Voldemort Effect

The Voldemort effect is a social phenomenon where people are fearful of naming someone, to speak of something or acknowledge it exists, and therefore derail any attempt to confront it. The phrase takes cue from the line associated with Lord Voldemort in the ''Harry Potter'' series: 'he who must not be named', because they are terrified to name him or they deny his existence.

History of usage

The earliest usage of "Voldemort effect" was in an Australian infant health research in 2008 which reported that formula feeding was seldom named in publication titles or abstracts as a health risk factor for babies.

Matthew Yglesias, writing in 2011 and attributing its coinage to Julian Sanchez, defined the term with regards to American politics, using it to describe the pride political partisans, particularly those on the right, take in political figures of their own side who possess the ability to "drive the other side crazy."

In a 2013 Christian book, ''Holding Your Family Together'' by American author Rich Melheim, the term was first used with its current meaning;those who do not want speak the name of something that is frightening them or causing problems to them. The author encouraged the reader " to name that sucker out loud...We are going to call him what he is and who he is so that we can deal with real problem, not the myth", because after mentioning the unspeakable name, "The moment the silence is broken, the power starts to drain away from its sinister source and move in the direction of those who dare deal with it.

Islam

In July 2015, the term was used by British counter-terrorism expert Haras Rafiq, who remarked that Islamic extremism is treated like a "Lord Voldermort" taboo topic in the United Kingdom, whereby, according to him, the failure to label and condemn Islamist ideology (by western leaders) for what it is has encouraged young people to join ISIS. Rafiq stated, "it has so far very much been a Voldemort effect – he who shall not be named – with no-one actually coming out and saying it is an Islamist ideology."

The expression was used by British activist Maajid Nawaz in 2015, where he applied it for analysts, experts, social commentators and politicians, among others, who are fearful or hesitant to call out the ideology of Islamism as the underlying cause of Jihadist terrorism.

Nawaz stated that people refusing to acknowledge radical Islam are comparable to members of Hogwarts who refuse to mention Voldemort's name, and by declining to name him, they forestall an open discussion from taking place about an accomplishable solution, which therefore exacerbates the situation, causes more dread and panic, and further glorifies the myth of his powerful nature. Majid says: "Refusing to name a problem, and failing to recognize it, is never a good way to solve it".

After Nawaz's use of the phrase in 2015, it has since been used to criticize mainly left-wingers who vociferously condemn any legitimate criticism of Islam and instead bring up whataboutisms such as the Crusades, with some even going far as blaming those who have fell victim to Islamic extremism after mocking the religion (such as the Charlie Hebdo cartoonists).

According to secularist blogger Brian Morris, this position has influenced the term 'Voldemort effect'; in the Harry Potter series it is a taboo to mention the Dark Wizard's name, and the taboo in this situation is to merely state that Islamic fascism is a "politicized religion" that should be open for criticism.

See also

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References

{{Use British English, date=October 2024

2015 neologisms
Adages
Internet culture
Harry Potter
Criticism of Islam
Islam-related controversies
Political neologisms
Popular culture neologisms
Obfuscation
Linguistic controversies
Social phenomena
Taboo
Denialism
Obama administration controversies
Islam in the United Kingdom
Islam in the United States
Eponyms
Criticism of Islamism