How do the books affect children? (was: Why down on all the characters?)

[a_svirn]

No: HPFGUIDX 179562

> Steph:
> I agree with Alla here.  Just because Harry is famous doesn't mean 
> he's popular.  In fact, he spends much of the time in both GOF and 
> OotP being distinctly unpopular. 

a_svirn:
I think you sort of confuse being unpopular with being notorious. 
Harry's fame and importance is a fact of canon, but it is a mixed 
blessing. In GoF and OotP it turns temporary against him. Just as 
Dumbledore's fame turns to notoriety in OotP. But Harry's still 
widely known, granted, unfavourably known for some time, but still 
conspicuous and still important. In GoF he's a school champion, and 
as such has more social clout than any fourth-year could dream of. In 
OotP for all his alleged unpopularity a few dozens of people turn up 
in a seedy pub to listen what he has to say. And they recognize him a 
leader from the get-go. Just imagine how many people would turn up if 
Hermione invited them to listen to *her* rather than to Harry. This 
is not what being unpopular means.

It was Hermione who was unpopular for the part of PS. And it was 
because her friendship with famous and popular Harry her standing in 
Gryffindor improved. (Though unlike Ron she did not set out to 
befriend the famous Harry Potter.) Neville was has been unpopular for 
the most of the books. Snape was obviously unpopular as a kid – one 
of the reasons he hated the popular Marauders. Luna was distinctly 
unpopular. Neither Neville until his miraculous transformation, nor 
Snape while at school, nor Luna possessed any sort of popular appeal. 
They were loners and longed for acceptance. Harry never had these 
problems. Not only did he always have a core of friends on his side, 
his very notoriety held a certain appeal. Otherwise why did all those 
people come to the Hog's Head? 


> Steph:
 The rest of the time, he just 
> seems like someone no one really pays that much attention to, 
except 
> when something spectacular happens, as in SS and CoS, or when he's 
> playing Quidditch.  Overall, Harry doesn't appear to have many 
> friends beyond Ron, Hermione, the other Weasleys, Seamus, Neville, 
> and Dean.  

a_svirn:
Huh. That's what, about a dozen people who would die for you without 
even asking a single question? Poor Harry, that must be tough being 
so unpopular. 

> Steph:
> I also don't think that Ron was looking to make connections when he 
> met Harry.

a_svirn:
If I want to rub shoulders with famous and celebrated it has nothing 
whatsoever with my desire to get important connections? Really? Why 
would I want to do so, then? 

> Steph:
Ron certainly thought it was cool that Harry was who he 
> was, but after that it didn't really seem to matter to Ron that 
> Harry was famous.  

a_svirn:
Didn't matter? When he was obviously consumed with jealousy all the 
time? To the point of succumbing to the Horcrux's influence?