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Titolo: The eerie similarities between Harry Potter's politics and ours (U.S.).


Paranormal Progressivism
By Ashley Glacel
Millions of children (and many adults, too) are just now
finishing their 870-page adventure through Harry Potter
and the Order of the Phoenix, and they may have learned
more than just magic. Released in late June, the fifth
book in British author J. K. Rowling's series had an
initial print run of 8.5 million in the United States
alone -- and many stores still sold out of the book.
True to Harry's prior successes, the U.S. publisher,
Scholastic Inc, had to order additional books. Good
thing, as Harry Potter might just be the kind of brain
food needed to grow a new generation of little liberals.
In epic tales, good and evil divide the characters and
their motives. In the political world, the opposing
forces can be described as those who work for the good
of all and those who work for the good of those like
themselves. At the end of Harry Potter and the Goblet of
Fire, Dumbledore, the headmaster at Harry's school,
implores the students to choose "what is right" rather
than "what is easy." In many ways, the principles of
liberal America fall in line not only with this teaching
but also with other lessons found in the Harry Potter
series.
Although some reviewers have inexplicably branded the
books "monoculturalistic" and even "sexist," Rowling has
admitted to being "left wing" personally and hoped that
"every reader will bring his own agenda to the book."
Rowling has an enormous audience -- and probably more
U.S. supporters than any one of the current Democratic
presidential hopefuls. With 9.3 million copies of the
book making their way into Americans' hands, it's worth
asking: Does Harry Potter have liberal leanings?
To begin, until the Ministry of Magic -- the magic
folks' administration -- takes over Harry's school,
Hogwarts, Harry and his friends are never scolded by the
headmaster for their insatiable curiosity. Questioning
authority and pursuing the truth are seen as positive,
even patriotic. Dumbledore trusts his students to
grapple with the truth. Rowling has said that this
attitude is a reflection of her similar conviction,
adding, "Telling the truth has repercussions. People
aren't used to the truth, particularly from fixtures of
authority."
Hogwarts is not only a haven for the curious but a
bastion of diversity, too. Unlike the novel's more
narrow-minded wizards, Dumbledore believes "it matters
not what someone is born but what they grow to be." He
teaches that one should not be judged based on his or
her family, breeding or race. Whether born of Muggles
(humans with no magical powers), related to Giants (a
large breed feared to be violent) or bitten by
Werewolves (rendering a wizard vicious and dangerous
under the full moon), each is allowed to enroll and
prove him or herself at Hogwarts, free from prejudice.
The values of international cooperation and
understanding, liberation of the oppressed, gender
equality and interracial relationships are also evident
in the series. Harry's book-smart friend Hermione puts
forth much effort to free Hogwarts' House Elves, an
overworked and unpaid species. Hogwarts' most popular
sport, Quidditch, features coed teams, rendering Title
IX unnecessary in the wizarding world. And, with the
various combinations of Hogwarts' Muggle and magic
parents, many students, like Harry, are the product of
mixed marriages. Dumbledore navigates the challenges of
this multicultural terrain with an accepting attitude
conveyed in a speech to his students in which he states,
"Differences of habit and language are nothing at all if
our aims are identical and our hearts are open."
While the good guys lead by example, one may also see a
connection between the actions of the other team and
those of our current administration. Could the president
and his colleagues have been an inspiration to Rowling
as she wrote her fifth book? Descriptions of the
corrupted politicians at the Ministry of Magic and the
Death Eaters (who are loyal to the Dark Lord Voldemort)
clearly resemble some of our current American leaders.
Dumbledore tells Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge that
the latter is "blinded by the love of the office [he]
hold[s]!" The power-hungry and image-conscious Fudge is
jealous of those who are better fit to lead and uses his
power to undermine their reputations. Attempting to
maintain an illusion of control, he ignores problems and
denies that they exist. As soldiers continue to die in
Iraq four months after the war's official end, one
similar authority flickers to mind.
Fudge resembles right-wing politicians again as he
legislates to benefit those who hold the purse strings.
Lucius Malfoy is a dangerous member of the magic
community with bad principles and a lot of money. When
he moves, the gold coins clink in his robes, reminding
those around him of his power to buy and sell at will.
Those who make the rules often compensate Malfoy for his
generosity to the Ministry of Magic -- much like Bush's
move to cut taxes and roll back environmental
protections.
Politicians are known for doublespeak, but rarely are
they so blatant as to try to collaborate with countries
or cultures they have previously denounced. For
instance, Draco Malfoy, enemy of Harry and son of a
Death Eater (the aforementioned Lucius), shows open
hostility toward Hagrid, a teacher at Hogwarts who is
half-Giant, working every angle possible to get Hagrid
fired. In one of his attempts, Draco feeds damaging
comments about Hagrid's Giantism to a newspaper
reporter. Later, when Harry attends a meeting of the
Death Eaters (against his will), he hears their plans to
ally with the Giants, using their brute force to evil
ends. This two-faced attitude is reminiscent of the one
the Bush administration has taken toward much of the
Middle East. In May 2002, Bush sent an extremely
conservative delegation to a United Nations special
session. The delegation formed an alliance with Iraq,
Iran, Syria, Libya and Sudan in an effort to deny access
to sex education, contraception, STD-prevention and
abortion all over the world. This alliance was more than
a little ironic considering that, according to The
Nation, it was "in the midst of Bush's 'with us or
without us' declaration of war on Islamic
fundamentalists."
Yet another similarity between the Harry Potter series
and the current administration is the encouragement of
citizens to spy on their neighbors. As the Ministry of
Magic controls more and more of the goings-on at
Hogwarts, students' actions are increasingly
scrutinized. The curriculum is controlled, as is any
sort of gathering or meeting involving more than three
students. Professor Umbridge, the evil enforcer of these
restrictions, sounds eerily like John Ashcroft as she
encourages the students to turn one another in for
spreading non-Ministry-sanctioned information.
Harry Potter fans, much like liberal America, will
likely have to wait years to discover the answers to
their lingering questions: Will Voldemort prove
victorious? Will Bush pay a price for his manipulation
of our government and military? Will Harry be as popular
in the summer of 2004, when a third movie is released?
Will Bush be popular then, too? Stay tuned. Meanwhile,
if you haven't yet, cozy up with Harry Potter's latest
for a little paranormal progressivism.
Ashley Glacel is a Prospect intern and is studying for
her Master's degree in Feminism, Journalism & Policy at
New School University.
Ashley Glacel
Copyright © 2003 by The American Prospect, Inc.
Preferred Citation: Ashley Glacel, "Paranormal
Progressivism The eerie similarities between Harry
Potter's politics and ours.," The American Prospect
Online, August 22, 2003. This article may not be resold,
reprinted, or redistributed for compensation of any kind
without prior written permission from the author. Direct
questions about permissions to 
permi...@prospect.org
.

for a little paranormal progressivism.
Ma a te il libro e' piaciuto?
Vimesy
--
"Bonsoir, voilà,
nous sommes les fiches de bois,
monsieur regarde notre boirnarde!"

 Ma a te il libro e' piaciuto?
Lo devo leggere.
Non manchero', quando ho finito tutti i russi, gli esistenzialisti francesi,
i moderni americani, la nostra letteratura risorgimentale, e i classici
europei, un po di saggi, sul xtml, su flash, sulla programmazione polare dei
torni a CN, sul giardinaggio, sullo squash e ho finito di studiare il russo
e l'arabo, lo comincio.
Sempre che a quel punto non mi venga voglia di rileggere i classici russi in
originale...

 e l'arabo
Dimentichi il cinese e il giapponese.
Sei il solito orientofobo.
--
Will Dearborn
will_d...@libero.it
ICQ: 44199980
http://cinema.castlerock.it
http://forum.castlerock.it
UFV: The One (DVD), L'ultimo combattimento di Chen (DVD), New Dragon Gate
Inn (DVD), Audition (DVD), The Pool
In lettura: Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (J.K. Rowling)


wrote:
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Bene, vuol dire che lo comincerai presto, entro settimana prossima
direi. Sembri un tipetto sveglio da come scrivi.
