science

Voldemort effect

Voldemort effect is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Voldemort effect rather than just read about it. In short: 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.

Key takeaways

Voldemort effect belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Voldemort effect to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Voldemort effect from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

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 used by;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 Avoidance speech – Sociolinguistic phenomena Algospeak – Obfuscated speech on social media Denialism – Rejecting scientific or historical consensus Elephant in the room – English idiom Open secret – Generally known but officially unacknowledged information Ostrich effect – Attempt made by investors to avoid negative financial information Polite fiction – Known falsehood a group shares for politeness Regressive left – Pejorative term for overly tolerant left-wing politics Selective exposure – Theory within the practice of psychologyPages displaying short descriptions of redirect targets Streisand effect – Increased awareness of something after efforts to suppress it Taboo – Societal or cultural prohibition

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Voldemort effect

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Voldemort effect claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Voldemort effect before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Voldemort effect ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Voldemort effect

In research: Voldemort effect appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Voldemort effect in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Voldemort effect is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 2015 neologisms, Adages, Criticism of Islam, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Voldemort effect outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Voldemort effect in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Voldemort effect means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Voldemort effect out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Voldemort effect in simple terms?

Why does Voldemort effect matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Voldemort effect?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Voldemort effect.