Harry Potter and The Order of Children… Lessons Learnt
Harry Potter and The Order of Hackers
Everytime a new Harry Potter book comes out there is an unannounced competition within hackers to be the first to scan it (ocr it) and post it online. Russian servers are an obvious choice as they are harder to track and shutdown. On the other hand Mrs. Rowling and her order of blood-thirsty lawyers are ready to pounce upon anyone who has the remotest chance to leak any of the content of the book. They work overtime to ensure any leaks are quickly plugged in and the concerned persons prosecuted. Rowling is so much afraid of hackers that she doesn't allow publishing in eBook format. Her manuscripts is worth much more its weight in gold (24 carats). And in the middle of all this charade lies the children; many of them wait late in the night to be one of the early ones to be able to read it. And what do they read?
Harry Potter and the Order of Children
Children read about a synthetic world where you don't have to wash your dishes or dry your clothes. A world where slavery is still rampant and acceptable (think Dobby) and considered as normal; where all these magicians with huge powers are scared shitless by a single dude, so much so they are afraid to even utter his name.
The series is getting darker and darker, so much that I think it is becoming very much inappropriate for the children, who are supposed to be the books primary audience. Thankfully only one more book is left. Even then the impact of these books are tremendous. So what can we learn from the Potter series?
Lessons learned from Harry Potter Books
I think the authoress wants to imprint the following lessons to children in Harry Potter books:
1. It is acceptable to be a brat so long you have an elevated status like the boy who defeated "you know who". Harry has throughout the series thrown his tantrums, in school and in his adopted home. After all his aunt adopted him. They are supposed to be abusive guardians and yet I end up feeling sorry for them. Harry literally traumatizes them.
2. You have to be lucky to make a mark in this world; otherwise you can only be a sidekick at best or just a nobody. Luck is the major driving force in Harry Potter series. Harry is lucky to be the chosen one. He is lucky to be protected by his Mother's charm. He is lucky that his puny little spell from his wand is able to stop Voldy's attack because it just so happens that their wands are made from the same feather of Phoenix. Neville is an example of what happens when you are on the wrong end of Lady Luck. In short you are screwed. Hermione, despite her obvious talents, plays second or even third fiddle to Harry, who rules the roost. In the HP fantasy world luck is the No. 1 hero. Is this what we want to teach our children?
3. Harry Potter is all about escapism. Any fairly tale is about escapism, HP isn't an exception.
4. Harry Potter's world is racist. Your birth is much more important than your deeds. Harry Potter books are full of race / class based hatred. Muggles are looked down upon as an accepted norm. Mud-blood's are next. Harry conveniently is a pure-blood, while the villain isn't. Voldy, like Hitler, despises Mud-Blood (Jews in Hitler's case) and yet Voldy is a mud-blood (and Hitler is part-Jew). While racist views are still rampant in Britain as was recently evidenced by the treatment meted out to Shilpa Shetty in Big Brother show, I don't think young children need to be exposed to this ugly side of humanity.
Overall I think Harry Potter books may do more harm to society than benefit it. What do you think?
Filed under Harry Potter, Life, Society | Tags: Big brother, Lies, School, So what | 
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February 23rd, 2007 at 12:48 am
I personally do not like reading too much into a work of escapist fiction, although the reason I do not consider Harry Potter books very good for children is simple:
They are just not very good.
June 20th, 2007 at 11:56 am
It is always nice to find comments from people about some book they have not read. Harry is a mud-blood, his mother is a muggle-born. All the facts you describe as luck have A REASON given in the books, and are results of causes.
About the birth issue: the problem for Harry is exactly the fact that he HAS RECEIVED so much through birth, he would, as he states in his mind sitting towards Neville, rather like Neville to be on his place, with all this weight on hos shoulders.
As I see it, the writer himself is placing the adventurous life of Harry Potter on a pedestal, while he leaves the idyllic family life of Ron and the untroubled life of smart Hermione who gets all the boys she wants to take second and third place.
Any book will be always be just a mirror for its reader.
July 29th, 2007 at 2:48 pm
first i would like to say to “nendad ristic” … puhhhhhlease… dont bother a mindless rant and ignore the intelligent online conversation
go tatjana i love you, these guy (the one who posted and the other who replied need to be verbally shot down with their crack-pot theories and rants)
in response to Harry Potter and the Order of Children: i think u are very correct in saying the books got darker and more adult but so did the fanbase (to an extent) only the most mature of children would not be influenced by the dark portrayal of such a plot.
Lessons learned from Harry Potter Books
i so much disagree with 1-3 that if u thought them through there isnt a reason for me to dicuss them and as to #4 it is the varying views of racism that allow this book to be allowed for children to read because it lets them take their own side (even if the “good” side wins) eventually slavery looked like it was on the decline so it wouldnt do too much harm to society in that respect.
overall the series helped me in my views of good and evil as i went through puberty and my brain developed so did the plot and it mentioned that there is always more to a person and or group of people than one would ever imagine plus the fact that even the most evil and hated individuals can become friends (a.k.a. malfoys minus lucius).
as to whether or not it was good for society depends on if anyone takes this fictional book seriously other than a form of entertainment and/or easy reading and if they dont they must be horrible to society in the first place leeching bad influences from every source possilbe.
August 8th, 2007 at 4:34 pm
Harry was half-blood not a mudblood, you idiot! And so was Lord Voldemort. Lots of people were opposed to the oppression of house-elves and other magical creatures (Harry, Hermione, Dumbledore to name a few). Harry wasn’t lucky that Lord Voldemort murdered his parents and tried to murder him! That Lord Voldemort made him the chosen one so therefore giving Harry the weapons to destroy him. Harry longed to be normal and have his parents raise him instead of two extremely abusive and unloving relatives and a bullying cousin. You don’t get any of the character’s. It sounds like you haven’t even watched the films nevermind read the books, so don’t comment on things that you don’t/can’t understand.
September 3rd, 2007 at 8:43 am
I’ve never read anything so utterly stupid.
1. If you can possible feel sorry for the Dursley’s, then there’s something seriously wrong with you.
2 and 3. Go read the books.
4. That people hate for some arbitrary factor? Um…I think its a wonderful lesson to tach children because it gives a segue for parents to talk about equality. How many times have you seen kids on a playground not wanting to play with one or two of the other children because they were fat? Or had freckles? I remember growing up where my entire elementary school class detested one of our students because she was a Jehovah’s Witness and wouldnt pledge allegiance to the flag or participate in class parties. Kids arent pure while lambs of innocence.
May 17th, 2009 at 8:17 am
Hahaha. This is quite possibly the worst argument I’ve ever heard against Harry Potter.
1. Harry couldn’t be a better role model. He’s constantly making sacrifices for people he loves. And how can you feel sorry for the Dursely’s? They’re every bit of the stupid bigots you describe in your fourth point!
2. I’m pretty sure it’s called Harry Potter. Therefore, he is the main character. It does not teach kids you’ve got to be lucky…It teaches kids how to deal with what theyve been given with. i.e. Harry’s got the short end of the stick, and yet he faces his face head on. Malfoy, portrayed as evil, has everything he ever wanted and is hated by the general public. See that?
3. …So..exactly what’s the problem, here?
4. Harry Potter’s world is racist. The ENTIRE PLOT OF THE BOOK is about how that’s a BAD THING. If anything, this series teaches kids how STUPID it is. By making awesome characters like Dobby and Hermione, Rowling shows that purity of blood has nothing to do with anything. “It is not what we are born, but what we grow to be.”
Why don’t you actually ask a child what theyve learned from the series? I’ve grown up on Harry Potter. My morals completely stem from the series. It’s not only about growing up, but also about the power of love, and good vs evil. Of course there’s darkness and evil abound…but it’s not like Harry’s doing dark magic. It’s not like he’s condoning racism and killing! Quite the opposite. So, I answer your question with another: HOW could that be a bad thing?
June 9th, 2009 at 9:10 pm
Oh my… you can clearly tell that you certainly have not read the books.
For starters, Harry Potter is a half-blood. Voldemort is half-blood too.
How on Earth does Harry ‘traumatize’ the Dursleys?! I would think it much more appropraite the other way around.
“Harry Potter is all about escapism. Any fairly tale is about escapism, HP isn’t an exception.”
^^ That’s why I *like* reading Harry Potter, and most of the other books I read. I *like* escaping from the real world into a world where magical things are real. It’s fun! So Harry Potter is unsuitable for children because it’s all about escapism, but common knowledge fairy tales like Cinderella and Snow White are suitable? Yep, makes so much sense.
You cannot wrap children in cotton wool. Isn’t that what you were just condeming, escapism from the real world? And yet you’re saying that children shouldn’t be exposed to real things happening in the real world?
Before you heave out your opinions on things, why not learn about what you’re talking about first, you hypocrite.