| Harry Potter and the nonviolent imagination BY PETER L. DEGROOTE J.K. Rowlings Harry Potter series has been criticized by some in the religious community. Their complaints seem minor balanced against the fact that she has millions of children plowing through books of up to 700 pages.  Harry Potter, a fictional hero for millions of children, is more like the heroes of my childhood than the parade of violent characters that have become increasingly common over the past three decades. Superman, Captain Marvel and the long-forgotten Shadow of radio fame come to mind. They provided our imaginations with the necessary fantasies that helped to overcome the injustices that tethered our young world. Our idealism was fueled while our limitations were being defined, as some who tried to fly off a porch railing in a Superman costume quickly learned. In the end, the best we could do was joke about what we would do with Supermans x-ray vision or what forbidden places we would enter with the Shadows invisibility. Todays steady supply of violent good-guys provide young people, and some adults, with fantasies of establishing justice, or what they think is justice, by violent means. Most children learn not to be violent. Yet, when pushed to an extreme, when anger and resentment dominate, violence is doable. It is not like trying to fly, ride a broomstick or waving a magic wand. It is made more doable when guns are readily available. Most studies of the relationship between entertainment and violence conclude that there is no direct causal link. In the most recent study, the Federal Trade Commission investigated the influence of entertainment on violence following the Columbine High School shooting. Commenting on the Federal Trade Commissions report, chairman Robert Pitofsky emphasized finding nothing new; the report did not in any way suggest that exposure to violent materials alone would cause a child to commit a violent act. (Note the word alone.) Pitofsky went on to acknowledge that exposure to violence might be a contributing factor, that there is a difference between direct causative links and contributing factors. He mentioned another conclusion that had not been included in the Federal Trade Commissions report. The New York Times said on Sept. 12, 2000, Exposure (to violence) does seem to correlate with (1) aggressive attitudes, (2) insensitivity to violence and (3) an exaggerated view of how much violence occurs in the world. In other words, violent heroes and violent entertainment are but parts of a multi-factor matrix that contributes to an environment, dare we say culture, of violence. Among others we might include are extremist groups that dehumanize their detractors, political rhetoric that demonizes its opponents, the enmity generated by some radio talk show hosts and popular song lyrics, excessive violence by law enforcement officials and even religious leaders who solidify their following by condemning others. Most of us can add other factors to the list, and, if taken seriously, many of us will be pondering our own thoughts, words and actions. Of the many contributors to violence in our society, Harry Potter is not among them. He does face adversaries in what might be called a parallel universe, the vehicle that both allows the drama and confines the fantasy to the realm of the imagination. That universe is a place where eternal questions of ethics and character are vividly dramatized. Often outmatched, Harrys victories depend on fidelity to friends and to the memory of loving parents, tolerance of differences, a willingness to take advice and learn from his mistakes, a developing sense of what is right and wrong, straight forward honesty and personal courage. He is never a total victor, but he does make a difference. The Rev. Peter L. DeGroote is pastor of Back River UMC in Essex. His e-mail is
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