Monday, March 22, 2010
Harry Potter and Fighting Poverty, Genocide, and Inequality?
The Harry Potter Alliance is a group that has apparently been around for some time and I have simply not been in the know. They feel themselves inspired by messages contained in Harry Potter, such as love, equal rights, making the world a better place, etc., and in response have created the Harry Potter Alliance to promote these ideas. The group explains that “The Harry Potter Alliance is dedicated to using the examples of Harry Potter and Albus Dumbledore to spread love and fight the Dark Arts in the Real World” (http://www.thehpalliance.org/). With their motto, “The Weapon We Have Is Love,” the group has raised funds for Darfur and Burma, donated books collected in their “Accio Books!” drives (Harry Potter fans will get the accio reference), and more. Finding this group (in extremely nerdy ways that will not be discussed in further detail) during the time of the semester that we have read Orwell made me think again about the impact of fiction on real world issues, or at least perceptions of real world issues. While Orwell was explicitly concerned about torture and totalitarianism, Rowling told a broad story of love and right choice. This group has expanded upon the spirit of Rowling’s tale to think of other humans in terms of love and concern, leading them to focus directly on genocide and poverty. It is a fascinating use of Rowling’s work and leaves me with several questions. First, I wonder whether there are moral implications of being motivated to care about real world suffering primarily because of fictional writings? In other words, is this the sort of sentimental education that Rorty would support, or ought we to be motivated by real world cases? Second, I wonder if this group can hold the attention of those it attracts at an early age? With this question I am assuming, perhaps incorrectly, that younger persons are more likely to join the Harry Potter Alliance. If this is the case, are they attached to the group (and Harry Potter), or to the broader cause? The answer to this question seems rather straightforward: the group is a way to get awareness of the broader cause and so I assume that the commitment is sincere though it seems the question could still be out there for some. Third, I wonder what will happen to this group as Harry Potter goes out of style (though perhaps it will not in ways that certain other works of fiction have not). Finally, I wonder what this approach to dealing with rights violations has to offer. It clearly aims at getting a younger generation concerned about rights violations, which seems a good step forward. Is this step enough to keep them engaged throughout their life, or should we be satisfied simply with their involvement at any stage in their life? These questions about the Harry Potter Alliance are not be of the same caliber as the concerns about the rights violations themselves, but they seem interesting to consider while taking a Human Rights course which includes a reading of Orwell.
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Laura, I think our capacity for empathy is a result of our ability to "imagine" that we are someone else (e.g. a homeless person). Fiction, to me, seems like a "venue" that can be used in this way for the generation of real empathy. If (at least some of) our moral principles arise from an ability to image that we are someone else, then fiction and other literature that fosters such imagination could lead to moral beliefs that serve as the foundation of human rights - like equality. In short - yes I think books like the Harry Potter series can motivate people to care about human rights.
ReplyDeleteGood post, Laura. I think literature like Harry Potter can help spread concern for the Other at a young age, something that Rorty could get behind.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I do think that there is a jump that needs to be made from people who are kind of like us (Harry Potter characters) to people who *seem* much less like us (those living in Third World countries or in authoritarian countries). Although Harry Potter readers are distinctly unlike the characters due to an absence of magical powers, they are (generally) similar in terms of security of person and general well-being. It is one thing to care for a friend at school who has been wronged; it is quite another to feel compelled to aid those in circumstances so unlike our own. I think this is one of the biggest problems for getting people to care--it is hard to imagine an existence so radically different from our own. Harry Potter seems like a good starting point in that it gets children to care about other people and doing the right thing. The more difficult step is taking that up a level by getting people to care about those very different from themselves (other than that whole 'humanity' thing) and to work for change in ways that will not directly benefit the caring individual.
What a find, Laura, on the HP Alliance. I went through their website and they do seem to have a lot of advocacy programs to fight what they call the Dark Arts in this age.
ReplyDeleteYou raised a valid question as to whether will this alliance be as active if Harry Potter was to fall out of fame. I think if HP does, there will be some other fictional books that can somehow take the place.
Seemingly a good (and very creative) approach to increase awareness in younger ones, I'm a little skeptical. Aside from asking the usual question of how much of the money raised goes straight to their beneficiaries, I somehow feel that young children who might be part of this alliance because it's cool can have their views on social issues easily manipulated by the founders of HP Alliance.
Before looking at the founder's profiles, I thought HPA would be one of those created by student for student kind of organization, that it would be run by a group of HP fans. The founders doesn't seem that young.
I guess bottom line is that the mission statement of this organization can change over time and when the next group of people running it may change it's original ideology and become the 'dark arts' themselves. Children's mind must be protected to receiving accurate information because they will be the ones making policies in governments and change the course of social issues HPA cares for.