Harry *Disapprovers*, was Harry Haters

[Amanda Geist]

I haven't been following this thread in detail; I've only caught a few of
the posts. I have two things to say.

1. To Ripleywriter:

Here is the URL of the best analysis of the anti-HP reaction that I have
read. It looks at how HP, Lord of the Rings, and Narnia all treat magic, how
they are similar and how they differ, and the implications of those
differences being the basis of the different degrees of acceptance of those
works: "A Christian Reading of Spells and the Supernatural in the Works of
J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis, and in J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter Books."

http://members.tripod.com/Snyder_AMDG/SDG.html

2. RE: bboy's post:

Most of us disagree with those who find in HP either something to fear or
something to lead one's soul astray. However, his language was a bit, um,
un-circumspect. And not everyone who disapproves of HP is out there stoking
book-fires. Some of them just quietly disapprove, which is their loss but
nothing I can argue with.

Some of those reactions *are* informed ones, they *have* read the books;
many of them are not informed reactions, but based only on hearsay and
emotion. Still, in most cases the decision's been made and neither cajolery,
explication, evidence, *or* abuse will shift the opinion in most cases. And
so I do not bother unless attacked. And an inquiry is not an attack.

When you get into belief systems, you pretty much have to stop asking them
to make sense. Most of our list attitude towards the HP-haters is based on
the fact that their attitude doesn't make sense. It has always amused me
that we *expect* it to; faith by definition makes logical leaps. Any faith
system has the stuff you can't explain and must take on belief. So
addressing a faith-based reaction with logic is a flawed approach to begin
with.

Ergo, they will not understand us, and we will not understand them. And
that's pretty much it. Vilifying their attitude won't help much. The fact of
the matter is, as the Rock Man says in The Point--"You see what you want to
see, and you hear what you want to hear. Dig?"

~Amanda, showing her age
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Those who cannot hear the music, think the dancers daft.