This was published in the April 9th issue of the Kishwaukee Kaleidoscope.
I'm pretty sure I've loved Harry Potter my entire life. I read Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone when I was in first grade and I was hooked instantly. Ever since then Harry, all of his friends, and his enemies have been a huge part of my life. I've read all of the books several times over. I waited in line at midnight for most of them. I've seen all of the movies on their opening weekends, and have spent many hours joyfully debating with my friends over the books finer details. Being a Harry Potter fan has given me a sense of fellowship with others all over the world who share my love for the books. However, I've found that the fandom has a dark side that, until recently, I didn't really notice.
Last summer I got myself a tumblr. I thought it was the greatest thing I had ever done. I wasted so many hours searching through tumblr for all the things that I love and am passionate about. Harry Potter was of course one of those things. I posted numerous fan written stories and art that had been based on the books. I read character analysis that people had written for college classes about Draco and Harry that caused me to have revelations about the book that previously never would have occurred to me.
Tumblr also showed me the dark side of the fandom. I can't tell you how many fights I've read on tumblr between fans trying to prove that no one knows more about the book than they do. I was shocked to discover that the books I thought had brought the world together through mutual love were also tearing people apart. Why couldn't we all just learn from each other the way I had learned from so many other fans?
Then Pottermore was announced. I waited anxiously to sign up. I was one of the lucky million fans who got to be a beta tester for Pottermore. I got on my tumblr so I could share my excitement, but instead I saw something even more sad than fights between fans. I saw fans sending death threats to J.K. Rowling and the company building Pottermore. Words cannot describe how terrible and shameful that is. Fans were threatening to kill? Over a website?
The reason I'm saying all of this now is because this gross behavior isn't just happening in the Harry Potter Fandom. Other popular series like Twilight and The Hunger Games are beginning to see similar behavior from their fans. I'm here to tell you that it isn't okay. Instead of fighting with other fans take a step back and listen to them. You might actually be able to learn something from them. Who knows, maybe they will learn something from you too.
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