Accio Politics

In this episode, Heather Roberts of the Wine Mind podcast joins me to talk about spectacle. We talk about how Snape is a character that would refuse therapy, Ron and his need for recognition, Harry's longing for a normal life, Rita Skeeter's penchant for the dramatic, and the use of spectacle as a distraction in politics. Rita, in particular, reminds us of so-called journalists in the 24-hour news...

Yes, you're listening to the right podcast right now. The podcast has new music and I have an announcement for you! I just restrained myself from using 10 exclamation points just there.  Luke Hogan from The Podcast the Must Not be Named joins me to talk about he politics of truth, and how our individual truths affect our politics, which affect policy. Have you ever had a moment where your truth wa...

Alyssa Loebig from the Overenthusiastic Underprepared Podcast  joins me to talk about Seeking Recognition on chapter 16 of GoF. We talk about Kakaroff and Ron, and how they both seem to want attention/ recognition from the celebrity that is Viktor Krum. We also talk about "Moody," Barty Crouch Sr, Dumbledore, and Ludo Bagman and how they seek or avoid recognition for their own purposes.  Support t...

This is a mega-sized episode! Terrorist attacks at two mosques in New Zealand, J.K. Rowling speaks out about Dumbledore and Grindlewald's "intense" relationship, and exciting Hufflepuff news! I am joined by Lauren DeGraw, a wonderful Ravenclaw, from the Elixir of Life Podcast to talk about the politics of community in chapter 15 of GoF. In dissecting what communities mean for us and in the series,...

Ben Hogan, fellow Gryffindor and one of the hosts of The Podcast that Must Not Be Named ( twitter.com/notnamedpodcast ), joins me to talk about the politics of Tragedy in chapter 14 of GoF. For instance, Professor Moody (well, Barty Crouch Jr. if we're being precise) seems to be using trauma/tragedy to get the students' attention and loyalty.   Harry and Neville's lives are tainted by tragedy conc...

Gryffinclaw extraordinaire Adrienne White, host of the She's So Cool Podcast, joins me to talk about Pottermore, Minerva McGonagall, reading the series as an adult, and the Politics of Humiliation. Humiliation made me think about that early 2000s MTV show The Pickup Artist and negging. Adrienne focuses on Draco's humiliation tactics, while I zero in on Ron's glee at seeing Malfoy turned into a fer...

Gretchen Roesch ( @gretchasketcha ), Mugglenet Journalist and co-host of the Hogwarts Radio podcast is here to talk about labor of all kinds, visible and invisible. In this chapter, Harry seems more preoccupied with Cho and the TriWizard Tournament than with the epic revelation that Hogwarts has the most house elves of any property in Britain. Hermione's activism origin story begins with this reve...

Madison Goddyn from the Flippendo Podcast joins me to chat about the politics of concealment. This includes the pronunciation of various Harry Potter-related words, the statute of secrecy, problematic Dumbledore, and a brave Molly Weasley, among other things. We also ask ourselves if there is truly one wand per wizard, or can there be more than just one (what if we need a backup)? And why is it th...

Oh, so you thought you were only going to get one episode this week? No, dear listener, you're getting TWO! Sequoia Thomas ( @sassquoia ) from Fanatical Fics and Where to Find Them ( @fanaticalfics ) joins me in talking about expectation in this chapter.  We tackle all the important questions: Why does Percy Weasley suck more than usual, and why is he the human spam mailbox?  Why is Arthur Weasley...

The cyber pixies did not strike this time around *proceeds to parade around in a victory lap*. Episode 409 is here and special guest Julian Escobedo III ( @julesthehuman ) joins me in discussing symbols of terrorism in Chaper 9, "The Dark Mark," and why they have such a hold on both us and the wizards that lived through Voldermort's terror.  But this episode is not all super serious! We also talk...

Some pixies must have gotten into my computer and decided to erase all my audio for 409. And JUST 409. I've been targeted by either Cyber Pixies or my own inability to properly save files. I'm betting on the pixies, though. Instead of the normally scheduled content, what I have for you this week is a short discussion on JK's description of one Mr. Viktor Krum and Goblins (and how problematic these...

Support the podcast and get custom stickers:  www.patreon.com/acciopolitics Dollar, dollar bills ya'll, or in this case leprechaun gold and house elf slavery (womp, womp). Sure, we could have talked about the politics of organized sports in this chapter because there's a lot of physicality and play-by-plays involved here... But what stood out to me and my guest (who also happens to be my husband)...

There's no fandom like our fandom, am I right? I obviously love the Harry Potter fandom, and so does my guest, Dr. Alysa Lucas, host of two great podcasts: Best Forevers and Fatal-i-teas.  We talk all the fandoms we love, how fandoms intersect in this chapter (looking at you Mrs. Finnegan), how money is tied up in fandom (hey, Ron Weasley), and how fandoms have the capacity to be toxic (I'm slippi...

Even in the wizarding world, access to transportation depends on your economic power. Adri is joined by Seth, who has not read a word of the Harry Potter series (in fact, he listened to this chapter on audiobook in preparation for this episode), to talk about the intricacies of travel, its connection to government regulation, and classism, among other things. Support the podcast and get some aweso...

What is it about work that is so important to American society? Why does it seem to define our worth and our sense of self? On this episode, we center on the politics of work in chapter 5, as Percy Weasley enthusiastically enters the workforce, Bill Weasley bucks conventions of personal appearance in the workforce, Mrs. Weasley takes on domestic work, and the twins show their entrepreneurial spiri...

Today's episode tackles prejudice, which hinges on a central premise: who we despise or fear is different or "other" than us. Most times, prejudice makes us mistakenly believe that we are better than other people from backgrounds different than ours. In this chapter in particular (chapter 4 of Goblet of Fire), Vernon is the walking embodiment of a muggle who has prejudice against wizards. However,...

Adri and Erin untangle a few quandaries in this episode, but not before delving into the complete fat shaming the narrator does on Dudley. We frame our discussion with Emily Post's book on good manners. Questions covered include: Does Harry have bad manners? Does Molly Weasley? Do wizards feel like they can do whatever they want when it comes to the Dursleys because they see them as inferior? You...

Adri and Erin talk about the thing that the Dursleys, Harry, and Sirius have in common: Fear. What makes them different is how they respond to their respective fears. This is also true of your hosts: Erin would fight, while Adri would take the possum approach. Speaking of things that strike fear into our hearts, we talked about Jakelin Caal Maquin's death at the border. Support our Patreon and get...

We're baaaaack! And we missed you! So, so much. In this episode we tackle the topic of servitude and ponder why Wormtail doesn't strike out on his own instead of nursing a misshapen Voldemort via snake milk. Do snakes even produce milk? Also, can someone's loyalty in servitude lay with a place and not a family? So much to unpack. We also talked about how up until the last election slavery was lega...

Join us next week after we come back from our break. We've had significant technical difficulties and will resume our normal schedule from December 10 onwards. On the first episode of season 4, we'll be discussing the politics of servitude in Chapter 1: The Riddle House of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling.

Adri is joined by Paige Martin, the Development Coordinator for the Rape Crisis Center in San Antonio to talk about Giving Tuesday, the very important work the Rape Crisis Center does around Sexual Violence and its many ramifications, Harry Potter, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, and Netflix binges. Follow the rape crisis center and donate to this very important cause: www.rapecrisis....

Adri and Erin are joined by Dr. Alysa Lucas of Best Forevers and Fataliteas. They talk about Alfonso Cuaron's take on the wizarding world of Harry Potter and how moody it all is. Alysa talks Victor Krum's steaminess and Seamus' potential as a BFF. Find us online: www.acciopolitics.com Twitter: @acciopolitics Instagram: @acciopolitics Facebook: www.facebook.com/acciopolitics Leave us a voicemail: 9...

Erin and Adri talk some politics (the trans erasure this administration wants to enact, the birthright citizenship stripping down, and the migrant caravan) and delve into werewolves in the wizarding world as represented in PoA, and how that correlates to the AIDS Crisis. Find us online: www.acciopolitics.com Twitter: @acciopolitics Instagram: @acciopolitics Facebook: www.facebook.com/acciopolitics...

Adri and Erin are joined by special guests Lauren and Alex from the The Elixir of Life podcast to talk about the Politics of Imprisonment in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. They talk about the real #MeToo, how Snape is still a dick, incels, Lupin's imprisonment, Harry's lack of activism, Sirius' recklessness, and Dumbledore's disregard for his students' safety, among other things. Find u...

Erin and Adri delve into the best tweets and emails they've gotten about Dementors, Romantic Pairings, and Boggarts. Have a thought you want us to address? Give us a call at 915-996-1699, tweet at us @acciopolitics , or email us at info@acciopolitics.com