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

[stephab67]

No: HPFGUIDX 179618

Magpie:
We both, it seems, connect being popular with being "cool." I think 
Harry is important (savior of the world), cool (celebrity, savior or 
the world, sports star, hero, notorious dark wizard) and popular 
(generally liked by his schoolmates, never having his own overtures 
for friendship rejected, recognizing those who actually are 
unpopular unlike himself, his friendship sought by others, his 
sexual interest sought by others, including two of the most popular 
and sought-after girls that we know of). Honestly, I think JKR has 
made sure to make Harry basically cool throughout canon--and it's 
not like she doesn't know how to write social outcasts. She does 
them with Neville and Luna and Myrtle and Snape. I think the only 
change in HBP is that Harry's attractiveness has a sexual component 
and that's it. 

Steph:
We're not that far off, I just don't think that Harry became cool
until he was proven right about Voldie at the end of OotP.  Then he
did become cool.

My perceptions of this whole thing are colored by the fact that I'm a
high school teacher and see every day the gradations of students, from
the social outcasts to the kids at the top of the social heap (call
them cool or popular, to me it's the same thing).  There are kids who
are important and popular, such as the sports kids, drama kids,
student council, etc., the kids who are important but not popular
(sometimes the same group, but there's something about them which
makes them not cool - maybe they're nerdy), the kids who are just cool
(hence popular) even though they're not involved in any particular
activity, the kids who are just the 'normal' ones - not popular or but
not particularly unpopular, some of whom are important, some not -
this is the group I'd put Harry in, by the way), the kids who are the
nerdy, kind of unpopular kids, the stoners, the demotes, and the total
social outcasts.  Then there are the gangbangers, which can fit into
any of the above categories.  By the way, I'd put Neville in the
nerdy, unpopular group rather than the total social outcast group,
whereas Luna definitely fits in the social outcast group. If I had to
characterize the others aside from Harry, here's where I'd put them:
Ron: normal, but not important
Hermione: uncool but borderline important because of her academics
Fred and George: important and cool 
Ginny: cool, then important when she gets on the Quidditch team
Dean and Seamus: normal, like Ron; Dean is probably a bit cooler than
Seamus

Again, I'd put Harry into the normal group because, at least until
HBP, no one is really clamoring to hang out with him, aside from
mostly just Ron and Hermione. I got the feeling that Harry didn't
think he was cool enough for Cho as she was dating the actually cool
Cedric in GoF. Even during the DA lessons, he's still just really
hanging out after hours with the usual suspects.  Maybe others didn't
think it was worth it to get close to someone who'd been personally
targeted by Voldie.  I also think that Harry didn't really want or
need a lot of friends, either, he's got Ron and Hermione, and a few
others, and that's good enough for him.  

Interesting discussion, eh?