Accio Politics

Hagrid's back and we have a new presidential administration, BABY! In this episode, we talk about Hagrid and Madame Maxime's approach to covertly approaching giants and the biases that Hagrid shows in his re-telling. We discuss the nuances between lobbying and diplomacy, as well as the parallels between historical segregation in the United States, and the segregation of giants in the mountains (as...

We've got a special guest this week! Eric from the long-running Potter podcast MuggleCast and his new solo project, the Thank You for Spieling podcast joins Adri, Helene, and K. Alex to talk about Chapter 19 of OotP. In typical Accio Politics fashion, we go very deep into our examination of the text and what that means in terms of social and structural politics.   We talk about domestic terrorism,...

We're back with the first episode we recorded after the new year started, and 2021 is certainly not pulling any punches in the political arena. With just the first week of 2021 under our belt, we've seen an attempted coup, this time by force (riots led by white supremacist groups, the proud boys, and Q conspiracy theorists at the Capitol incited by the lame-duck president). In this episode, we cov...

Helene, K. Alex, and special guest Aureo from the Speak Beasty podcast talk about chapter 17 of OotP, discuss the news of the week (including some news about the author of the series), debate over the politics of Hermione securing silence by magical means, consider if Molly really wanted to stop the trio from becoming politically involved, and much more. Support this podcast by becoming a Patron a...

In this episode, Helene and Adri land on the same politic for the first time since the show format started leaving the politics of the chapter open! Before they discussed chapter 16 of OotP, "In the Hog's Head," they talked about the news of the week, which included presidential pardons and the last days of the Trump presidency. Skipping the Hogwarts Debate club shenanigans altogether, they talked...

This week, we finally get to chapter 15 of OotP, "The Hogwarts High Inquisitor," in which the Ministry passes middle of the night legislative action to give one of their own, Dolores Umbridge, oversight power for an independent educational institution: Hogwarts. Of course, we find this super problematic. Also problematic? The complex nature of reporting abuse, especially within systems that aren't...

Hello lovelies! The universe has once again conspired against us in recording our episode for chapter 15 of OOTP. Instead, we are releasing the Patreon-only Girl Who Lived: Draco/Darcy episode so your feed isn't quite so empty today. We want to know all your thoughts, so send us a virtual owl (an MP3 of your voice OR words are fine) us at info@acciopolitics.com , leave us a voice mail 915-996-1699...

Today's episode isn't about a chapter, but a character (and some other topics of interest). Actor/Director/Producer Chris Rankin, who embodied the character of Percy Weasley in the film adaptation of the Harry Potter series, graciously joined us 19 years after the filming of Sorcerer's Stone. We get to the nitty-gritty of how Chris got into the Harry Potter series before being cast, Percy's potent...

In this episode, we talk about Percy's letter to Ron, the social pressures that the trio face (especially Harry), teenage crushes and the teenage mind, Percy's motivation and reasoning to embrace the Ministry's line of thinking rather than his own family's, and much more.  Support our podcast and get access to exclusive content for as little as $2/month by going to www.patreon.com/acciopolitics Ou...

This week has been a very long year. We're exhausted. Anyhow, we talk about the 2020 presidential election (is it over yet? Are we there yet, mom and dad?) and talk about the horrifying chapter that is Detention with Dolores. Patrons get a bonus segment: The Elusive Latinx Vote. How do we talk about Latinx in the US and why can't the Democratic party reach some Latinx voters? Support our show: www...

It's the spookiest season of all: Presidential Election anxiety! As we all huddle under our covers binge-eating Oreos and try to collectively unclench our jaws, we talk about yet another anxiety-inducing topic: Chapter 12 of OotP. This is the one where the Trio start classes once again, the twins remain coy about their benefactor, we hear about Umbridge's pedagogical theory, and Potter has a biscu...

During this episode, we talk about Jeffrey Toobin's (accidental?) sexual assault/harassment via Zoom work meeting (Adri finds it implausible that work could turn someone on so much) and Dr. Fauci's plea for this election season to usher in a new president (this didn't happen, but we're reading between the lines here). Speaking of reading between the lines, we delve deeper into the politics of this...

We're coming at you with hot takes about Ginny and Hermione's treatment of Luna, as well as questioning why Harry is so worried about Cho when he's got bigger fish to fry. We also talk about the difference between intent and outcome, and whether intent justifies certain outcomes.  Support our podcast and get bonus content: www.patreon.com/acciopolitics  

On this episode, Adri, Helene, and K. Alex talk about school rivalries, Lucius Malfoy's fantastic hairdresser, Harry's mental health and emotional growth, Ron's lack of qualifications for the Prefect role (even noted Ron apologist Adri agrees), and our media picks of the week. This week, our lovely patrons get more content in this version because Adri has thoughts about men interrupting women and...

It is a truth universally acknowledged that all our hosts aspire to levels of petty displayed by one Albus Dumbledore in this chapter of OoTP. As Harry faces trial by the Wizengamot led by one very insecure Minister of Magic who just wants people to let him have power in peace even as the Wizarding World is shifting due to Voldy's return, Professor Dumbledore sweeps in and gives the Minister of Ma...

Adri and Helene scream into the void once again (for two and a half hours), thanks to JK Rowling's twitter and recent/current events shaping the dystopic YA novel no one asked for and that we're currently inhabiting (seriously, at least most of those had a juicy love triangle, can someone tell me that they've been embroiled in a juicy love triangle during this time? Because if so, please dm me. I...

We're back and we get our first glimpse at the Ministry of Magic! What secrets does the Ministry hold and why is Arthur Weasley's office so small?

Join Adri and Helene as they talk about the Politics of Legacy, what legacy means to each of them, and how it informs how we view characters in the series and how legacy shifts how they think about themselves and each other.  Here's the drawbridge exercise Adri alludes to when it comes to unmasking biases https://carterclasschs.weebly.com/drawbridge-exercise.html

This episode was a wild one to edit because Julianna's microphone decided to act as if it was in some sort of cave! If you've ever tried to edit audio, you would know that taking echo out of audio is a BEAST of a feat. I'm not quite sure I succeeded in this, but never fear, episode 506 will be out on Monday to make sure our schedule is back on track!

Here's a snippet of our Patreon-exclusive episode of The Girl Who Lived! Want to hear the rest of the episode? Become a Patron for as little as $2/month at www.patreon.com/acciopolitics Send us your thoughts on how the Potter series has influenced the way you view and understand the world: info@acciopolitics.com or leave us a voice mail at 915-996-1699 Socialize with us! Instagram: @acciopolitics...

Julianna and Adri talk about the politics of secrecy and how secrets can be manifestations of people's power over each other. Secrets can shut people out from obtaining power because knowledge is something that can be wielded against someone. Conversely, limited sharing of information can persuade someone to take actions against their own self-interest.

Last week's guest Aureo joins Adri to talk about Harry Potter and politics in this off-chapter conversation. See you next week!

As Julianna recovers from her surgery, Aureo Potts joins Adri to talk about the politics of cultural expectations on chapter 3 of OotP.  Support us on Patreon: www.patreon.com/acciopolitics

In this installment of our lovely podcast, Julianna and Adri chat about the importance of kindness and gratitude, parliaments of owls, assumption and how it manifests itself in the chapter, and we drop some intel on upcoming Patreon rewards. Support our podcast on Patreon: www.patreon.com/acciopolitics Find us online: www.acciopolitics.com Socialize with us: Twitter: @acciopolitics Instagram: @acc...

On this special episode of Accio Politics, Adri and producer Helene scream into the void, but first we:   1. Sort current Democratic Presidential Nominees and learn more about their stances. 2. Break our vow to not directly equate our politicians to actual Harry Potter characters. 3. Discuss JK's trans-phobic tweet.   Support this podcast on Patreon: www.patreon.com/acciopolitics