Diversity in Media and Literature (WAS No Subject)

[aldrea279]

No: HPFGUIDX 40682

Eloise:
>>I'm going to make a confession. Apart from Cho and the Patil girls 
(because 
of their names), Angelina who is stated to be black and Lee with his 
dreadlocks, I had never really imagined any of the other Hogwarts 
students 
not to be white. I'm sorry, but there it is. It reflects *my* school 
experience.>>

I have to make the same confession as Eloise. I always pictured white 
students unless told otherwise, and I didn't even pick up on the 
Patil girls...I did think they were strange names, but then again, 
alot of names in HP are strange(and I love that).  I didn't even 
realize Lee Jordan was black until watching the movie.  I had only 
read the books once before that, and then when re-reading them and 
picking up on the drealock thing, I thought to myself about how the 
movie *had* payed attention to details, as the Lee Jordan in the 
movie had dreadlocks.

And it probably reflects on the experience I have had in school, 
also.  I live in the south US, Arkansas to be precise.   I have yet 
to attend school with a black person.  Infact, I have never had a 
conversation with an African-American, face to face.  I can vaguely 
recall my 7th grade Arkansas History teacher telling our class about 
how the last African-American students to attend our school had had 
to leave because they had been harrassed so much.  And I can recall 
just this year, as I was riding home from school, we passed by an 
African-American man walking along the streets.  My mom and brother 
and sister all stared, and wondered what he was doing here.  I have 
to admit I was slightly annoyed at them for staring at him just 
because he was a black man, but I can't really blame them.  I also 
wondered myself what he was doing there, but mainly because I saw he 
had a backpack on and he was carrying a large sack over his back.


But I don't find the fact that Dean's race being inserted into the 
American edition offensive.  Hasn't JKR always said she writes the 
books for herself?  A character's appearances can be very important
(like Harry having his mother's eyes), and so perhaps JKR stuck it in 
there herself.  Or maybe an editor DID go up to JKR and say "Ms. 
Rowling, we need a little diversity at Hogwarts, so could you give us 
a character from Hogwarts that's black so we can make mention of 
it?"  And it wasn't like it was a huge change- Philosopher's to 
Sorcerer's was a change.  Was Dean Thomas mentioned as being some 
pasty white boy with blonde hair and blue eyes before some editor 
decided he needed to be black?  I don't think so...it was just 
inserted into the American edition(allbeit badly) what Dean's skin 
color is.


James:
>>I am a bit annoyed that the US editon put that in [Dean's colour] 
(I 
really didn't see the need, and it implies Harry is concerned with 
these things in a way the UK editions don't) but then political 
correctness is seen as very important and people assume odd things 
and get VERY upset about these issues (as mine and previous posts 
have shown).>>

Really?  So, basically, if Harry notices someone's skin color, he's 
concerned with race?  I never thought of it like that.  I mean, 
usually when you first meet someone you take in their physical 
appearances, right?  So to me, it's just Harry taking in their 
physical descriptions.  It could go alot more detailed, really, as in 
describing everyone's hair color and stuff when we first meet them
(including all minor characters- what color is Neville's or Sean's or 
Lavender's hair, anyways?), instead of randomly saying "oh yeah, Ron 
has flaming red hair."  But, I think JKR really focuses on the main 
characters, which is a good thing- I like hearing about the Trio.

~Aldrea, who really must get some sleep.