Why Some People Don't like HP

[Tonks]

--- In HPFGU-OTChatter at yahoogroups.com, danielle dassero 
<drdara at ...> wrote:
>
> I have a new theory (new to me anyways)von why people don't like 
HP. While there are many books that have good and evil sides and 
have those that skirt the lines, like Umbridge, there are few books 
that are mass marketed to children that teach it. HP in a way are 
tooo similiar to the real world. In Harry's world he learns that not 
everyone is classified as good or DE. He learns that even those on 
the side of good can be evil and vice versa. Take Snape, he was a 
fould, loathsome, smelly, greasy git, but that wasn't the only side 
to Snape. He was also on the side of good for many reasons. I am 
thinking there are a lot of people out there that only want to 
believe there is good and there is evil ie God vs the Devil. They 
don't like the idea that there is much gray area in the world and 
they certaintly don't want their kids learning that or thinking 
that. 

Tonks:
Your theory has some merit. The people who are opposed to the books 
are mostly the right wing Christian Fundamentalists. Now you have to 
understand how they think and why, IMO, they chose that type of 
Christianity. 

There are developmental phases of childhood. One of them is called 
the Latency phase. During this time, usually ages 7 to 12, the child 
sees the world in terms of black and white. And it is important for 
everyone to follow all the same rules, because if they didn’t, on a 
subconscious level, it would create anxiety in the child that they 
too might step out of line. Later the person grows, matures and 
comes to see, as most of us do, that the world is not all black and 
white, good and evil. And the mature adult is able to follow their 
own inner guild even if the people around them are doing something 
wrong. 

The problem, I think, is that some people get stuck in the Latency 
phase. And for these people a form of religion that has clear cut 
rules of right and wrong, black and white appeals to them. So you 
are right, I think, in your theory. We must also add to that, that 
since the ridged Fundamentalist thinking also includes a literal 
interpretation of the bible they see the whole witchcraft thing in 
HP too and that to them is always evil. 

Just remember what JKR said. 'Don’t confuse her ideas with the 
lunatic fringe of her religion.' (or something like that.)

Tonks_op