Educator and director Warren Smith posts videos of classroom discussions (among other topics) on his Secret Scholar Society YouTube channel. A video Smith posted on January 26 has gone viral, with more than 10 million views on X Twitter since Saturday. YouTube views are just under 450,000 as of this writing.
Smith opens the video and asks his students what they want to talk about. An off-camera boy (or young man) asks if he still likes the works of Harry Potter author JK Rowling “despite her bigoted views.” (Rowling has been attacked and slandered as “transphobic” for championing women's rights even though she has expressed support for the transgender community.)
Through an exercise in critical thinking, Smith leads the student to an epiphany—not by imposing his or her own opinion about Rowling on the student, but by leading the student to examine his or her stated view that Rowling is a bigot.
Slightly edited to format an excerpt from the YouTube transcript:
Teacher: So these guys want to talk about J. K. Rowling? Is this, so what's going on with that, what do you want to know?
Student: Oh, she had a pretty controversial past. I just want to know what your thoughts are on this topic, do you still like her work despite her bigoted views?
Teacher: So let's be specific, let's define bigoted views, what are bigoted views? We will treat this as a thought experiment. I will not say what is right and what is wrong or what is the way to think, the whole point is to learn how to think and not what to think. Yes, so when you say bigoted, you're starting with the conclusion she gave to her bigoted views. So let's start first. Does she have bigoted views? So when you say bigoted opinions…
Student: I heard she has a history of intense transphobia.
Teacher: I heard, so what, can you give me an example?
The student pulled out Rowling’s tweet from 2019 and read it to the teacher, “Dress however you want. Call yourself whatever you want.
Sleep with any adult who approves of you. Live your best life in peace and security. But forcing women to leave their jobs because they state that sex is real?
Dress however you like.
Call yourself whatever you want.
Sleep with any adult who approves of you.
Live your best life in peace and security.
But forcing women to quit their jobs for saying sex is real? #ISStandWithMaya #This is not a maneuver– JK Rowling (@jk_rowling) December 19, 2019
The student followed that up with a 2020 tweet by Rowling that he described as an apology, “I respect every trans person's right to live in whatever way feels authentic and comfortable to them. I will walk with you if you are discriminated against on the basis of being trans. At the same time, my life has been shaped by being female. I do not believe that “It's hateful for me to say that.”
I respect every trans person's right to live in whatever way feels authentic and comfortable to them. I will walk with you if you are discriminated against based on being transgender. At the same time, my life has been shaped by being female. I don't think it's hateful to say that.
– JK Rowling (@jk_rowling) June 6, 2020
Teacher: So you find that fanatical? What do you find in that…
Student: It was considered transphobic. Just like myself…
Teacher: Do you find yourself transphobic?
Student: Uh, I don't really have an opinion on this but I'm just following what a lot of other people have said.
Teacher: So let's pause, and let's not follow what others say. Let's try to learn how to think critically, so let's analyze the tweet ourselves. So this statement, do you see anything problematic? Ignore other people's opinions.
Student: I actually tried to pin some things on a specific group of people.
Teacher: Where do you do that, can you read that?
Student: “But fire women from their jobs because they say sex is real.”
Teacher: So when I hear I interpret that to mean if a woman says you know there's a difference between men and women and then she's attacked as being transphobic, I think that's what you're saying by attacking someone because they say that gender is real.
Student: That's exactly what you're saying.
Teacher: Is this transphobic to you?
Student: For me, no. Saying that sex is real is not transphobia, it is just a fact of life. It exists.
Teacher: So is there anything you disagree with in that tweet?
Student: Oh, in that tweet, I can't really see anything that I personally disagree with. But I can see why some people might think, “Oh, that's offensive, we can't allow that here.”
Teacher: Sure.
Student: Oh, there is an apology tweet…
Teacher: Let's read what she said there?
Student: “I respect every trans person's right to live in whatever way feels authentic and comfortable to them. I will walk with you if you are discriminated against based on being trans. At the same time, my life has been shaped by being female. I don't think it's hateful to say that.”
I respect every trans person's right to live in whatever way feels authentic and comfortable to them. I will walk with you if you are discriminated against based on being transgender. At the same time, my life has been shaped by being female. I don't think it's hateful to say that.
– JK Rowling (@jk_rowling) June 6, 2020
Please watch the video to see the entire discussion.
Viral post on X Twitter:
This is absolutely wonderful. Student accuses @JK Rowling Of being transphobic. This teacher skillfully dissects the claim and challenges it by asking questions.
He knows not what to think, but how to think critically.
Watch until the end.
You see an epiphany in real time. pic.twitter.com/x00gWdOugc– Lee Harris (@addicted2newz) February 3, 2024
