Harry Potter is a CHILDREN'S BOOK re: rape sexual preference

[Donna]

No: HPFGUIDX 79623

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Sue Porter" <sues0101 at h...> 
wrote:
> 
>> 
> I would like to add my agreement to this post. Why is it that it's 
ok for JK 
> to write about war, death, racism, opression, torture, cuelty etc 
etc, but 
> some people seem to think that it's not ok for her to write about 
sexuality? 
> Why is it not ok to write about something that is good and 
beautiful? Why 
> are we so scared to let kids read about love and sex (and no I'm 
not talking 
> about reading graphic porn here, even I'm not so stupid as to 
approve of 
> that!)?
> 
> Before I get shot down by those who disagree and say that JKR is 
not writing 
> a book about teenage love, het or gay or anywhich way, and if its 
not 
> important to the storyline it wont be in the book, let me say this. 
Harry 
> will win the battle against evil somehow. Love is the key here. 
Love saved 
> Harry from LV when he was a baby. Seems to me that an exploration 
of some 
> other forms of love will be something that JK will do in the next 
two books. 
> Exploring love would bring a nice balance to the books after 
dealing with so 
> much evil. Harry has to learn about love somehow if he is going to 
have the 
> ability to defeat LV, and unless there is some exploration and 
understanding 
> by Harry, he won't have the emotional depth to deal with it.
> 
> JMHO, but why is writing about something so good, so frowned upon? 
Are we 
> saying that kids are better able to deal with evil, death, torture, 
murder, 
> war and opression than with love?  You can say kids don't need to 
know about 
> sex/love until they are old enough to understand it, BUT why are 
they old 
> enough to understand the evil stuff and not the good stuff? Is it a 
comment 
> upon our society that
> we have become immune to how bad evil is, and have lost the ability 
to teach 
> our children how to love?
> 
> I probably haven't worded this as well as I might, but I hope you 
all get 
> the point I am trying to make.
> 
> Sue

I do see the point Sue is trying to make.  It is just as important 
for our children to see love in literature as well as hate.  I just 
want to point out that violence and mayhem have always been an 
accepted part of Children's Literature.  Has anyone read Grimm's 
Fairy Tales in their orignal versions?  They are quite a bit darker 
and more violent than they are today.  Lewis Carroll wrote about the 
Walrus and the Carpenter devouring those poor little oysters who were 
given quite human characteristics.  

Even Disney has presented violence in their latest movies.  From Snow 
White and the 7 Dwarfs, the defeat of the old queen (seeing that hag 
fall from the rock, to a small child, pretty scary) to Atlantis 
(sorry that's the last Disney movie I have seen), when the villain 
gets blown up!  Yes, even child abuse - Cinderella!

But over time, only romantic love has been presented.  It is only 
recently that other forms of love have been represented in Children's 
Lit.  And it is spotty at that.  "Heather Has Two Mommies" is the 
only recent literature that comes to my mind about alternative 
lifestyles.  

I believe, that if it is essential to the story, JKR will show 
alternative lifestyles.  IMO, she is broadminded enough to write 
about that in a way that shows respect and acceptance.  We still have 
two books to go...who knows?

D