It could be said that we here at The East Texan have run a wide spectrum of topics on the opinion page. Said topics have included food, news media, family, entertainment, relationships, society and racism.
The response, measured in letters or e-mails, has been underwhelming. So we took a moment to consider what might actually receive the attention we so desperately desire.
What began as a joke soon became a topic of earnest semi-seriousness as we realized what we could do. If being an English major has taught me anything, it’s that putting a spin on something held in positive regard is always an option. So we set our sights on the precious Harry Potter. Oh that’s right, we went there, ’cause that’s how we roll.
Harry Potter is developed on the ultimate desires of the young pre-teen. The marketing power of Harry Potter is a masterpiece in the books alone, before any other advertising even gets started.
First, Harry is given incredible powers without any real effort. What child doesn’t desire the ability to simply wish away their problems? For that matter, what adult doesn’t want that power? After receiving this power, Harry uses it against his evilly embellished foster parents. Every child’s parents are evilly embellished and far worse in a child’s mind than they are in reality. How could they not make the connection?
Soon a giant adult, who thinks Harry is awesome, comes and takes him away to a school. Normally this would be disappointing for a young boy, as most kids despise school. It’s full of bullies and homework, social struggles, wedgies, spitballs and detention. Fortunately for Harry, his school is filled with children and faculty predisposed to thinking he’s a celebrity. Automatically popular before he even enrolls. It’s every drama major’s dream.
Now we can enforce the beloved childhood fantasy of generalized superiority. Harry is now part of a superior ethnic group of wizards who consider themselves better than the average human being of which they describe using the negative slur “muggles.” The only bullies amongst his peers are four or five bumbling boys who are easily fooled and dispensed of at every turn, and everyone else hates them anyway.
Harry’s tuition included closer friends. One is Hermione, a girl who basically just hangs around informing Harry of things and probably doing his homework. The other is Ron, your generic awkward preteen who enforces Harry’s status through comparison. As long as Ron is around, Harry will always look cool.
J. K. Rowling has sunk her hooks deep into their young psyches and has held on for dear life as they have grown into moody teenagers. Now as they become post-pubescent, she declares a character gay just in case there is one disenfranchised youth who hasn’t bought her books.