Monday, January 29, 2007

Silly Wand Waving

I was in my english class today and we were talking about The Triple Goddesses in mythology. This topic lead to a discussion about paganism, witchcraft, and how its changed and been thought of throughout history. The things my professor told us that were "upsetting" to the American people made me angry, so I had to find a place to voice my opinion.

One of the things my professor mentioned was Harry Potter, and how it upsets people because it deals with "witchcraft." I wondered, "Why do people get so upset about a book?" But I guess that's been a question that has been ignored throughout history, what with all the bookburning that has gone on. But why Harry Potter? Because he uses a wand to make things appear, change and to cast spells?

Well, guess what suburban, over-protective mom: No matter how much your kid waves that stick around, he's not going to cast any spells.

Harry Potter is a fantasy book that falls in the category of fiction. Now I'd like to point out:

fiction as defined by The Merriam-Webster and Garfield Dictionary is

1. something (as a story) invented by the imagination 2. fictitious literature (as novels)

Sure there may be some elements in Harry Potter that can be applied to real life, such as bullies, relationships, dislike of teachers and the importance of keeping up on school work, but the business of magic is not meant to be applied to real life. Again I say, waving a sick around isn't going to cast any spells.

"But there's evil in Harry Potter... you know, the Dark Lord Voldemort..."

As there is the concept of evil in every single fantasy book you could ever pick up randomly off a shelf. I admit that Harry Potter may not be sutable for children of a certain age, but that's where parenting comes in. If your kid is too young for video games rated "T for Teens" then wait a few years before handing over Harry Potter, when your kid will understand the difference between good and evil, and understands that fantasy isn't real.

As much as the parents of America may complain about Harry Potter, the amount of people who actually enjoy J.K.Rowlings books equal or are greater than the number of people who dislike them. As for schools banning them, well it's their loss.

I may continue this rant in the future, but for now, this should suffice.