really annoys me
27:47 is when I say I'm in the Slytherin house,
27:49 people think it means I'm in the house of Voldemort.
27:52 - The stereotypical image of us is asking for more homework.
27:55 Who even asks for more homework?
27:58 - Hufflepuffs are often the butt of jokes.
28:00 I don't think anyone has heard more jokes
28:01 about any other house than Hufflepuff.
28:03 - We are so misunderstood and it drives me insane.
28:06 (sad music)
28:08 (coughing)
28:10 - Dude, none of that is real.
28:11 It's so fucking funny, dude, to make an emotional video
28:15 where you all like defend yourselves
28:17 from the people who criticize the arbitrary labels
28:20 you've given to yourself.
28:21 Guys, like if being in a Hogwarts house
28:23 is this sad and confusing
28:26 and misrepresentative of what you are, stop.
28:30 Stop it.
28:31 Stop labeling yourself as that, dude.
28:32 Gryffindors aren't just brave and courageous.
28:35 We're also cool and have a lot of money.
28:37 The Potterheads at this level of the iceberg
28:39 will do anything to insert themselves
28:42 into the Harry Potter universe.
28:44 And what's the best way to do that?
28:46 Fan fiction.
28:47 I wanna start off by saying there's nothing wrong
28:49 with writing fan fiction.
28:50 There are a lot of great fan fictions
28:52 that are comparable to the source material
28:54 in terms of quality.
28:55 Like for example, a fan fiction titled "All the Young Dudes",
28:59 fan fiction set in the Harry Potter universe
29:01 that is over 500,000 words long.
29:04 And it's also created an entire fan base of its own
29:07 centered around the older characters
29:09 in the series lives as young adults.
29:11 With any fandom, there's good fan fiction
29:13 and there's questionable fan fiction.
29:18 Guys, I could have made an entire video
29:20 strictly about Harry Potter fan fiction,
29:23 but I've picked one to take a quick look at.
29:25 I found a short story titled
29:28 "Harry Potter and the Tumbling Towers".
29:32 It takes place on September 11th, 2001.
29:36 And it's about Hermione rushing to New York to save Ron
29:41 when she finds out about the 9/11 attacks.
29:46 I'll read a few excerpts.
29:47 11th September, 2001.
29:49 Just as she was placing a piece of bread in the toaster,
29:51 the voice of the newscaster on television
29:54 caused her to suddenly drop her cup,
29:56 which shattered at her feet.
29:57 We've just received breaking news from the US.
29:59 Only moments ago, flight 11 crashed into the North Tower
30:03 of the World Trade Center.
30:04 The plane had departed from Portland, Maine
30:06 and was scheduled to land in Boston, Massachusetts.
30:08 American sources say this sudden event
30:10 could possibly be a terrorist attack.
30:12 So many thoughts are rushing through her head,
30:14 making her weak in the knees
30:15 and forcing her to sit down in the nearest chair.
30:18 Ron was in New York.
30:19 He had told her that he would be underground
30:21 most of the time, but not all the time.
30:24 Why hadn't she asked for more information?
30:26 What if Ron had been above ground when the plane hit?
30:28 What if for whatever reason,
30:29 he had been the North Tower when it had hit?
30:31 Spoiler alert, they both escaped the collapse
30:33 of the Twin Towers.
30:34 But here's another little paragraph.
30:35 11th September, 2001, 9:59 AM.
30:38 "So why were you by the World Trade Center?"
30:40 asked Hermione weakly,
30:41 her anguish-filled eyes searching his.
30:43 "Well, we've planted some spies throughout the city
30:46 above ground to see if they could find
30:47 where the Death Eaters were.
30:48 A few days ago, one of them came back
30:50 and reported that he had spotted a few Death Eaters
30:53 in an alleyway by the Twin Towers.
30:55 When the first plane hit, I was already above ground.
30:57 But shortly after the second plane hit,
30:59 I saw you outside the South Tower.
31:01 I had no idea why you would be here
31:03 or if it was even possible for you to be here,
31:04 but I knew it was you, even from the back."
31:07 Okay, dude, this rocks.
31:11 Okay, I know they just announced
31:12 that they're rebooting the Harry Potter series
31:14 as a television show.
31:15 Please include this.
31:16 I want, no, I need an entire movie
31:19 about Harry, Ron, and Hermione
31:21 tracking down the people responsible
31:24 for the 9/11 attacks, dude.
31:25 I, dude, at one point in the movie,
31:28 Harry is just like, "Osama bin Laden!"
31:31 Holy shit.
31:35 Think of all like the Fred and George Schwinn jokes
31:37 they could make in it too.
31:38 Please, J.K. Rowling, please include that.
31:40 We'll forgive you if you do that.
31:42 We won't, but please do it anyway.
31:43 Okay, holy shit.
31:45 We've covered a lot of ground so far
31:46 and I appreciate you watching if you're still here.
31:49 And now it's time to talk about the final level
31:51 of the Potterhead iceberg.
31:53 And I know what you're thinking.
31:54 We just talked about a Harry Potter 9/11 fan fiction.
31:57 Can it get any crazier than that?
31:58 Yes, yes, it can.
32:00 In this final level, I put three words.
32:03 Snape wives, shifting, Draco talk.
32:06 These are three different sub communities
32:08 within the Harry Potter fandom
32:09 that are truly bonkers to me.
32:12 And I seriously cannot believe that they're real.
32:15 First up, Snape wives.
32:17 Strange Aeons made a really great in-depth video
32:20 about this community.
32:21 So if you want like a deep dive
32:23 into that community specifically,
32:24 go check out that video after this video.
32:27 But here's the definition.
32:28 The Snape wives, also known as Snapists,
32:30 are a group of women in Harry Potter fandom
32:33 who believe that they channel Severus Snape,
32:36 allow his spirit to inhabit their bodies and speak to him,
32:38 are engaged in romantic relationships with him,
32:41 and see him as a vital spiritual guide
32:44 for their daily lives.
32:45 They practice Snapism,
32:46 a new religious movement centered on Snape.
32:49 They believe Severus Snape is not simply a character
32:52 in the Harry Potter books,
32:54 but an omniscient and immortal deity.
32:56 And in fact, believe that the books were written
32:58 because J.K. Rowling was channeling Snape.
33:02 I should say that the Snape wives community
33:04 doesn't really exist anymore, at least not publicly.
33:06 They were most active in 2006 on LiveJournal.
33:10 But these middle-aged women
33:12 would Photoshop pictures of themselves with Professor Snape
33:15 and they'd all take turns marrying him and talking to him,
33:18 and even going as far as worshiping him
33:21 as like a godlike being.
33:22 Professor Snape, like the potions instructor from the books.
33:26 The Snape wives also believe
33:27 that Snape was always watching over them.
33:29 Here's a little excerpt
33:30 from one of the Snape wives LiveJournal
33:33 about her encounters with Snape.
33:35 In a dramatic tale, he took away a hairband from her
33:38 and later returned it.
33:39 Rose recounts tossing her hairband on the floor
33:42 and being unable to locate it afterwards.
33:44 She realized, "My darling was teaching me not to throw."
33:47 (laughs)
33:48 Thank you, darling.
33:49 Yeah, you lost something and then you found it again.
33:52 Must've been Snape.
33:53 This is such an interesting way to go through life.
33:56 When anything remotely strange happens to you,
33:59 you just automatically assume it's the work
34:00 of some otherworldly, all-powerful entity
34:04 that has control over everything.
34:05 Oh, wait.
34:06 Sorry, a lot of people live their lives that way.
34:08 But who knows, man?
34:09 Miracles can occur.
34:10 Maybe every good thing that has happened to us
34:13 throughout all of history is because of Severus Snape
34:16 from the "Harry Potter" franchise.
34:17 Here's another example.
34:18 Snape seems to be particularly useful during burglaries.
34:22 (laughs)
34:23 One of Tanya's non-specified friends
34:26 was aided by him in such an event.
34:27 She was being robbed and Severus shoved her down
34:30 and caused the lights to go out.
34:31 She said she clearly heard his voice
34:33 telling her to stay down.
34:34 Unfortunately, Tanya was robbed at work
34:36 when she failed to heed Snape's advice
34:39 about not opening the door late at night.
34:41 In a more fortunate scenario,
34:42 Tanya was saved by Snape when she was home alone
34:45 in the early hours of the morning.
34:46 She heard him scream, "Girl, get up and get a knife now!"
34:50 I love picturing Snape as like a slightly annoyed drag queen.
34:54 "Girl, get up and get a knife now!
34:56 And don't fuck it up!"
34:59 But Snape also apparently made his presence known
35:01 in the physical world pretty frequently.
35:03 Snape makes his presence in the physical world known
35:06 in a variety of subtle ways,
35:07 including through the weather.
35:08 On January 9th, Tanya looked at her window
35:11 after being commanded to by Snape.
35:13 She saw an S-shape in the form of fog on the glass.
35:16 She later found out that Snape's birthday is on January 9th.
35:19 Strange S-shapes continued to appear
35:21 in unexpected places after this event.
35:23 For example, in a vivid recount of March 15th, 2008,
35:27 Tanya conveyed her excitement of a day
35:28 spent with Snape's presence.
35:30 She received a variety of signs from him,
35:31 such as a string from her carpet forming the letter S.
35:34 Conchita looked out of a bus window
35:36 upon a nearly cloudless sky
35:38 and saw an S formation there also.
35:40 She kept looking at the cloud S until it vanished,
35:43 making her miss her stop by some distance.
35:44 Dude, if a bunch of S's means that Snape is around,
35:48 these women would have freaked the fuck out
35:50 if they saw my third grade notebook.
35:52 I drew that cool looking S a million times a day.
35:55 Dude, imagine like a Snape wife going to the zoo
35:58 and seeing like a snake enclosure.
36:00 Oh, cool, a python.
36:02 (snake hissing)
36:03 Oh my God, that's so many.
36:05 As weird as it is to start a religion
36:07 based off a fictional character,
36:09 it's not the first time that it's been done.
36:11 So, you know, I can't really make fun of it, I guess.
36:13 And it seemed to bring these women a bunch of joy.
36:15 So I'm officially converting, okay?
36:17 I'm a Snape husband now.
36:18 You hear that, Snape?
36:19 I got a half-blood prince right here for you, bro.
36:21 Okay, the next section of the final level is shifting.
36:24 I'm not gonna spend too much time on this
36:26 because I already made a whole podcast episode about this.
36:29 And I also talked about it
36:30 in my "Internet's Most Absurd Lies" video.
36:32 But TLDR, there are people out there
36:34 who claim to have the ability to shift to a reality
36:37 where Hogwarts is real
36:38 and they live out their lives as a Hogwarts student,
36:41 often spending months at a time in their alternate reality.
36:44 If you're there for that long,
36:46 I don't think it's shifting anymore, okay?
36:47 Shift?
36:48 More like caps lock.
36:50 'Cause why would you shift for months
36:51 when you can just press caps lock?
36:53 (audience laughing)
36:54 And also they're capping.
36:55 And the last part of the iceberg
36:56 that we're gonna talk about
36:57 is a little community on TikTok called DracoTalk.
37:01 And this community highlights the biggest issue
37:03 I've seen with the fandom.
37:05 DracoTalk is a community of people
37:07 either cosplaying as Draco Malfoy
37:09 or thirsting over the character of Draco Malfoy.
37:12 You know, some are weird, some are cringe,
37:14 but some are just terrible.
37:17 ♪ Ready, I am ♪
37:19 ♪ I wanna swallow a hair about this ♪
37:20 Oh!
37:21 Super funny thing to say
37:22 when you dress up in a maid outfit.
37:23 I'm gonna tell my dad.
37:24 Also, here's this great video
37:26 of what it's like to be in a seven-year relationship
37:28 with Draco Malfoy.
37:29 (gentle music)
37:32 Yay.
37:48 Seems like he doesn't like you that much.
37:50 Ladies, don't settle, okay?
37:52 Wait until you find a man
37:53 who takes five years to hold your hand.
37:55 And look, you can do whatever you want on TikTok.
37:57 You can make whatever content that you wanna make.
37:59 But my issue is with the thirst trap edits.
38:02 More specifically, my issue is with adults on TikTok
38:07 thirsting over a character who's like at the oldest, 17.
38:12 Oh my God!
38:14 Some of these videos,
38:14 the character of Draco Malfoy is like 13 years old, dude.
38:18 And there's people in their 20s
38:19 making like romance edits of them.
38:21 What the fuck?
38:22 Don't do that, obviously, right?
38:24 Azkaban, go to Azkaban.
38:26 And it's not just with Draco Malfoy either.
38:28 (upbeat music)
38:30 (cat meowing)
38:36 Dude, his name is Harry, not Harry.
38:39 Harry Potter is a little boy.
38:41 What are you fucking doing, dude?
38:43 What's next?
38:44 A fucking Tommy Pickles thirst trap?
38:45 You do a fucking Caillou strip tease?
38:47 Like this is fucking weird, right?
38:48 This is a kid's fantasy novel series.
38:51 What is happening?
38:51 We know this is a very small percentage of the fandom,
38:54 but it's still happening and it's fucking gross.
38:56 These characters should not be sexualized at all,
38:59 but it happens more than it should.
39:00 Like this Reddit exchange, for example.
39:02 As a Snemione shipper, this scene is pure gold too.
39:06 A Snemione shipper.
39:08 If you didn't catch that, that's Snape and Hermione.
39:11 In the sixth book, Hermione is 16.
39:14 And in the same book, Snape is 38.
39:17 Bro, what the hell, dude?
39:19 At least now we know what the S
39:21 that was shown to all the Snape wives stands for.
39:23 - Sagittarius.
39:24 - Okay, that concludes my Potterhead iceberg,
39:28 but it would feel wrong to end this video
39:30 without hearing what it's like to be a Potterhead
39:32 from an actual Potterhead.
39:34 I got to hear it from the hippogriff's mouth.
39:36 I reached out to a ton of Harry Potter content creators
39:39 and they pretty much all declined or just didn't respond,
39:42 which is fine.
39:43 You know, they're probably busy
39:45 sweating their balls off in Orlando, Florida.
39:47 But the more I thought about it,
39:48 the more I figured the Potterhead I talked to
39:51 should be a fan who was trying to make Harry Potter
39:54 more inclusive and LGBTQ+ friendly.
39:58 And in my research,
39:58 I found a not-for-profit fan-made web series
40:01 called "The Rise of the Order"
40:03 that puts the LGBTQI+ community at the forefront.
40:06 I reached out to their team and was connected with Ash,
40:09 the actor playing a young Remus Lupin in the film.
40:12 So here's my interview with a Potterhead.
40:15 Enjoy.
40:16 (upbeat music)
40:19 Okay, welcome everybody to Hogwarts Radio.
40:23 We're just waiting for our guest today in the studio, Ash,
40:27 to appear in this magical picture frame.
40:30 Also one announcement I've been told to make,
40:32 to the owner of a brown Nimbus 2000,
40:36 your broom is currently being towed.
40:39 And by towed, I mean it's been turned into a toad.
40:42 So I'm sorry about that.
40:44 Oh, looks like our guest is here.
40:46 Okay, wow, it looks like our guest, Ash,
40:48 is materializing right in front of us.
40:52 (laughing)
40:53 - Hello.
40:54 - You have to do that with your hands for the spell to work.
40:56 - It wouldn't work otherwise.
40:58 Some say that wizards need wands.
41:00 I just need jazz hands.
41:01 - Yeah, you have 10 little wands.
41:03 - I have 10 little wands.
41:05 - Thank you so much for coming on and talking to me.
41:08 I've been yapping over here for a while about Potterheads
41:11 without really getting a nice insider opinion.
41:14 So I appreciate it.
41:14 Do you wanna just like introduce yourself really quick?
41:17 - I'm Ash and I play Remus Lupin in "The Rise of the Order,"
41:21 which is a Marauders fan film.
41:23 I don't know if you've talked on it already,
41:25 but the Marauders is kind of like a little subsection
41:27 of like Potterheads,
41:29 but it's kind of a bit like separated as well.
41:31 So it's more the generation before Harry Potter.
41:34 - Okay, great.
41:36 We'll talk about that a little bit later.
41:37 Ash, would you describe yourself as a Potterhead?
41:42 - I think I used to definitely say Potterhead more.
41:45 Now I just say I'm a Marauders fan,
41:48 but I definitely like, I love the world of Harry Potter.
41:51 So that's kind of fit the criteria.
41:53 - So what was it about like the Harry Potter franchise
41:58 that originally like, you know, was appealing to you?
42:01 - I think, so obviously Harry Potter's been kind of
42:04 something that was there since my childhood
42:06 and it was just this magical world.
42:08 It was one of the first book series I read
42:11 and I just, I fell in love like most people do
42:15 with Harry Potter.
42:15 It's just such a, like,
42:17 you can kind of see yourself there, you know?
42:20 As I've grown older,
42:22 the reason that I've stuck with this magical world
42:25 is that I've found places in the fandom
42:28 that I can see more representation
42:31 that isn't just this little tight thing
42:34 that you find in the actual books.
42:36 - So yeah, obviously what I wanted to touch on,
42:38 it's pretty crazy 'cause like,
42:39 I feel like now it's like saying in the movies and books,
42:42 it's like, you can't say Voldemort, right?
42:44 Like you can't say his name and shit, right?
42:45 But like now I feel like it's gotten to like,
42:48 you can't say JK Rowling anymore.
42:49 Like, nobody wants to fuck, she has become-
42:52 - No one wants to speak the devil's name.
42:55 - She's become the villain.
42:56 With all of her like transphobic turf shit,
43:00 it's like, you know, it's gotten really,
43:01 I feel like it's gotten really weird
43:02 and difficult for Harry Potter fans.
43:04 Do you think there is like a way for people
43:07 to like be a Potterhead today
43:10 while also disagreeing with what JK Rowling stands for?
43:14 - Yeah, I definitely think so.
43:17 Fuck, sorry.
43:17 (laughing)
43:19 - Sorry, I was casting a mumbling spell on you.
43:23 - I think it really depends on, you've got to do it right.
43:27 You can't just ignore it.
43:29 You can't just like pretend that there isn't
43:32 that history behind JK Rowling.
43:34 And that's actually a present thing happening today
43:37 is that she is actively against trans people
43:41 and supporting anti-trans groups and stuff.
43:44 So I think it's not something that can be ignored.
43:47 But there is a right way to do it.
43:48 I make it very vocal that I don't support her views,
43:51 but it's not only that I don't support her views,
43:53 I also don't support her like money-wise anymore.
43:58 I don't fund anything that I know
43:59 is gonna go into her pockets.
44:01 And just making sure that if you have a platform
44:03 where you're engaging in Harry Potter related things,
44:06 you're making it clear that you don't support those views.
44:08 - Okay, yeah.
44:09 And I guess that it's true.
44:10 It's like with how big Harry Potter has gotten,
44:12 I guess it's so easy to find people
44:14 who make their own custom Harry Potter merch too.
44:17 And it's probably better than the official shit anyway.
44:19 - Exactly.
44:20 Like supporting small businesses
44:22 that have their own merchandise that's not official
44:25 is great.
44:26 And that's what I personally do.
44:28 - I wanna touch back on what you mentioned earlier.
44:29 You're playing young Remus.
44:33 - Young Remus Lupin.
44:34 - In a series called "The Rise of the Order."
44:38 We can talk about it for a little bit.
44:39 What's the overall goal with that project?
44:44 - Yeah, so "The Rise of the Order" is kind of,
44:48 it's the main goal is to kind of show
44:51 this world of Harry Potter with representation
44:53 that we didn't get to see as kids.
44:55 So we've got diverse range of cast,
44:58 like in terms of LGBTQ spec, different ethnicities.
45:03 Like it's just a very wide range of a cast
45:07 where we're representing characters
45:09 that we wish we had seen when we were a kid as well.
45:12 It's a not-for-profit because obviously if it was,
45:15 then we would have to give money to J.K. Rowling.
45:17 So we're very much,
45:20 very openly against her views.
45:22 We have it all on our website and it's, yeah.
45:25 - Cool, so do you have like a release date in mind yet?
45:29 - Yeah, so I think it will be next year sometime
45:33 we're hoping for early next year, like first quarter,
45:35 but I'm not sure exactly yet the release date's not out.
45:38 - Cool, and that will just be like on YouTube
45:41 or like on the website or?
45:42 - YouTube.
45:43 - Okay, awesome.
45:44 Go fucking follow them, go check it out.
45:46 Go support Money Not Going to J.K.
45:49 Ash, thank you again for taking the time to talk to me.
45:51 And if there's any final message you wanna give out
45:54 to Hogwarts Radio,
45:55 'cause that's what I said at the beginning,
45:57 I thought that's where we are.
45:58 - Just be yourself and don't let people
46:03 who have positions of power
46:05 because of content that they've made.
46:07 Don't let them define you,
46:09 separate yourself from that and live your truth.
46:12 - Hell yeah.
46:15 - I know that was deep.
46:16 - Thanks again, Ash.
46:17 - Goodbye.
46:18 - Oh yeah, there you go.
46:19 Whoa, holy shit.
46:21 All right, it seems someone may have cast
46:23 a haircut spell on me.
46:25 Well folks, that concludes our deep,
46:29 deep dive into Potterhead.
46:31 As long as this video is,
46:32 I feel like it easily could have been twice as long.
46:36 Trust me, I really tried to condense it
46:38 to the most interesting stuff that I found.
46:40 In conclusion, I think the Harry Potter fandom
46:43 is in a really interesting spot right now.
46:45 The main movie series has been done for over 10 years now.
46:50 And any attempt at a new movie
46:52 in the Harry Potter franchise has been a flop.
46:54 All that paired with the fact that the author
46:57 is a proud transphobe.
46:59 I honestly think we've seen the peak of the fandom.
47:02 And I think when it comes to separating the art
47:04 from the artist, like what Ash said,
47:06 there are ways to continue being a Potterhead
47:08 without supporting J.K. Rowling.
47:11 And after talking with Ash and learning about,
47:13 you know, projects like "The Rise of the Order,"
47:15 it made me feel good about just the future in general.
47:19 This group of young people had this huge amount of love
47:23 for this franchise that they no longer felt safe
47:26 or accepted in.
47:27 So they were just like, "Fuck it, we'll do it ourselves."
47:29 - We'll do it live.
47:30 - Fuck it.
47:31 - Fucking thing.
47:32 - And that's fucking badass, dude.
47:33 And I think it's like an extra slap in the face
47:35 to J.K. Rowling because that's literally a plot
47:39 to one of the Harry Potter novels.
47:40 In "The Order of the Phoenix,"
47:42 everyone's trying to like control the students
47:44 and all their opinions are being ignored and invalidated.
47:47 So the Hogwarts students all say,
47:48 "Fuck it, we'll just do it ourselves."
47:50 - Fucking thing sucks.
47:52 - And it's just so weird because obviously I can't deny
47:54 the positive effect the Harry Potter franchise had
47:57 on my life growing up.
47:58 And although it's difficult to navigate
48:00 being a Potterhead today,
48:02 it will never be as difficult
48:04 as navigating King's Cross Station on September 1st.
48:08 But all jokes aside, Potterheads may seem cringey
48:11 or weird from an outsider's perspective.
48:14 But if you try to empathize with them
48:16 and if you look hard enough, you might see the letter S.
48:19 That means Snape is looking after you.
48:21 - Turn to page 394.
48:24 (audience gasping)
48:26 - Okay, thank you so much for watching this video.
48:28 I hope you enjoyed it.
48:29 And if you did, please press the like button.
48:31 Leave a comment, let me know what you thought of this video.
48:33 Let me know what you think about being a Potterhead today.
48:36 And also buy my comedy special for "Crying Out Loud."
48:39 Seriously, it's super funny.
48:40 It premieres tonight at 8 p.m. Eastern.
48:42 But if you can't get there tonight at 8 p.m., it's all good.
48:44 It'll be available to buy and stream until November 24th.
48:47 But I'll be there in the chat tonight at 8 p.m.
48:49 So I will see you there.
48:51 It's gonna be so much fun.
48:52 I hope you enjoy it.
48:52 If not, sorry.
48:54 Okay, I would stick around,
48:56 but unfortunately you gotta go buy my special.