Pop-Culture And Rape Culture Collide In This Important Message From The Ministry of Magic

I always was surprised this wasn’t addressed in the books. XD

I’m not. It was probably because it was used on male characters, which is still played as comical and not a violation of a human being.

A lot of work still has to be done to dispel the myth that sexual assault and rape don’t happen to men or isn’t serious, as well as ending the stigma associated with being a male victim of sexual assault.

Well, it was still made obvious that it’s bad. One instance was Voldemort’s mom using it, and that was part of why he turned out like that. And there was the time when Ron accidentally drank some intended for Harry, and that didn’t turn out well either.

There was lots of potential darkness just beneath the surface in those books and the love potions always made me uncomfortable/grossed out. So does the imperious curse. People when given the power to control others can often become monsters. How many rapes and sexual assaults would would death eaters do to muggles and enemy wizards and witches with that kind of power. Very nauseating to think about.

Why would those things be sold if they were forbidden?

If I recall, Love Potions were forbidden, it’s likely the girl who made it for Ron did so illegally, much like the main characters did with the polyjuice potion. The three things listed are likely the ingredients to make one. Hence, they would track people purchasing those because they might use those ingredients to make a love potion.

Ever heard of scopolamine? It’s a real-life Colombian drug that basically casts the imperius curse. It IS super creepy.

The imperious curse was massively illegal, punishable by death-by-dementor at most.

The Weasley Twins sold love potions in their shop. I love those boys, but they did some massively awful stuff, and that one creeps me out the most.

It wasn’t played for lols in the case of Voldemort’s parents. It was considered an absolutely horrific crime by his mother. The word “rape” never gets said (more’s the pity), but it’s not glossed over as not-that-bad or funny either.

Nope, she bought it at Weasley’s Wizarding Wheezes, IIRC.

I didn’t remember this and now I am cringing. I love you Harry Potter series, but this is definitely problematic.

Right, but this still doesn’t answer my question really. I guess they’re supposed to be a controlled substance requiring the person buying them to meet certain conditions.

Something else every forgets? Draco only figured out a way to sneak Death Eaters into Hogwarts because of Fred and George. They totally shoved a Slytherin into the Vanishing Cupboard, and even though he was gone for a week, nobody knew where he was, where the other end was, or even if he was still alive, Fred and George could not have given fewer crapapples about it.

I love those boys, they’re my favorite, but they’re little sociopaths.

Honestly the answer to you question is probably that the author/editor simply did not realize they had a contradiction going on there.

Well, I guess you can make up some explanation, like the Ministry was too busy with Voldemort to even notice the Weasleys’ shop. But most likely it’s just an oversight from Rowling.

Not a big Harry Potter fan myself, but didn’t Fred and George sell a potion that makes people unconscious in the movie? Is that the love potion?

In Chamber of Secrets, Professor Lockhart suggested that the students ask Snape how to make Love Potions.

Professor Lockhart wasn’t exactly a beacon of good values and honesty, which was made clear towards the end of CoS.

I don’t recall them being forbidden completely–only in Hogwarts, and only by Filch. They were taught how to make it at Hogwarts–it was called Amortentia and McGonagal freely admitted that she made the stuff when she was younger. The Weasleys were selling them as “joke” stuff, which still doesn’t excuse it, honestly, but the books weren’t completely negligent of how terrible love potions could be, since it showed the consequences of Merope Gaunt using it on Tom Riddle Sr. and how Romilda Vane’s potion caused Ron to act like a fool. The entire existence of the love potion and its supposed harmlessness of the Weasleys selling it hinged on the author simply not including rape as an issue in her books. And while she portrayed how awful love potions could be, she glossed over the rape subtext by 1) letting only the *women* in the books apply it to guys (Voldemort’s mother, Romilda Vane, McGonagal) and 2) having the Weasleys seemingly selling the stuff only to women, especially because it was part of their WonderWitch product line. It still doesn’t excuse the full implications of it, but JKR was at least mindful of some of it.

But it’s certainly played for serious laughs when the intended victim is Harry and ends up being Ron. Creepy.

How is she being “mindful” if she excuses rape as a “women-only” phenomenon? If anything doing that intentionally only suggests that sexual assault is something that can only happen to women.

So much love for the intelligent commentary on this!

Definitely. The difference between the two was that the Imperious Curse was never stated as being an excusable thing to use for any reason.

But the love potion was something that was freely available, promoted for use (by the Weasley twins), and in Ron’s case, played for laughs, despite it’s awfulness.

“Ron’s so goofy when he’s under the influence of Romilda’s love potion” is about as funny as Hermoine being slipped a roofie and stumbling around under its influence. Ugh.

Agreed!

No, absolutely not. I wasn’t agreeing with her, particularly on that, but she was glossing over that subtext by using those implements. And like I said, she was mindful of some of it. As in–not all. In a less-than stellar way.

True. But, IIRC, he made this declaration in front of most of the faculty, and no one called him on it.

“Why don’t you ask Professor Snape to show you how to make Rohynol!”

Ah, okay. I get what you meant now.

In that universe, the love potion wasn’t generally thought of as a thing to coerce people in a very bad way, or even something overly harmful. I’m not saying he shouldn’t have been called on it, but I have a hunch that JKR didn’t realize anyone would consider the implications of Amortentia and rape. I don’t think she felt it necessary to broach the subject because she might not have realized it herself. She kept clear of rape and sexual abuse in her story–at least on a conscious level. Again, not excusing her or the story. It could’ve been a good platform, but JKR kind of falls short of the realistic themes. Her handling of slavery and racism was alright, but in no way was it handled exceptionally.

I’m pleasantly surprised the feminist-slanted site even presented this at all, as in the series this crime was perpetrated on a man by a woman–and feminism likes to assert that female-on-male rape either doesn’t exist, or doesn’t matter. Could this be asign that things are changing for the better?

“feminism likes to assert that female-on-male rape either doesn’t exist, or doesn’t matter.”

Aww, we were having such intelligent conversation in this thread and then you had to go and say that. Either you’re ignorant or you’re a troll. Here’s hoping you’re the former and you’ll learn something when I tell you you are wrong about “feminism.” If you are a troll, well, here’s hoping everyone else is smart enough to ignore you.

No, it’s just that literally every feminist I have ever met either goes ‘OBVIOUSLY since they’re bigger and stronger they should have been able to stop it, so not rape and no sympathy for you!!!’ or ‘Lol a man can’t get hard unless he’s aroused, and if he’s aroused he wants it, so ALSO NOT RAPE!’
Is that not how feminism is supposed to be? And if it’s not, why is it so widespread and why do other feminists never seem to try and refute it?

The comments section of this post is filled with people who “try and refute it.” This post itself—on a feminist site, no less!—condemns all sexual abuse, including the sexual abuse of men by women.

I’m a bit surprised at your surprise, frankly.

Sorry, but there are more cases of men raping women. Until we’re able to get that under control, shut it.

Ahhhhh, so feminism really is like that, good to know. That makes me very sad, especially when feminists try to claim they favor ‘equality’.

Really? Are you sure? See the response above from 00000 for instance. Those, and….well, ALL of tumblr essentially, most of Facebook, are the reason I’m surprised. Feminism either really seems to hate, or just plain dismisses, men and male-presenting people.

Feminism fights for equality in tge social, economic and political arena. -.-

The*

Except when it doesn’t. For instance, claiming that men ‘can’t bve raped’ because that only happens to women; men are not ‘oppressed’ enough to ever be raped. Here’s an article:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2011/jul/17/the-rape-of-men

Here’s the part, if you didn’t read it, that really drives home the problem with feminism:

‘”I know for a fact that the people behind the report insisted the definition of rape be restricted to women,” he says, adding that one of the RLP’s donors, Dutch Oxfam, refused to provide any more funding unless he’d promise that 70% of his client base was female. He also recalls a man whose case was “particularly bad” and was referred to the UN’s refugee agency, the UNHCR. “They told him: ‘We have a programme for vulnerable women, but not men.’”

That’s right, feminism has trained the international community to believe that only women can be victims, and thus only women need or deserve help. That’s the part that sickens me about the entire movement, and sometimes makes me ashamed of my gender.

The other possibility is that she intended it to be contradictory. The wizarding community is definitely a backwards society. While there are certainly some advantages over muggle life, there are even more prejudices than you normally see. Perhaps the contradiction was meant to show that the magical community doesn’t understand the full implications of using love potions and how awful rape is. At least, that’s how I interpreted it. It’s pretty plain that nobody really thinks things through in the Ministry.

Oh, and here’s another one I just had to share! No international outrage about this you say? Hmmm I WONDER WHY!!!

http://www.saps.gov.za/_dynamicModules/internetSite/newsBuild.asp?myURL=2840

Look at literally every other reply to your post. Obviously, Feminists don’t always agree on everything, but I think we’re pretty much in agreement that we’re all anti-rape, no matter who the victim or the perpetrator.

I’m not saying she should have engaged with it. I mean, she could have also “kept clear of it” by not having Love Potions come up at all.

If, as other commenters say, it comes up later in the series and is stated to be forbidden, then she should have it genuinely *treated* it as forbidden. (I haven’t read far enough in the series to encounter that myself.) The reference I cited, with Lockhart, could be “fixed” by having one of the other professors chime in with “Professor Snape will do no such thing!” and give Lockhart a significant glower. Or something. Or, again, just not have Love Potions come up.

I think she just flat out didn’t think it through, at least early in the series.

I agree with you that she probably just didn’t think it through. She probably thought she’d introduce the love potion as something supposedly funny–you know, just to add to the general quirkiness of the Wizarding World. She was likely setting it up for the later books, but yes, she did not think it through.

I just wish it was more widespread, elsewhere than just this site. Do yourself a favor; never go to tumblr and search the ‘male rape’ tag. If you’re truly for both genders being treated equally, it will send you spiralling into depression.

Ok, then. I won’t. But I think if you frequent women’s sites, you’ll see that most care about rape victims of all genders. The focus is usually on women’s stories, because they are statistically more common, but I have never seen a man’s account of his own rape dismissed or belittled. Maybe I’m just hanging out with the right people… but it sounds like you’re hanging out with the wrong ones.

You can find horrible people on Tumblr/the Internet at large. That doesn’t mean anything about feminism as a whole.