This is a post I (Lina) wrote way back in 20 Aug 2011. Enjoy!!!
There are many heated issues today where people
have taken one of two sides. Left wing versus right wing. Monotheist versus
atheist. But the most heated issue that I have seen recently has got to be
Harry Potter fans versus Twilight fans. That rivalry is brutal, to say the
least.
Since staring this blog and podcast,
I have been on the Internet more often. Because of this I have seen first hand
just how bad this animosity has gotten. For example, on a Harry Potter Facebook
group that I'm in, a member posted a question wanting to know what Harry Potter
fans thought of the relationship between Bella and Edward in Twilight. People
were pissed that someone had dared mention Twilight. So much so that they
bullied that member until she took the post down, which was a shame because
people were replying to it and had some interesting insights. Another example
is a Harry Potter twitter that I follow talked about wanting to delete their
account because it was being harassed by Twilight fans. Those fans were
harassing that account because it had tweeted about liking Harry Potter more
then Twilight. So what is the deal? Why are Potterheads and Twihards so vicious
to each other? Why do we become maniacs blinded with rage at the mere mention
of the “other” series?
Though I have read and enjoyed both the Twilight
and Harry Potter series, I will be the first to admit that I am a Potterhead
all the way. I'm sorry, but I feel that the Harry Potter series is better. With
that said, I will try to be as unbiased as I can. After all, I do own all of
the Twilight books and movies. So clearly, I see the entertainment value in
both series. I will first start off with why I think Potterheads hate Twilight
so much.
I first learned of the Twilight book series when
the trailer of the first movie was released. My friend, SilverNettle, started
reading the books and I, being the sheep that I am (and knowing that we have
similar tastes), started reading them, too. I was immediately hooked! But then
when the movie came out, the media assault started. More specifically the
incessant coverage of the stars of the movie. There was a time, though it has
died down a bit, that you could not watch TV or go on the Internet without
seeing Robert Pattinson (Edward)
or Kristen Stewart (Bella).
Oooh, are they dating? Oooh, look how hot they are? Oooh, they were seen maybe
holding hands, possibly? The coverage got so incessant that it made me start to
not like the books anymore. I felt that the actors, to no fault of their own,
were drawing attention away from the stories. It all became, in my
opinion, very superficial.
And I think that’s why many Potterheads hate
Twilight. The series can come off as very superficial and I think the media has
helped perpetuate that. The media coverage almost always focuses on
how pretty or hot all the stars are. It doesn’t help that the werewolves in
Twilight have to walk around with no shirts on. Having read the books I know
why they do this and the reason makes sense, but to someone who has not read
the books it can seem very beefcake-y. So when a Twihard talks about
how great Twilight is, Potterheads become very baffled thinking, “How can anyone
enjoy reading this crap? It’s nothing but sparkly vampires and shirtless
werewolves?”
It also does not help that Twilight caters more to
a female audience. (Or should I say an audience who is sexually attracted to
men since I do have male friends who are gay that enjoy the series, too) Having
read the books, I can understand why many male Potterheads would find the books
silly. The story is told from a decidedly feminine perspective so I
imagine it may be hard for many men to relate to the protagonist. I believe
this fact adds fuel to the anger many Potterheads feel about the Twilight
books.
So when a Twilight fan talks about the books being
better then Harry Potter, Potterheads can’t help but feel enraged because to
them, it’s like saying a trashy romance novel is better than Romeo &
Juliet. It’s like saying She’s All That is
better than Pride & Prejudice. Considering
what they believe the Twilight series to be, thanks to all the media coverage,
the rage is understandable. But is it fair? Is it justified to make those poor
Twihards feel like they should be ashamed to love Twilight? After all, the
Twihards have good reason to hate Potterheads, too.
I feel that the animosity that Twihards feel does
not come from hatred of the books, like it is for the Potterheads. I
think the animosity is directed at the Harry Potter fans. This is
because Potterheads, myself included, can come off as a bit stuck up and holier
then thou when it comes to our opinion of Harry Potter and
Twilight. No offense, but we can be very snooty.
First of all, Potterheads have very high
requirements for anyone who wants to call themselves a fan. We demand that you
read all the books, multiple times, and you need to have seen all the movies,
multiple times. And even then, you still have to have read all the side books
and know all the extra trivia the J.K. Rowling has mentioned in interviews here
and there, and maybe, just maybe, you can call yourself a fan. I am guilty of
this. I have basically harassed my friends for not reading the books
and told them they can’t call themselves a Harry Potter fan when they don’t
even know who Peeves is. When
you think about it, it’s no wonder Twihards find us insufferable.
Not
to mention, Potterheads can be very insulting about Twilight. We go on and on
about Harry Potter being better written or having a better story. Then we are
shocked when a Twihard gets defensive, which is the very same thing we would do
if someone insulted something we loved. Twihards have every right to
defend their love of those books, and unfortunately they have to do it often
since we Potterheads won’t shut up about it. If I were a Twihard, I
would hate us, too.
So there it is. Each side as good reason to hate
the other. But I, being the optimist that I am, do not think things need to be
this way. I think, if we try, we can find that Potterheads and
Twihards are really not that different. After all, we both clearly
love reading fantasy literature. We both love being taken to a world
of magic. We both look forward/have looked forward to the next book or movie.
We both spend untold amounts of money on merchandise tied to the
series. And if you think about it, the overall theme of both series
is love. So tell me, does this animosity make any sense at all?
I think instead of fighting about what is different
we should be celebrating what we have in common, a simple love of
reading. Not to mention, both of these series have made people,
young people in particular, excited about reading. Both books have
value. I say instead of insulting the other series, maybe try reading
them. If you’ve never read Harry Potter, give it a shot. If you’ve
never read Twilight, why not see what the fuss is about. You may
find yourself a fan of both. And even if you still think one series is superior
to the other, that’s no reason to make anyone feel bad for not agreeing with
you. After all, I don’t think Harry or Bella would ever do something
like that.
