Conspiracy Theories

[Jim Ferer]

No: HPFGUIDX 96577

I'll say up front that I am not a conspiracy theorist; conspiracy
theories seem to start on the premise that nothing is what it seems,
and that unseen external forces manipulate the world and everything in
it.  The highy probable is rejected and notions with no reason to
believe them are promoted.

Therefore, good people are evil, evil people are misunderstood, and
everyone has a hidden agenda. We're used to seeing this in our
entertainment, where your best buddy in the Army turns out to be the
guy halping the drug dealers.  It's not a good way to look at the
world, IMHO.

But this is a Harry Potter discussion group, so here's my point: I
don't think JKR is a conspiracy theorist, either. She particularly
will not give us examples of treachery on the part of characters close
to Harry.  This would be a terrible betrayal of young readers by an
author. What would it teach them?

The world is no damn good;

Love, loyalty and friendship aren't real. Goodness isn't real. Only
evil and selfishness are real;

Don't believe in or trust anyone.

IOW, Voldemort was right all along.

We do see examples of betrayal that have occurred, particularly Peter
Pettigrew's (a result of weakness and cowardice) or lesser ones like
Marietta Edgecombe's (a character we didn't know, who promptly gets
her comeuppance).  Crouch!Moody isn't a betrayal, either - it wasn't
Moody.  We even have a counter-conspiracy theory, where the traitor
Sirius Black turns out not to be a traitor at all.

We also see betrayal in the Ministry, among the moles that seem to
infest the building, and Fudge's betrayal of the trust placed in him
by sticking his head in - the sand, and not doing his duty.

Could someone we know betray Harry? Yes. If it happens, we wil see
some form of warning (an incident, perhaps subtle) of a change in
heart or a slight someone may seek revenge for.  We definitely could
see treachery in someone outside the inner circle, a DA member, perhaps.

We could also see weakness, human frailty, in a character that lets
Harry down at a critical moment.  You could argue that Dumbledore's
failure to fill Harry in sooner was of that kind.  Ron's alienation
from Harry in part of GoF was another example.

There have been many such theories floating around, and they never
turn out.  There was one massive construct promoted with amused
derision for anybody who didn't "get it" that took a torpedo in the
engine room the day OoP was published.

Why am I ranting about this?  I feel strongly about it.  I'm genuinely
troubled by the conspiracy theory world view.  In the Harry Potter
context, I don't want my kids to think this is how the world works.  I
don't want other HP readers to think that, either.

JKR has many surprises for us, but she always plays fair and straight.
 That's a big part of her genius.

Jim Ferer