Here are two things I believe to be true about JK Rowling and Harry Potter. The first is that most people who don’t spend a great deal of time online in politicized spaces (left or right) aren’t aware of JK Rowling’s politics. This might be somewhat comforting for those who oppose her beliefs and actions, implying as it does the possibility that the problem is one of awareness. But I don’t think that’s the case, at least not for most people.

Because the second thing I believe is that most people, upon being made aware of Rowling’s politics, simply don’t care. Some percentage of them might actively agree with her, but even those who broadly disagree aren’t likely to care enough to stop consuming Harry Potter products. They might try to brush it off as separating the art from the artist, and when informed that the profits from Potter merchandise and media go directly to Rowling’s crusade against transgender people, they could simply reason that their individual consumption doesn’t make a big difference and do it anyway.

Setting up trans rights in opposition to one of the biggest popular media franchises in the world was always going to fail. Some might say that it’s worth vocally opposing Rowling anyway. Honestly? I’m not so sure. Support for transgender people has actually declined in some places over the last five years, and in that light, dedicating time and energy to a lost cause feels worse than useless.

Yes, Rowling funnels the income she receives from media based on her works into anti-trans efforts. But trying to connect those dots for people who aren’t already knowledgable on the subject is nearly impossible to do without sounding like a crank. Despite the efforts of both sides of the American culture war, I believe that most people still do not see media consumption as a political act. And I think they’re actually right about that!

We can insist that anyone who watches the new Harry Potter show or plays a video game isn’t a “real ally,” but what does that get us? Personally, I don’t respect adults who obsess over Harry Potter in the same way that I don’t respect Disney adults, but that’s more of an aesthetic judgment than anything. Locking ourselves into a forever war that we simply can’t win does not benefit us.

More broadly, the focus on Rowling and Potter encourages us to continue to live in the false, dying world of social media. Quote tweeting, screenshotting, and dunking can be cathartic, but they do very little to advance anyone’s conditions. Now more than ever, it’s time to shut the fuck up online and start making physical zines, organizing events, and getting people the resources they need. Hollering about child wizards, from my perspective, has not gotten us any closer to a better world thus far, and there’s no reason to believe that keeping at it will.