Wow, I could easily point out and correct all of the inaccuracies in reference to the Harry Potter books that you base your arguments upon, but I would be here until next week. There are so many jumps to conclusions and lapses in judgement in this diatribe of yours that I do not even know where to start.
Instead, I will simply say this. All of your false notions that the Harry Potter series rewards 'the chosen ones' and throws everyone else out the window make me wonder whether you are projecting your false sense of privilege and fears of inadequacy onto a fantasy writer. The Harry Potter story is all about choices, and the conquering of love over fear. You can go on and on about the talents of the main characters automatically making those characters 'chosen' by some higher power and therefore fating them to succeed all you like, but in the end, it is the choices of the heroes and the villains that determine their destinies. Bottom line.
Furthermore, your assertion that the 'Purebloods' rule everything is flawed. The Ministry of Magic is run by 'pure-as-you-can-get' witches and wizards (there are no 'true Purebloods') as well as witches and wizards whose backgrounds are filled with Muggle blood. The heroes, as well as the villains, are NOT all noblemen, which gives J.K. Rowling's story more moral credibility because everyone, on the good side and bad, is mixed. No one is black and white. Everyone has talents, positive traits and negative traits.
There is no reason whatsoever for you to be concerned about those 12-year olds. First of all, ALL magical children who are 11 or are about to turn 11 receive that acceptance letter from Hogwarts. They are ALL chosen. There is no screening process to determine who is worthy of acceptance and who isn't. It is the same as a child automatically being accepted to a public Kindergarten. It is then that child's and his/her family's decision as to whether s/he will actually attend. Second of all, those children in the back seat of your car were simply reflecting back on their earlier childhood, and fantasizing about what it would be like to receive a Hogwarts letter. They're kids, and kids fantasize. Sometimes, adults fantasize even more, and all of the age groups who have read and enjoyed Harry Potter have imagined the same thing. We all know it's fiction and won't really happen, but we pretend for a moment that it will because it's FUN to do so. It's called imagination. It's what reading is all about: imagining ourselves within the world in which we read and coming out of that world wiser and having learned something. I seriously doubt that those 12-year olds believed for one moment that their lives would not be fulfilled if they did not get a Hogwarts letter from an owl.
Children are much more intelligent and mature than you give them credit for. Whenever you come across children who don't think they will succeed simply because they believe they don't have talent, that is a fault of their parents, NOT J.K. Rowling. In fact, Harry Potter teaches children that they can be anything they want to be, whether they recognize their individual talents yet or not. Neville Longbottom, for example, didn't seem to have any talent at the beginning of the series and he was often taunted. However, he garnered confidence through the support of Dumbledore's Army and was then able to utilize the talents he always had. He's the one who became a formidable force in the final battle, and that wasn't because of his blood.
You are also missing the ultimate message of the entire series, that love is the most powerful force, regardless of background, magical blood, or abilities. We are constantly told in the books that it is our choices that define our fate. It was Lily's love, Lily's choice, Lily's sacrifice that ultimately led to Voldemort's downfall (along with his own bad choices). If you read the books, you'll know that Lily is Muggle-born, and one of the true heroes of the series. She wasn't 'chosen' to commit that act of selfless, unconditional love. Her child was chosen by Voldemort to be murdered because his knowledge of the prophecy was incomplete and Voldemort jumped to conclusions. Lily, on the other hand, CHOSE to not stand aside because of her love for her son and that is the protection that lives inside Harry throughout the series. Without that decision, Harry would have died that night.
Pureblood supremacy is thoroughly condemned throughout the series, and it is 'pure-as-you-can-get' and Muggle-born witches and wizards alike who come together as one to defeat the great evil in their world. I don't know about you, but I see nothing but positive messages to be learned from such a story.
On Harry Potter and the Incredibly Conservative Aristocratic Children's Club
Wow, I could easily point out and correct all of the inaccuracies in reference to the Harry Potter books that you base your arguments upon, but I would be here until next week. There are so many jumps to conclusions and lapses in judgement in this diatribe of yours that I do not even know where to start.
Instead, I will simply say this. All of your false notions that the Harry Potter series rewards 'the chosen ones' and throws everyone else out the window make me wonder whether you are projecting your false sense of privilege and fears of inadequacy onto a fantasy writer. The Harry Potter story is all about choices, and the conquering of love over fear. You can go on and on about the talents of the main characters automatically making those characters 'chosen' by some higher power and therefore fating them to succeed all you like, but in the end, it is the choices of the heroes and the villains that determine their destinies. Bottom line.
Furthermore, your assertion that the 'Purebloods' rule everything is flawed. The Ministry of Magic is run by 'pure-as-you-can-get' witches and wizards (there are no 'true Purebloods') as well as witches and wizards whose backgrounds are filled with Muggle blood. The heroes, as well as the villains, are NOT all noblemen, which gives J.K. Rowling's story more moral credibility because everyone, on the good side and bad, is mixed. No one is black and white. Everyone has talents, positive traits and negative traits.
There is no reason whatsoever for you to be concerned about those 12-year olds. First of all, ALL magical children who are 11 or are about to turn 11 receive that acceptance letter from Hogwarts. They are ALL chosen. There is no screening process to determine who is worthy of acceptance and who isn't. It is the same as a child automatically being accepted to a public Kindergarten. It is then that child's and his/her family's decision as to whether s/he will actually attend. Second of all, those children in the back seat of your car were simply reflecting back on their earlier childhood, and fantasizing about what it would be like to receive a Hogwarts letter. They're kids, and kids fantasize. Sometimes, adults fantasize even more, and all of the age groups who have read and enjoyed Harry Potter have imagined the same thing. We all know it's fiction and won't really happen, but we pretend for a moment that it will because it's FUN to do so. It's called imagination. It's what reading is all about: imagining ourselves within the world in which we read and coming out of that world wiser and having learned something. I seriously doubt that those 12-year olds believed for one moment that their lives would not be fulfilled if they did not get a Hogwarts letter from an owl.
Children are much more intelligent and mature than you give them credit for. Whenever you come across children who don't think they will succeed simply because they believe they don't have talent, that is a fault of their parents, NOT J.K. Rowling. In fact, Harry Potter teaches children that they can be anything they want to be, whether they recognize their individual talents yet or not. Neville Longbottom, for example, didn't seem to have any talent at the beginning of the series and he was often taunted. However, he garnered confidence through the support of Dumbledore's Army and was then able to utilize the talents he always had. He's the one who became a formidable force in the final battle, and that wasn't because of his blood.
You are also missing the ultimate message of the entire series, that love is the most powerful force, regardless of background, magical blood, or abilities. We are constantly told in the books that it is our choices that define our fate. It was Lily's love, Lily's choice, Lily's sacrifice that ultimately led to Voldemort's downfall (along with his own bad choices). If you read the books, you'll know that Lily is Muggle-born, and one of the true heroes of the series. She wasn't 'chosen' to commit that act of selfless, unconditional love. Her child was chosen by Voldemort to be murdered because his knowledge of the prophecy was incomplete and Voldemort jumped to conclusions. Lily, on the other hand, CHOSE to not stand aside because of her love for her son and that is the protection that lives inside Harry throughout the series. Without that decision, Harry would have died that night.
Pureblood supremacy is thoroughly condemned throughout the series, and it is 'pure-as-you-can-get' and Muggle-born witches and wizards alike who come together as one to defeat the great evil in their world. I don't know about you, but I see nothing but positive messages to be learned from such a story.