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NM (![[info]](http://www.journalfen.net/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} narcissam) wrote in ![[info]](http://www.journalfen.net/img/community.gif){kind=small} fandom_wank,@ 2006-02-21 07:57:00 |
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As An Ex-Satanist, I Ship H/Hr
So you've heard about parents concerned over witchcraft in HP. But what about the parents concerned their kids might pick up bad shipping?
Hermionepotter.net is back up. One of the first essays posted there is entitled Through a Parent's Eyes and explains why the Ron/Hermione relationship makes the series inappropriate reading for children. Dementor 149 read the series to see if it was appropriate for her son and was delighted at the H/Hr modelling he would receive. However, when she found out it was going R/Hr, she realized the dangers the series posed to children.
Why did I spend so much time on the relationships within the story? I feel, as a parent, that stories geared for younger audiences need to have healthy lessons on life built into them. Authors that write for young people should be held to a higher standard than those who write for more mature people. Young teens need to read things that will reinforce the moral lessons that are being taught by their parents. Stories engage us on many levels, open our minds to new ideas and increase our understanding. They serve us with examples of the way we should behave and how the world works. I want my son to read things that will help him understand the way the world works. I had hoped that he might find some of that in the Harry Potter books. As an ex-Satanist I appreciate the innocence of her magic in the series. Now that I am a Christian I appreciate the Christian symbology and for the most part the good, moral behavior of her characters. Where she has shown that her characters make mistakes I have an opening for discussion and an opportunity to teach. It is only at the point of the relationship issues that I fear Rowling may be making a mistake that I cannot justify to my self and use her story text to teach what I want for my son to know.
We are bombarded on every hand by television and movies with stories that show people who bicker and fight. The producers of these stories are using sex to sell their stories and power their ratings. We are taught that it means they really like each other, and the way to get over it is to jump into bed with each other. We are taught that opposites attract. The unfortunate result of these lessons is a divorce rate that is over fifty percent.
The truth is relationships are built on things we, as couples, have in common. While our differences make us grow and stretch it is our common interests and commitment to a partner that keep us together. In my own life I have had both kind of relationships. The relationship I built with my friend has succeeded. The bickering one did not. It failed because in the end there was no common ground to hold it together or the desire to continue the endless rounds of hurt and misunderstanding. My own real life experience has little bearing on a story. However it does color my understanding of the dynamics of the characters, and for the story to have relevance, the characters must behave in a way we understand.
I had hoped that Rowling would be different. She would say something about love growing from positive things like gratitude, kindness, caring, a willingness to sacrifice for another person, and common interests. It now appears, judging from her interview, she is going along with all the cliché relationships we are bombarded with incessantly. It is a shame really. In a world growing ever darker and more selfish the kind of love Harry and Hermione might have shared would have been truly magical.
Reactions so far?
Caina - February 18, 2006
Dementor149, as you know, this is one of my favorite essays. It's very well thought-out and articulated. It gives voice to a lot of what so many of us feel. Thanks for writing it, and thank you very much for submitting it.
and
LawOfJude - February 20, 2006
I've never read such an amazing essay and it moved me almost to tears by it's raw truth. It puts into words all the things I have been feeling since the release of HBP and The Interview. I truely thought JK would be the exception to the rule and that she would write the kind of love we know does exist and should be put in the spotlight. Worst of all, it only took a matter of minutes for her to alienate a large portion of her very loyal readership and she doesn't seem to care. Thank you for writing an amazing essay that speaks so much truth. Just thank you, for putting into words what so many of us feel.
ETA: I've just realized where I've seen Dementor149 before. She's the Harmonian who suggested HBP sucked because JKR was pregnant when writing it. I referenced her in this report onclairvoyantwank. Besides being an ex-Satanist, Dementor149 also claims to be a Correctional Officer at Louisiana State Penitentiary. There's something creepy about that, dementors guarding American prisons.
ETA2:farmercuerden reports this comment : Tora1 - February 21, 2006
As a parent myself, I applaude you for your essay. It was beautifully written and speaks such an amazing truth! I know all to well how our curent pop culture affects our youth. My daughter recently ended a relationship with her boyfriend of three years, only to turn around to date another boy. They two constantly bicker, I am so worried for her, she says she's in love. I only foresee a sad and lonely and painful future, rife with divorce. Thank you for this essay, I plan on showing it to my daughter!
"...She's going to show her daughter an anti-Ron/Hermione essay to show why she shouldn't be dating her current boyfriend. If only we could see that conversation."
So you've heard about parents concerned over witchcraft in HP. But what about the parents concerned their kids might pick up bad shipping?
Hermionepotter.net is back up. One of the first essays posted there is entitled Through a Parent's Eyes and explains why the Ron/Hermione relationship makes the series inappropriate reading for children. Dementor 149 read the series to see if it was appropriate for her son and was delighted at the H/Hr modelling he would receive. However, when she found out it was going R/Hr, she realized the dangers the series posed to children.
Why did I spend so much time on the relationships within the story? I feel, as a parent, that stories geared for younger audiences need to have healthy lessons on life built into them. Authors that write for young people should be held to a higher standard than those who write for more mature people. Young teens need to read things that will reinforce the moral lessons that are being taught by their parents. Stories engage us on many levels, open our minds to new ideas and increase our understanding. They serve us with examples of the way we should behave and how the world works. I want my son to read things that will help him understand the way the world works. I had hoped that he might find some of that in the Harry Potter books. As an ex-Satanist I appreciate the innocence of her magic in the series. Now that I am a Christian I appreciate the Christian symbology and for the most part the good, moral behavior of her characters. Where she has shown that her characters make mistakes I have an opening for discussion and an opportunity to teach. It is only at the point of the relationship issues that I fear Rowling may be making a mistake that I cannot justify to my self and use her story text to teach what I want for my son to know.
We are bombarded on every hand by television and movies with stories that show people who bicker and fight. The producers of these stories are using sex to sell their stories and power their ratings. We are taught that it means they really like each other, and the way to get over it is to jump into bed with each other. We are taught that opposites attract. The unfortunate result of these lessons is a divorce rate that is over fifty percent.
The truth is relationships are built on things we, as couples, have in common. While our differences make us grow and stretch it is our common interests and commitment to a partner that keep us together. In my own life I have had both kind of relationships. The relationship I built with my friend has succeeded. The bickering one did not. It failed because in the end there was no common ground to hold it together or the desire to continue the endless rounds of hurt and misunderstanding. My own real life experience has little bearing on a story. However it does color my understanding of the dynamics of the characters, and for the story to have relevance, the characters must behave in a way we understand.
I had hoped that Rowling would be different. She would say something about love growing from positive things like gratitude, kindness, caring, a willingness to sacrifice for another person, and common interests. It now appears, judging from her interview, she is going along with all the cliché relationships we are bombarded with incessantly. It is a shame really. In a world growing ever darker and more selfish the kind of love Harry and Hermione might have shared would have been truly magical.
Reactions so far?
Caina - February 18, 2006
Dementor149, as you know, this is one of my favorite essays. It's very well thought-out and articulated. It gives voice to a lot of what so many of us feel. Thanks for writing it, and thank you very much for submitting it.
and
LawOfJude - February 20, 2006
I've never read such an amazing essay and it moved me almost to tears by it's raw truth. It puts into words all the things I have been feeling since the release of HBP and The Interview. I truely thought JK would be the exception to the rule and that she would write the kind of love we know does exist and should be put in the spotlight. Worst of all, it only took a matter of minutes for her to alienate a large portion of her very loyal readership and she doesn't seem to care. Thank you for writing an amazing essay that speaks so much truth. Just thank you, for putting into words what so many of us feel.
ETA: I've just realized where I've seen Dementor149 before. She's the Harmonian who suggested HBP sucked because JKR was pregnant when writing it. I referenced her in this report on
clairvoyantwank. Besides being an ex-Satanist, Dementor149 also claims to be a Correctional Officer at Louisiana State Penitentiary. There's something creepy about that, dementors guarding American prisons.ETA2:
farmercuerden reports this comment : Tora1 - February 21, 2006As a parent myself, I applaude you for your essay. It was beautifully written and speaks such an amazing truth! I know all to well how our curent pop culture affects our youth. My daughter recently ended a relationship with her boyfriend of three years, only to turn around to date another boy. They two constantly bicker, I am so worried for her, she says she's in love. I only foresee a sad and lonely and painful future, rife with divorce. Thank you for this essay, I plan on showing it to my daughter!
"...She's going to show her daughter an anti-Ron/Hermione essay to show why she shouldn't be dating her current boyfriend. If only we could see that conversation."
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