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July 19, 2005
Internationally condoned escapism. Wheee!
The Harry Potter craze is getting on my nerves. But not so much for what it is as for what it represents.
Some snarkiness ahead, then. No harm intended; I just want to whine, but I don't want to hurt anyone. So seriously, if you're a hardcore HP fan, DO NOT READ on. I'm just getting some whining out of my system, and I don't want anyone to think I hate them, or hate me for my opinions. But if you're not a hardcore fan, please, read on and tell me if you think I'm crazy. *sigh*
That being said, I am so very tired of Harry Potter. It seems like everywhere I look, people have some absurd need to keep public record of what page they're on or exactly what time in the wee hours of July 16th they reached the end and found out the big secret. Don't get me wrong; I truly enjoy the HP books. I've read them all several times (except Order of the Phoenix, cos it annoyed me) and I think they're well written. I think the reason this irks me so damn much is because half of these people are the same ones who complained when I made too many political posts back in November. Um, I'm sorry, but I was posting about things that actually affected peoples' lives. Half-Blood Prince is a work of fiction. You love it, you read it, good for you. Am I supposed to get excited because you got it on the stroke of 12 and had finished reading it an hour later? Good for you! You have even longer to wait until the next one comes out! But unless that book is single-handedly responsible for destroying all negative impacts of imperialism, I have trouble seeing what the big deal is all about. Yes, I'm sure it's an awesome book. I know I'll laugh and cry and be unable to put it down once I get it (in softcover). But I don't think it's a better book than, say, The Game by Laurie King, and no one seemed to feel the need to run around screaming about that.
I guess it just depresses me to know that people, even those I respect and love, are so easily drawn into being passionate about trivialities like a mass-market novel or the lives of various celebrities, but can't find it in themselves to give a singing fish for, say, the gross human and animal rights violations going on all around them.
That being said, if you dressed up to go to the midnight release party or read the book as fast as possible to avoid hearing spoilers elsewhere, or just for the fun of beating your friends, I actually have nothing against you. Bravo for knowing how to have a good time in life! Joy is vastly important. I don't for one instant think I'm "holier than thou" or somehow living my life better than you. It's important to enjoy life and appreciate great works of art.
I just get upset that there's mass hysteria about something so trivial and nothing being done about all these huge issues that I care about. Our society nurtures a cult of selfishness and entitlement complexes, and we suck it up cos it's easy. And it makes me sad.
I think The Daily Show shares my awe of this absurdity. There was a fabulous sketch recently where they treated a leak of HP books in Canada the way mainstream news organizations in the US have been treating the bombings in London. COULD IT HAPPEN HERE??? Very amusing.
edit: A caveat because I guess I still didn't make myself clear. I don't have a problem with Harry Potter per se. And I think the partying and the fun surrounding it is great. And as my friend Erika pointed out, it does a great job of encouraging people to read.
What concerns me is the cultural habits that it represents; we are encouraged in our Euro-American culture to forget that we are privileged and that there are those out there who aren't. We wrap ourselves up in the fluff of our privilege, snuggling up to our Harry Potter or our Celebrity lives magazines, tunnel-vision turned up to full and cotton wool in our ears, and conveniently forget that there's a rest of the world out there, not all of whom are privileged enough to expend so much energy on a book.
I'm not saying that we should all drop all of our fun times and spend our lives miserable and poor and hungry. But in the United States, at least, we are encouraged to not think about things that depress us. Animal cruelty in factory farms makes you sad, so think about something fun instead. We're taught to not get outraged; instead, get distracted. Give someone a chunk of money and take a vacation from reality for a while.
The Harry Potter craze is just one example of the fluffy part of our lives, but I want to see some examples, from an average American (one who didn't attend UC Santa Cruz or Berkeley) of getting worked up about some of the less pretty stuff.
It all matters, folks, the fun and the pain. Let's not get too involved in ourselves... please?
Posted by becka at July 19, 2005 03:08 PM