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The public perception of a certain famous wizard and his magical school has been on the decline as of late. Even the announcement of the new game, Hogwarts Legacy, has many scrutinizing the lore of the Harry Potter franchise.
In particular, the recent trailer for the Hogwarts Legacy video game has revealed that the plot revolves around an uprising of goblins. While goblins are standard bad guys in a lot of fantasy worlds, the particulars of J.K. Rowling’s version of the creatures has many calling foul.
And comparing them to antisemitic tropes.
This isn’t a new accusation.
Rowling’s portrayal of goblins has been compared to antisemitic tropes since they first appeared in her books.
The description of their hooked noses, love for gold and beady eyes is right out of a White supremacist propaganda pamphlet. On top of all this, the goblins in the game are presented as instituting a rebellion, siding with dark wizards as a response to their own oppression.
Meaning in this game, you’re literally fighting oppressed minorities.
Very hilarious that the two new Harry Potter projects are a film series where the good guys make sure the Holocaust happens and a video game where you fight an oppressed race demanding equal rightshttps://twitter.com/della_morte_/status/1504954886005403652\u00a0\u2026— no thoughts, head empty \ud83d\ude03\ud83d\udcad (@no thoughts, head empty \ud83d\ude03\ud83d\udcad) 1647728701
#HogwartsLegacy continues a legacy of antisemitism in Harry Potter, casting the bank goblins as villains now:https://twitter.com/HPANA/status/1478837963639382018\u00a0\u2026— Wizarding News\u2122 (@Wizarding News\u2122) 1647801845
CW: Antisemitism\nSo apparently goblins who control the banks are the bad guys in the new Harry Potter game. So they really wanted to sell the game to alt-right after all the transphobia from the author— Maple (@Maple) 1647607389
there\u2019s no way the new harry potter game is about crushing a labor rebellion and lets you keep house elf slaves?? no fucking way lmao are you kidding me— soul nate (@soul nate) 1647728749
So, as if JKR\u2019s transphobia isn\u2019t enough to keep you from supporting this game, this plot point might, given the thinly veiled antisemitism that defines the depictions of goblins in HP:pic.twitter.com/9U2ikxRuKN— I Bless the Rains Down in Omaha (@I Bless the Rains Down in Omaha) 1647739726
Apparently we can add \u201cIm ok with blatant antisemitism\u201d to this pile too since the plot of the game revolves around the Gringotts Goblins scheming to steal everyone\u2019s money https://twitter.com/ashleyversus/status/1504816708405579778\u00a0\u2026— Bex \ud83d\udd1c WashingCon (@Bex \ud83d\udd1c WashingCon) 1647701613
CW: Antisemitism, harry potter\n\nhaha holy shit, HOLY SHIT, the GOBLINS are KIDNAPPING WIZARD CHILDREN in the video game, holy SHIT, that's just straight up fucking blood libel— Dragon Cobolt (@Dragon Cobolt) 1647648541
Rowling’s vocal views on transgender people had already dulled reception to the new video game. Having the game feature a marginalized group as the villains isn’t doing the game any favors.
Arguments against the claim of antisemitism—that it isn’t spelled out the goblins are meant to be Jewish caricatures—is a bad faith argument. The antisemitic tropes have been a common feature of goblins in fantasy, but their continued use acts as a dog whistle for the same hate groups that originally spawned the caricatures.
This video game was a chance to fix this issue, but instead they doubled down.
aren\u2019t actually hooknosed greedy people who steal children. Instead of acknowledging that Nazis et al use those to denigrate Jews to this day. But no, pointing out its using antisemitic shit applied to goblins is the real antisemitism.— Katie Dragon (@Katie Dragon) 1647871948
Hmm.\nI saw a series of videos detailing the antisemitism in the depiction of goblins in the books (not the noses from the movies).\nAren't able to join society other than BANKING. Short and swarthy with a guttural language. Too different to ever be trustworthy.\nSo.https://twitter.com/della_morte_/status/1504943008650829834\u00a0\u2026— Riki \u2746 fanart and fic \ud83d\udd1e (@Riki \u2746 fanart and fic \ud83d\udd1e) 1647769953
The most insulting thing about the blatant antisemitism of the Goblins in Harry Potter is JK Rowling's defense that "there were Jewish students at Hogwarts" because you can't tell me if there were Jews there they wouldn't have had an extremely lit Purim in one of the books— Themperor Kennedy\ud83d\udc38\ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\ud83c\udf08 (@Themperor Kennedy\ud83d\udc38\ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\ud83c\udf08) 1647632761
Tbh the idea of goblins as an underclass that needs to be kept in check is probably uncomfortable anyway for many folks, but only made worse given the HP franchise uncritically portraying racial segregation to the point of being pro-slavery at times.\n\nBut ALSO the antisemitism.— Derek Van Dyke (@Derek Van Dyke) 1647832408
If you buy the new Harry Potter game, you're transphobic and antisemitic. I'm 100% serious.\n\nIf Rowling's blatant transphobia and antisemitism (the Gringotts goblins) isn't enough to prevent you from buying the game, you are a bad person.https://twitter.com/PlayWithJambo/status/1504566143473762314\u00a0\u2026— Kim Crawley (@Kim Crawley) 1647604229
Hogwarts Legacy is set to release at the end of the year.
However, between the goblin controversy and J.K. Rowling’s transphobic views, there’s already been widespread calls to boycott the game.