Okay I'm just now getting into the Harry Potter "craze"--not really a craze for me, more a look to see what's all the fuss about. When the books first came out, my mom was afraid if I read them I'd, I dunno, commit sacrifices or something--ha ha--so I promised I'd stay away from them.

But as the years went by I became more and more a fantasy afficionado. Terry Pratchett? Love him. George R.R. Martin? Love him. J.R.R. Tolkien? No problems there. So I figured, why am I staying away? I just want to read it, I'll never practice it.

So I'm willing to grant the premise that--within the book--magic is good or at least neutral. Fine. Okay.
But other than magic, these folks do things that make me glad I wasn't young when I read them, I now have a moral base to say "I'm not okay with this."

For instance, Hagrid gives a curly pig tail to Dudley, the annoying cousin who's been mean to Harry his whole life. I at first didn't mind. I even thought it rather fitting that he'd have to go his whole life with a tail he had to keep secret.

But what they don't tell you in the movie--and ask yourselves, why not?--is that Hagrid's magic is a bit rusty--he was trying to turn the boy into a pig. Now, really think about that--an annoying but ultimately innocent boy turned into a pig just because a grown-up was mad at him. His parents essentially losing their child forever. This is what Hagrid intended, even though it didn't actually happen.

Another instance--gnomes attack the Weasleys' garden. The boys go out to handle it. How do they handle it? They grab the gnomes--who can talk, by the way--swing them around by the feet, and throw them as far as they can. Just imagine what they do to cats who get in their garbage. Our hero, Harry, "quickly learns" not to feel pity, and why? Because one bit him on the finger. Imagine if animal shelter workers threw the cats and dogs who bit them out of fear, or if cops murdered or mutilated perps who slap them around? They already do that, to some extent, and it makes quite the scandal when we see it--so we're expected to go along with a "hero" doing similar?

And the wizards treat Muggles like lesser beings--some of them do "Muggle-baiting" magic, and Mr. Weasley is only mildly annoyed by the whole thing--why is such practice not illegal? This is how the haves treat the have-nots in Harry's world?

Maybe I'm expecting too much from these books--Gandalf was helpful to all people, so are Pratchett's witches, but Rowling is niether Tolkien or Pratchett. But I wanted to raise the level of debate about this issue as I saw it. What is your opinion?

I like the movies and last I heard the main beef people had with the flicks is that they discriminate against Asians. Some Asians were angry but I think the latest movie has some Asian teens.

That's okay Bubba, I just hoped I'd get a debate going over here, to avoid going to my book forum. It sucks, but I haven't found a good replacement yet.

If at first you don't succede - try, try again. Maybe you should get a poker game going or play Yahoo pool with a friend with a glass of wine.

I'm just starting to watch the movies and things because of a recommendation from a friend. I didn't think I would be interested at all, but I was wrong. I saw the first movie and now I want to know what happens in the others.

i LOVE harry potter. so this is probably gonna be a long post.

1st. Muggle-baiting IS illegal! but it's hard to prove which is said in the books because muggles would never admit that it magic is just odd coincidences or something. also not all wizards think muggles are lessers. only some who think they're better than everyone. sorrta like how some rich people think they're better than every1 else simply because they have money. same difference! it's not all wizards. besides alot of wizards are muggleborn!

as for the gnome thing. they AREN"T cats or dogs. and Harry was extremely put off when they started throwing the gnomes, but they said it doesn't hurt them. and it IS a magic world so it probably really doesn't. and if something bites you hard enough to make you bleed your firstinstinct is not to run up to it and be like "oh it's okay you didn't mean too" if a dog were to bite a 12 year old (that's how old Harry was for the gnome thing) and make the 12 year old bleed. odds are it would be put to sleep.

for the Hagrid thing... it's just Hagrid. Gentle giant who isn't the smartest thing on earth. i really like Hagrid, but he takes things too seriously. Besides just because Hagrid SAID he actually tried to turn Dudley into a pig doesn't mean he actually was... the way it sounds (to me anyways) is that he was just trying to make Harry laugh or something...

you can think whatever you want but i have to disagree...

I agree with Meggy. Books are supposed to allow us into another world. They are not supposed to teach morals and kindness, that is the parents job. It is also the parents job to teach a child right and wrong and how to determine between them. It is also the parents job to vet books so that they know if their child is at an age to appreciate it and understand that it is just make believe. Children pretend to be robbers but it doesn't mean that they want to grow up to be criminals.

Also, I truly believe that Rowling is brilliant. I read the first book and I was hooked. Her books were about a boy that grew up in horrible circumstances with abusive and neglectful caretakers. But he didn't mature into a bully or walk around with a feel sorry for me and take care of me because I'm not ultimately responsible for myself attitude. He used his experiences to empathize with others, to show gentleness and wisdom. As far as I'm concerned they show the story of surviving something awful and the bad guys not prevailing. The magic was almost a side point because the books were about Harry the boy and everything else just added to the depth of the characters.

EXACTLY! thank you so much for backing me up Pebbles!

Harry Potter is pretty cool. I like it enough. However I do think making it into a musical (which I read about, it might not happen) is taking it to far. But they were great books. But the best is that the books got a lot of kids into reading.

Musical? that would be...... interesting.... okay i love Harry Potter, but MUSICAL?! c'mon that would suck! and i like the theatre arts stuff too!