Fans Think Kingsley Shacklebolt Is A Racist Name and Not A First One For JK Rowling

Publish date: 2024-05-20

As much as we would like to defend JK Rowling, her most influential work Harry Potter does have a racist underside. Was Kingsley Shacklebolt a racist name? Figure out why below.

The series ‘Harry Potter’ is as beloved and influential as masterpieces in their own right. It is a series that raised a whole generation and a host of actors.

So, when the news of the casts of Harry Potter reuniting to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the first film, with interviews and cast conversations, the internet exploded.

However, it has also unearthed the darker side of ‘Harry Potter’ and the racist allegations against JK Rowling.

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Why Is Kingsley Shacklebolt A Racist Name?

Harry Potter is a series that raised a whole generation of children. It was a story that could even make the rowdiest of classes quiet in the attention of listening to it.

While we didn’t get the hidden connotations when we were kids, now that those kids have grown up, the racist underbelly is too clear to see in Harry Potter.

Kingsley Shacklebolt is a well-written and great character. He is also the only black character in the story. However, what was going over Rowling’s head when she wrote his name?

Kingsley is a black character with the last name Shackle + bolt. Anyone with a superficial understanding of black history can guess what JK Rowling implied here. As much as we love Harry Potter, we can’t defend it and its creator here.

Harry Potter Character & Racism Scandal

Jk Rowling has butchered the names of all non-white and non-British characters in ‘Harry Potter.’

Following the Kingsley Shacklebolt example, Cho Chang is the only Asian character in the story. The name has no meaning, no cultural representation, and it is the most common sound in the Chinese language slapped together.

Simple research from JK Rowling could have 100% resulted in a much better name that isn’t Cho Chang.

Not just that, we have Seamus Finnigan, the only Irish character in the story with another botched name. Furthermore, we have a Jewish character Anthony Goldstein.

It was a character retconned to be Jewish by Rowling because she didn’t want to be racist, and in part, became more racist because of it.

Kingsley Shacklebolt Reddit Discussions

People have been flocking to Reddit and Twitter after ‘Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts,’ and the racism scandals are again rekindling in the discussion sites.

Not just the Harry Potter subreddit, the discussion has even reached the black people subreddit and various other subreddits.

The r/BlackPeopleTwitte subreddit has a thread about Kingsley black being a racist name, and fans have differing opinions. People on Twitter are raging over the name, but most people in Reddit have been in favor of Rowling.

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