Interesting article: What is it about Harry?

[Myr]

http://www.alternet.org/story/16314

 

This is a really interesting article. Anybody want to discuss it?

[Navigator]

Wow. Where to begin?

 

I must say that I find some of the conclusions the author of this article has made quite frightening.

 

Misrule threatens when traditional values are turned on their heads -- whether it involves men wearing their hair long in the 1960s, women demanding to be treated the same as men, and, most pertinent today, gay people demanding the right to marry.

 

On the hair thing, well history is rife of depictions of men with long hair. The typical anglo ideology of Jeus is a white man with long hair. I've never understood the hypocrasy (never mind the historical inaccuracy. Jesus was Jewish and very much NOT white.)

 

As for gay marraige I'm not going to comment. It's too hot a topic for me to really go in depth of my opinion here.

 

Now the reall issue I have could be disected down by semantics. When he says treating women the same as men does he mean exactly the same or just equitably.

 

To treat a woman exactly the same as a man is absurd. I'll use the ever popluar bathroom analogy.

 

Men's room has six regular stalls and six urinals. Treat women equally, they would have the exact same thing.

 

Equitably, you would give them 12 stalls.

 

The overall tenor of the article would indicate to me that he has issues with treating women equitably as much as equally.

 

Children, before they are completely socialized, have vibrant imaginations and often a very finely tuned sense of alternative possibilities. They are, in a very real sense, queer. They have to be taught how to become "civilized." Socialization involves mastering table manners and politeness, but it also concerns learning how to conform to the world's most terrible ways. Children have to learn racism -- to hate or fear certain people because of how they look; they have to be taught that work is far more important than play and that pleasure is always suspect; they have to be taught that there is only one correct way to worship God and everyone else is going to hell; they have to learn that heterosexuality is the only acceptable form of sexual behavior, and that some forms of sexual pleasure are wrong. They are taught to be normal -- whatever that may mean -- within the terms of the prevailing culture. They are taught to be Muggles. Is it any wonder evangelical Christians find the Harry Potter books threatening?

 

I read and re-read this paragraph several times and still can't see what he's doing here. Is he advocating racism and religious persecution, or is he merely just using this as an example?

 

Despite that ambiguity, the author has made some very good points and the article as a whole is eloquent and articulate, but I think his conclusions are too stemmed in his own fear of difference.

[James Bond]

What a queer article.

 

The author is obviously afraid of being different - being different should not be allowed.

Now; I don't know the Bible by heart - far from it - but I cannot remember anything in the words of Jesus that says being different is bad; on the contrary, I'd say.

 

So, to me the question is, why did he write this piece?

- to prove that being different is being gay, and should be discouraged

- to prove he's eloquent

- to warn of fundamentalist Christians

- to prove that being popular is bad

 

Your guess is as good as mine.

I'd rather Book 6

 

007

[boy on a string]

I think this guy is a total idiot. He has drawn his own conclusions before he read the books, and then only read the books to back his conclusions. The best example I can give is when he says Rolwins is promoting gays because Dursley asks Harry, "Who is Cedric ... is he your boyfriend?"

 

That is typical teen teasing/harrassment, esp if they don't like/hate the person they are harrassing. That doesn't mean that either of the teens are gay, nor that the support or are promoting a gay life style. That is how teens talk (male teens anyway ... not sure about female teens).

 

Boy on a String

[Gentim]

It always amazes me that people could draw conclusions from reading an article or book that fit their perceptions of how the world should be. The author of the article has a problem with seeing things which may or may not fit what JK Rowling is trying to send us in the way of messages. Of course, that assumes that she isn't just writing the Harry Potter series simply to entertain her reading public.

 

What a concept!? Writing to entertain people!

[miguelsanchez55]

Simple,

I think he and the bible beaters ought to just GET A LIFE

 

Take care,

Mike :sword:

[miscelanious22]

Wow... I just need to say that the person who wrote that article is a complete idiot... I really got wowed...