J.K. Rowling Just Posted A New Harry Potter Short Story

[HunterTech 994]

2 hours ago, bollemanneke said:

Also, genuine question: what's wrong with Cho Chang as a name?

 

1 hour ago, King Mark said:

Must be considered some kind of racist offensive stereotype by the woke police

I can earnestly tell you I find nothing wrong with it.

 

I figure if we're genuinely going to think about these things critically, then looking at some of the facts might help here:

 

Quote

Cho Chang's name, in spite of its meaningful intended nature, is often held up as a shining example of As Long as It Sounds Foreign (possibly mixed with Interchangeable Asian Cultures, as Cho can be a Japanese given name or a Korean surname), as the alliteration of the name makes it dangerously look like a bit of a slur. However, her name can be interpreted to be rendered in the more archaic Wade-Giles romanization system (more commonly used by the "old-stock" Chinese diaspora). Cho Chang converts to "Zhuo Zhang" in modern Pinyin. Zhang is a very common surname in Chinese; Zhuo (倬) is a somewhat common unisex given name in Chinese, and can be rendered in other perfectly valid given names in Chinese.

 

So like, while it isn't fully baseless as a name, it is inherently outdated if a more modern system would render it a bit differently. It's enough to tell me that Rowling likely shot darts at a couple of foreign names if she didn't give it this much consideration (which I wouldn't consider a crime if the topic invites cultural discussion).

 

Edmilson's post above tells me she still has issues with it if the latest Fantastic Beasts has an example of it. And if you tell me it shouldn't matter, well that just tells me your own cultures must be fairly homogenized if no name could possibly sound weird to you.

 

If we're gonna incorporate foreign cultures, then I sure would hope it'd be a bit better than Tom Cruise mashing up shit for a Spain scene in one of his flicks.

[King Mark 3,631]

 

"Cho Chang's name, in spite of its meaningful intended nature, is often held up as a shining example of As Long as It Sounds Foreign (possibly mixed with Interchangeable Asian Cultures, as Cho can be a Japanese given name or a Korean surname), as the alliteration of the name makes it dangerously look like a bit of a slur. However, her name can be interpreted to be rendered in the more archaic Wade-Giles romanization system (more commonly used by the "old-stock" Chinese diaspora). Cho Chang converts to "Zhuo Zhang" in modern Pinyin. Zhang is a very common surname in Chinese; Zhuo (倬) is a somewhat common unisex given name in Chinese, and can be rendered in other perfectly valid given names in Chinese."

 

 I hope to god I never start thinking that way.

 I mean I get what your saying but always picking apart movies, videogames, books for every little thing that's culturally insensitive seems to me a very tedious way of looking at things.  I'm not sure how it's possible to have fun or enjoy anything with that frame of mind. 

[HunterTech 994]

I mean, I just find it an interesting discussion about the media I enjoy. A lot of the time, folks still find things to appreciate, even if it appears like they're being overly critical on stuff. I definitely have it in me to make written pieces on some of my favorite works, and approach it from the opposite angle because I can understand where someone might think it doesn't work as well as I do.

 

Granted, I've had much more time to consume written and video essays on several subjects, so the nuance comes a bit more easily to me admittedly. The people I've discussed this particular topic with certainly still enjoy what they do about the franchise, so it isn't all gloom and doom about the subject.