More People Need(ed) to Read Harry Potter

[annoni-no.livejournal.com]

I know, a provocative title in this community, but we have concrete evidence that reading Harry Potter leads to a small, but significant, increase in antipathy toward Donald Trump and his policies.

https://www.asc.upenn.edu/news-events/news/new-study-shows-reading-harry-potter-lowers-americans%E2%80%99-opinions-donald-trump ; (Link through to the actual study in article.)

A while back I posted about a study that found that identifying with Harry Potter led to decreased bias toward stigmatized minorities.  At the time, I wondered how reading the series led people to feel about how to deal with their enemies given the vindictiveness the series shows in a close reading.  As it turns out, the more Harry Potter books someone has read, even controlling for "party identification, gender, education level, age, evangelical self-identification, and social dominance orientation," the more opposed they were to violence and punitive policies (like torturing their enemies as advocated by Trump) and authoritarianism.  This is in addition to confirmation of the decreased bias against outgroups.

You don't have to like Harry Potter, and I completely agree that the books have a lot of problems.  But let's not loose sight of the fact that the world is entering a dangerous, if not outright fascistic period.  There's too much hatred and divisiveness driving our politics; hate crimes have risen by several hundred percent since Trump's election.  If reading Harry Potter does help lead people to greater tolerance and mercy, we shouldn't let the perfect be the enemy of the good.

Comments

[chicory-fics.livejournal.com]

Hello, I used to lurk here about two years ago? And recently I've again read a few posts here and there.

I'm not going to say anything about the methodology used in the study because, well, I don't know anything about methodologies.

But I just find it little bit hard to believe that a series that was basically just post-modern identity politics could affect anything in a meaningful, positive way.

To me, Harry Potter was a nostalgia-trip where people got to play tolerant, good and sophisticated while at the same time being horrible bigots to anyone who wasn't/didn't think like them. And yes, I am talking about the supposed good guys who are only good by virtue of identifying as such.

And I always found it a little, I don't know, icky? that Muggle-borns (like Harry... although I guess he is half?) basically ended up imposing their will on every wizard who didn't agree with him/them in the wizards' own society?

Sure there were wizards with them but from what I remember those wizards were equally or even more horrible bigots than their supposed evil counterparts.

And every supposed good character in the book was plenty violent. They were just violent towards accepted targets. Like the characters who basically just said or thought nasty things because yes, you deserve to be lynched for your thoughts.

Well, anywho, Harry Potter didn't really make more opposed to "violence and punitive policies". It just made me really opposed to Harry Potter. Of course, this is subjective and it might have worked on others. I cannot speak for other people.

Uhh, and I shall go back to random lurking because this makes me really anxious.

[vermouth1991.livejournal.com]

You know, the first time I read about the obliviating Muggles so that they don't learn about magic, I was reminded of the Men In Black premise that all alien activities and sightings must be wiped out from earthling witnesses' minds. But then I realized that this was different, in that the MIB both monitors the peaceful aliens who only seek a low key life as refugees on earth, and also foil the earth-threatening plots that come at least once a week, whereas the HP wizards mainly do it to cover up their own asses, especially when it comes to Dark Magic attacks.

Can't wait for someone to write about the Fantastic Beasts movie, though.

[merrymelody.livejournal.com]

This, I thought of MiB, but at least with them, everyone was wiped, it wasn't a subclass of people. And the agents themselves essentially sacrificed their entire lives in order to do that, by erasing themselves (obviously there was massive potential for abuse; but the films never really explored that. Whereas HP has memory charms being used for evil from book 2, but there's no 'Well, duh, of course people will hurt others if they can make them forget things at will', it's just 'once Harry and Hermione own the police and government, I'm sure it will only be allowed in the pursuit of politics and if someone they know casts hilarious or righteous spells on sassy Muggles.')

Oooh, I've got a fantastic beasts post in my drafts, I'll post it this week and we can make it a discussion place if you like.

[vermouth1991.livejournal.com]

I've since talked with my friend who's seen a lot of the Men In Black animated series. Turns out one of their biggest foes was an earthling, their organization's former leader in fact, by the code name of Alpha. Who indeed abused his power and tried to take over the world.

I wonder if you've found time for Fantastic Beasts?

[merrymelody.livejournal.com]

Yeah, it's here :) https://deathtocapslock.livejournal.com/328873.html

[vermouth1991.livejournal.com]

Thank you. :)

[merrymelody.livejournal.com]

Hey, welcome. I'm a bit of a lurker myself, despite lazy modding once in a while; but yeah, that's pretty much how I feel.

If people get something good out of it, great; but I think if anything, JKR's pronouncements on the topic (as well as generally on social media) now it's over, as well as the spinoffs (Cursed Child, Fantastic Beasts) pretty much prove the longrunning argument that the series doesn't have a coherent set of beliefs or morals.
This is an author who can't even commit to an opinion on torture or slavery.
Her fandom seemed happy enough when she gave them enough space to fanwank that she just forgot or ran out of space to include diversity, but her inability to leave the text alone means by engaging, she reveals that her liberalism has very set limits (magicians of colour exist! I just don't want to write about them when I could have another straight white male lead like every book I've ever written! Gay people - or men, at least - exist! It's just that their homosexuality is a corrupting influence on their entire lives! I'm a feminist, but I save my public criticism for Paris Hilton, etc. Johnny Depp can totes get cast in my movie after domestic abuse, after all, 'people go up and go down' in the public eye.)

[chicory-fics.livejournal.com]

Hi, thank you. I hope three days isn't long enough for the topic to become old; I'm a little unsure on internet customs. I don't... really post much.

I actually think HP has a coherent set of beliefs, if not morals. (I think morals are rather culture and era specific, and dependent on who is guiding the cultural discussions, so I'm not too hang-up on those anyway. At least when it comes to fiction.)

I think HP, er, represents the post-modern identity politics well; "when others do it it's evil but when I (or we) do it it's justified because you don't know the whole story/I'm (or we're) in the right..."

I was reading a lot about post-modern narcissism and identity politics some time ago and I think HP represents it very well.

To be honest, I don't really care if Rowling included or didn't include diversity. I'd rather promote minority writers than, basically, force another rich, white lady include minorities as an afterthought just so they--and subsequently their readers--can feel tolerant.

But, I don't know, I've always read/watched fiction from all around the world so I don't really care much about it?

Of course, these are just my opinions and kind of moot in regards to Rowling, anyway, because she really seems to love talking about herself and her opinions anywhere and anytime she can.

[vermouth1991.livejournal.com]

I think this Livejournal group at least doesn't frown on commenting on older posts (after all, there's no obligation to only read and comment on the newest stuff, plus different people discover this place at different stages), but the content one writes has to be relevant. :)