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Having written the most popular book series in the world, spawning one of the most popular film series of all time, you’d think J.K. Rowling would be quite well-liked. Yet new polling reveals that the opposite is true among the younger generation. YouGov data shows that only 21% of 18-24 year olds like the Harry Potter author, while 53% say they dislike her.
By comparison, 38% of 25-49 year olds, 48% of 50-64 year olds and 49% of 65+ year olds are fond of Rowling. Meanwhile, 51% of 18-24 year olds like the Harry Potter books and 63% like the films. Who would have thought defending women’s rights would turn off the progressive youth?
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SubscribeGoes to show how quickly and effectively propaganda can stick. So many people still believe everyone swallows spiders at night. What can you say…
My impression is that JK Rowling did not take up the mantle of publicly fighting to preserve women’s rights and safety in order to be liked.
She did it because she knew it was the right thing to do and it had to be someone “uncancellable” who did it.
More power to her.
Perhaps young people have always been more susceptible to propaganda, but this is something more nefarious and destructive than that: it is something like “universal moral truth” being dictated to our youth by mysterious algorithms through media that those of us over, say 25, are hardly even aware of. It’s a growing hive mind that presently seems unstoppable. It has nothing to do with JK Rowling, but with a sea change in what constitutes moral judgment. This is the same generation that has a favorite serial killer and yet pontificates on moral absolutes that we didn’t even know about five or ten years ago. We might be doomed.
Then again, maybe we aren’t. I belong to the generation that doesn’t know everything with complete certainty.