I need you all!

[cubfanbudwoman]

potterfan9349 wrote:
> Hi! I am a junior in high school and I am doing a research
> project/paper on the subculture of Harry Potter fans. ... your first
> name and age and the responses to all or some of the following:

SSSusan:
Unless I missed it, there was no mention of a cutoff date for 
submitting responses, so I hope this isn't too late.

I'm going to piggyback onto some of Steve bboyminn's responses, 
because I don't think I need to restate some of the things he already 
put forth.


Name: Susan/Siriusly Snapey Susan
 
Age: Sigh.  If you really need to know... 43. ;-)  Also a former high 
school social studies teacher, if that makes any difference in any 
way.
 
Location: Indiana, USA
 
> 1) On a scale of 1 to 10 (10 being a Potter-obsessed superfan who 
> has read all the books a thousand times, has been to all the movie
> premiers and book releases, wears Harry Potter underwear, etc.), how
> big of a Harry Potter fan are you?

SSSusan:
I suppose an 8.  I get the books the moment I first can, always go to 
the movies on their release day, have been known to sleep in a Harry 
Potter T-shirt, but don't dress in costume, write fanfic, or etc.
 

> 2) How long did it take you to read the books? How many times have 
> you read each one? Which is your favorite?

SSSusan:
I'm not one of those people who can read an HP straight through 
without putting it down.  I need 3-4 days typically (though I did 
read HBP quicker than that, since I felt compelled to have it done by 
the time HPfGU came back live).

I've read each book 3-5 times, and listened to the audio versions of 
each one (except HBP) at least once.

My favorite remains PoA.


> 3) How has Harry Potter changed your life? What purposes do Harry
> Potter books serve beyond entertainment?
> 
> Steve:
> I find Harry Potter very inspiring. 

SSSusan:
I do, as well, Steve.  What drew me in to the first book, besides 
Jo's excellent storytelling & tremendous sense of inventive humor, 
was her ability to **understand** and **convey** what really matters 
to an 11-year-old.  She made me remember what it felt like to be that 
age.  

And as for inspiration, Harry strikes me as a very noble person.  I 
know that is an oversimplification, and I know he is not perfect -- 
who wants a perfect hero?? -- but his heart seems to me to be 
essentially true, he wants to do the right thing, and I think that is 
inspiring, indeed.


> 4) What is the craziest thing you've done for Harry Potter?
 
SSSusan:
Admit I'm a "list elf" for an adult online HP discussion group ;-) 
and attend an HP convention.


> 5) Do you own any unusual Harry Potter merchandise or paraphernalia?
> What is your largest or weirdest collection?
 
SSSusan:
I don't think anything I own is particularly weird, but I do have 
several of the HP Lego sets: the Hogwarts Express, the Knight Bus, 
DD's Office, etc.  I *love* my Quidditch T-shirt which I bought at 
The Witching Hour in Salem and also love to wear my "We Know Who, You 
Know Where" T-shirt from The Leaky Cauldron.  I have a Rickman!Snape 
keychain and pen, PoA magnets on my fridge, the HP SceneIt game, a 
Snape/McGonagall/DD mug, and a lovely little teacup and saucer with 
an illustration of Harry, et al., crossing the lake towards Hogwarts 
for the first time.


> 6) If you could be any Harry Potter character, which one would you 
> be and why?

Steve:
> That's actually a hard question. Of course, who wouldn't like to be
> Harry, but I find that I identify very strongly with Ron. I'm not 
> sure why Ron appeals to be so much, but he does. 

SSSusan:
Funny -- before I got to Steve's response, I was thinking of Ron 
myself.  And I do think it'd be interesting to be Ron... though I'm 
not sure he'd really be my first choice.  I think I'd make a good 
Minerva McGonagall (heh heh)... but again I'm not sure I'd want to BE 
her.  So I think maybe it would be Ginny.  It'd be fun to have grown 
up in that family and have learned from Fred & George, to be spunky & 
talented & an excellent Quidditch player in my own right.  Besides, 
she might end up with Harry in the end. ;-)

 
> 7) What is it that makes Harry Potter books so great that any age 
> can enjoy them?

SSSusan:
I don't have any elaborate theory or deep reason in mind.  I just 
think it's a testament to JKR's storytelling and character-drawing 
abilities.  She uses humor creatively and effectively.  She writes 
characters which can seem nicely black & white to little kids (who 
often like/want that) but which can seem deeply grey to us big people 
(who often like/want that).  The stories are exciting, the mysteries 
are intricate and detailed, and she's clever as all get-out!

 
> 8) Have you been to any midnight premiers or book releases? Did you
> dress up? Describe your experience.

SSSusan:
Went to the last midnight book release with my daughter, but did not 
dress up.  It was fun to be there, sharing in everyone's enthusiasm, 
answering trivia questions while we waited in line.


> 9) What separate the fans from the FANS?

Steve:
> I think it's a matter of /active/ and /passive/. FANS take an active
> part in the world of Harry Potter; they dress up, they create 
> artwork, they write fan fiction, they take part in discussion 
> groups, etc... The standard 'fan' reads and enjoys the book and 
> that's about it.

SSSusan:
I'm actually going to disagree(?) with Steve a *little* bit here.  
Whereas based upon the "definition" potterfan9349 provided for rating 
ourselves 1-10, Steve gave himself 6-7 and I gave myself an 8, I'm 
not sure I'd have defined things in the rating exactly as 
potterfan9349 did.  IOW, I think the typical, *frequent* poster at 
HPfGU is actually pretty close to being a FAN.  

Maybe it's not fair of me to judge, or maybe we need *three* 
classes:  fans, Fans and FANS.  If we had that, then I think I'd say 
the average, frequent poster at HPfGU is at least a Fan.  The reason 
I say this is that I think we tend to compare ourselves to one 
another around here -- "Well, I don't write FILKs, so I'm not *as* 
big a fan as X" or "Well, I post, but I don't post daily, so I'm not 
*as* big a fan as Y" or whatever.  BUT... if you compare most of us 
who are active around here to, say, people in our own communities, 
how do we fare then?  

I took my daughter to an HP party at our public library this past 
weekend, and one of the women running the event kept referring to 
Voldemort as VAL-demort.  And nobody corrected her!  And that got me 
to thinking... I'm the biggest HP fan I know in my town of 17,000.  
Does that make me a FAN?  Maybe it does.  Yet, I don't write fanfic, 
I don't write FILKs, I don't dress in costume, and I have a lot of 
other activities I involve myself in besides HP.  

So I guess I'm saying it depends upon what group of people you choose 
to compare yourself to.  Personally, I like the fan, Fan and FAN 
distinction, and would place myself as a Fan.


> 10) Is there a special "lingo" of Harry Potter fans? Are there
> specific phrases or vocabulary that define the group?
> 
> Steve:
> There are a few things that actually have become so common that they
> are accepted language now; I expect them to appear in the dictionary
> soon. For example 'FLINT'....

SSSusan:
I agree.  Think about everything a newbie around here has to pick up -
- and I don't just mean our most popular TBAY acronyms like MAGIC 
DISHWASHER or LOLLIPOPS.  I mean shorthand like ESE! and OFH!  I mean 
even the way American fans have adopted some of the British words and 
phrases and comfortably use them now.  I mean even knowing what a 
FILK is (which, true, isn't exclusive to the HP fandom, but...).  


> 11) What are your views on people who oppose Harry Potter books,
> saying they are sacreligious and teach children witchcraft?
> 
> Steve:
> I think it is ridiculous; completely unfounded. 

SSSusan:
Totally agree.  Frightened of things which appear to be a challenge 
to their "authority."  Most likely haven't actually READ the books.  
Unwilling to be open to the truth that these books are ALL about good 
vs. evil, making difficult choices, doing the right thing over what 
is easy, being loyal and faithful and true.  I think some of these 
people simply wouldn't be content unless Jo decided to place some 
EXPLICIT "This is a Christian book!" statement into things, which I 
find pretty pathetic.  


> 12) Any other things you might want to say about Harry Potter books.

SSSusan:
Not much except that the entire experience has enriched my life.  The 
books themselves first, of course, and then discovering this whole 
online fandom which has allowed me to make connections & friendships 
and to enjoy banter and thoughtful discussion.  And something like 
this may never happen again in my lifetime -- what fun to be along 
for the ride as it unfolds!

Good luck with your project!

Siriusly Snapey Susan