This story had me giggling yesterday. As we discussed, if you try to get J.K. Rowling’s attention on Twitter, be prepared for what happens. A fan made a really nice meme about how distraught they will be when J.K., whom they obviously feels very strongly about, dies. But who wants to talk about how people will react when you die? So J.K. made a little joke of it on Twitter, because she’s marvelous like that:
This is very sweet, but I won't be offended if you untag me when making plans for my death. pic.twitter.com/LfLSTuTxQO
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) February 7, 2017
That’s funny. In typical J.K. fashion it’s topical, clever and doesn’t actually discount the fan’s emotions (despite what the Daily Mail thinks). How else do you respond to someone discussing your demise? “Aw, that’s so kind of you. I can’t wait until I die now!” Of course, it got play and people wanted to talk about it. Most made references to her Harry Potter series and others merely lamented, “death can’t take you from us.” But regardless of how many homages and kind messages are put up, let’s remember, people are discussing her death. So J.K. had kind of had it:
Yes, let's talk more about when I die. It's cheering me right up. https://t.co/o8qrudMvW0
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) February 7, 2017
Seriously, tweet whatever you like. I just don't want to be tagged in on the funeral plans. It's… weird. https://t.co/d98WEwsvKl
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) February 8, 2017
I don’t talk about my death but I do discuss my funeral all the time. I have plans and I want to make sure they are carried out. Like I want an open casket but I don’t want the top of the casket open, I want to bottom, showing a glorious pedicure and a kick @ss pair of shoes. But I don’t think I would be as keen on my friends sitting around discussing my eternal departure. So I understand J.K.’s desire to be untagged. Plus, this is social media and there is a very short step from “How I will honor the woman who brought me Harry Potter” and the trolls who will post “How I want that wizard woman and her politics to die”.
Speaking of people who think they have what it takes to engage J.K. on Twitter – they still don’t. I tried to warn them, but they didn’t listen:
Nicolas Flamel doesn't die in the Potter books. Seriously, read before you burn, it'll make attacking me so much easier. pic.twitter.com/cU8AOMS21F
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) February 2, 2017
Her very next tweet was this response to someone asking about the fate of kreacher, the house elf post books:
He died, aged 666. https://t.co/MATq0L4sP3
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) February 2, 2017
She wins. Every. Time. Have a care, those who want to go toe-to-toe with La Rowling about her politics, she’s brought backup:
@jk_rowling hahaha
— Ricky Gervais (@rickygervais) February 6, 2017
Photo credit: Twitter, Getty Images and WENN Photos
My dad says, “When I die, just stick me in an orange crate and float me down the river. Spend the coffin money on a decent party.”
I think JK uses the Twatter as her main form of entertainment. She always makes me laugh.
lol my dad, practical as he is has literally said “I don’t know. Toss me off the back deck for all I care”.
I’ve been making it very clear to my family that I will come back to haunt them if they have a funeral. And I want to be cremated and turned into a coral reef or planted as a tree, because my death might as well be useful to some creature or another.
But I hate funerals. I don’t want people to go through the rigmarole of having to plan a funeral while grieving, and have to grieve in public just because it’s ‘what you do’. Cremate, reef or tree, and go have wine and snacks if you need to gather.
There was a piece on NPR this week about the high costs of funerals and the lack of transparency in pricing. It’s an industry that really takes advantage of people in a vulnerable time.
Almost everyone is cremated in the UK. Also, I’ve never even seen an open casket like wot they have in the US. That gives me the total creeps.
I’ve only planned one funeral – my mum’s. I don’t know if we were just lucky in the officiator (a nice humanist lady) and the undertaker we chose, but it was actually a really positive experience that I remember with a kind of affection. We just chose the basic of everything (coffin, cars, etc) and spent all the time on writing a eulogy that took in Mum’s life and her relationships or special events that she’d shared with the people who would be attending. Also, everybody cried in the crem itself, but the party afterwards was a really joyful thing. Is that weird?
Must depend where in UK you are as where I am in Scotland, I’ve never been to a cremation, but been to quite a few burials. Personally, i’d want a cremation.
Not at all Sixer. I think that sounds rather beautiful actually.
Alyse – 75% in the UK as a whole vs about 40% in the US. So a massive difference.
http://www.economist.com/blogs/graphicdetail/2012/10/daily-chart-16
Most of the people I know in the southern US are opposed to cremation. It seemed more excepted up north where I grew up. I wonder if that will change now that many Americans are less likely to live in the same town they were raised in and will not be able to check the up-keep or visit a relative’s grave. I told my kids to cremate me and toss me on my flower beds. It inspired dramatic eye rolls from the tween.
I want to be made into a gemstone, that I will tell my family needs to be passed on morbidly through generations.
Ah, yes, this is the grandma gem. You mean grandmas’ gem? Nope, it’s grandma.
They even let you pick the colour you want to be.
BRILLIANT! I may steal this plan.
Okay, this really made me laugh! In my old age, I’ve developed a taste for the grandiose and macabre, so I’ve told my husband I would like him to commission a large hulking marble statue over my grave – something that will frighten passersby. I always wanted to be cremated, but he seemed disappointed that I wouldn’t want to be buried beside him, so I’ve settled for this.
@Detritus, my mom has manifested her expressed wish to be made into a diamon that is to be carried around every party me or my brother attend and put into glasses of beer. She’s quirky like that 😂
Sixer, yes! The more the merrier. There are so many hilarious ways to do this, I would love if it became a trend anthropologists in the future studied. ‘There seems to be a subsection of weirdos from the 21st century that felt life would be everlasting it they made their bodies into diamonds after death.’ ‘Ah yes Grape McCalum Royal, I see your point, very odd these celebrity worshippers’
Stacey, gargoyle with body gem eyes? You could pick reeeee eeed.
Diana, your momma and I’d get along swimmingly. She can have the beer, I’m taking the wine, if I can’t drink it now, I sure will in the here after.
Blasphemy. Don’t you dare, twitter people. But seriously, that’s weird. Don’t sit around and talk about a person’s death as if they’re already dead and expect them to be flattered.
JK is Twitter queen and wizard queen and all the queens.
I mean, human beings die but do we really have to dwell on the details of a future death? I don’t blame her for wanting out of that discussion.
I’m not going to waste my time following up on the original tweeter’s profile but to me, this doesn’t seem like the musings of a fan. It seems like an attempt to patronize and troll and diminish J.K. Rowling.
The implication is that she is no longer a pertinent author. Until she dies and gets a burst of renewed interest at that junction, she’s a has-been that is sort of flying under the radar.
The tweet buries it in treacle, but I think it’s a slam against Rowling, especially since the movie Fantastic Beasts and How to Find Them just had a decent run and, let’s face it, the Harry Potter books are just as good now as they ever were.
I didn’t see it before, but now that you’ve said it, I’m unable to unseen it.
I laughed out loud when I saw the response to the meme. What I love and think is effective about JK’s treets is that she doesn’t say anything amazing or insulting. It’s just honest and matter of fact ie the response about Nicolas Flamel.
The person who wrote the death tweet seems absolutely insufferable, to me. Possible I’m projecting, but they remind me of people I’ve known who were exhausting.
That was one freakin’ long meme…
If any of those responses were addressed to me I would gold plate them and put them on my nightstand.
Something to be really proud of.
This reminds me of the poor girl whose tumblr feels about Alan Rickman (RIP) in a rocking chair saying ‘always’ ended up becoming a wildfire meme with the quote misattributed to Rickman himself.
JKR on twitter is a gift, long may she reign. And I don’t want to imagine her death either!
This reminds me of that bit in book seven (the one about the wedding) in which one of the Weasley twins is all like “when I get married, I won’t be bothered with all this nonsense. I’ll just put a charm on mum until the whole thing ends and call it a day”, for some odd reason. Seriously now, why are some people even thinking of that? Just let the woman live, peeps!
I have never understood the Harry Potter appeal, the books are okay and if you know something about Greek mythology, folk stories etc. Potter doesn’t seem that interesting anymore. The obsession that some people have with the fictional stories seem so bizarre to me. My all time favorite British book is Hitchhikers guide to the Galaxy.
Poor Jo, to deal with the obsessed weirdos must be exhausting
I think if I were in her position I wouldn’t give this type of thing any response whatsoever. I think it invites more of the same. Although I suppose if your intention is to convince your audience (ad nauseam) that you’re intellectually superior to others, it in fact makes complete sense to do so. Well played.
Rowling has grown on me since she joined twitter. She is so funny.
I mean, its a nice sentiment to say that you’ll miss her when she’s gone…but ffs its not like shes on her deathbed. She still has many years to go.
She is hilarious! Love her. Her fans are effing nuts though. These particular fans, I mean. Weird…
I think about death frequently maybe because I’ve had numerous health problems for a long time & I’m kind of surprised I’m still kicking! 😃 But I have never that about a funeral …nothing. Except that coffins freak me out. I guess I feel like it doesn’t matter since I most likely won’t have any awareness of said funeral. 😉