Harry Potter and the curse of the gargantuan government
Is it art imitating life, or life imitating art?
Yes, I am once again appropriating the name of J.K. Rowling’s ever-so-popular title character. Most people look to authors like Huxley, Rand, Orwell, and others to cite the likeness of modern society to their dystopian foresight; In this case, Rowling proves just as perspicacious. Though I don’t know that she fashions herself a hierophant, her writing definitely exhibits an incredible degree of sagacity. Her story Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, published over 20 years ago, is an amazing reflection of the current condition of the United States.
In Rowling’s story, the Ministry of Magic (government) is slowly being infiltrated by corrupt wizards/politicians all led by a small group who for the most part remains in the shadows, much like our government. As the corruption creeps through their congress, the Ministry (much like our government) interjects itself into Hogwart’s, the school for wizards and witches, and decides the students shouldn’t be taught practical lessons (for our purposes, we’ll say reading, writing, and ‘rithmetic, and in the story, self-defense) and instead forces them to study that which provides no benefit (again for our purposes, the likes of CRT, socialism, and sexual deviancy).
As happens in our society today, most simply do what they’re told, happy or not, and trudge along through their day to day. Some, similar to the Junior Spies in Orwell’s 1984, and groups like Antifa, whether as a virtue signal or out of fear, join with the government to help report on their peers and keep them in line. The few who wish to stand up for their rights and speak out (i.e. Harry and his friends) are persecuted, prosecuted (for non-crimes), and labeled enemies of the state.
The Ministry of Magic controlled the press and labeled Potter and his friends enemies of the State; main stream news outlets in America have become a propaganda arm of the government labeling anyone who wishes to cling to the Constitution (i.e. conservatives) as enemies of the state or, as the FBI labels them, “domestic terrorism threats.” Rowling could not have painted a more accurate picture of 2024 America than if she’d had a fully-functional crystal ball. Her story includes a government that:
will not tolerate disloyalty
has a multi-tiered justice system
uses others to do its bidding
hates those it is intended to govern
interferes in daily life
ousts those deemed “unworthy”
denies the right to self-defense under the pretense that it is unnecessary and that the government will provide protection
overrides autonomy of its citizens
destroys the educational system
weaponizes the press
weaponizes the courts and justice system
turns citizens against one another
heaps regulation upon regulation to enact control
imposes its will by force
uses scapegoats to account for its own shortcomings and failures
ignores actual evil
attempts to take over everything
All in all, government grew larger and more corrupt by the day, with departments to address everything from muggles (non-magic people) to mysteries. Likewise, the U.S. government now has a bureaucratic organization to address anything from food to flying and beyond. What more could be said about the current state of America? How different is our real society compared to Rowling’s fictional one? Was Rowling prescient in penning this piece?
The corruption and those perpetrating it became pervasive, and only a few had the courage to stand against them: Harry, his friends, and several professors who had not succumbed to the siren call of absolute power. In the installments of her series following Order of the Phoenix, this small ragtag band, somewhat like America’s founding fathers, joined forces, and in the end, defeated those corrupting their society.
How visionary was Rowling? Does it extend to the end of the story? There is a gathering darkness in America that has been building for some time, much like that which was spreading under Voldemort in the Harry Potter novels. Are there enough upright remaining in America with the resolve to resist the corruption that has infected our government and society and continues to spread? Can they band together to recover and return this once great country to its Constitutional roots? Only time will tell.
I am another to add to the list of those who have yet to read any of the Potter series. I, like John Wright, started reading the first book. My niece and nephews were into the stories and I figured I'd at least TRY to see what they were making all the fuss over. I barely got 2 or 3 chapters in then gave up. It was a bit too juvenile to hold my attention.
HOWEVER, after reading a couple of your articles where you reference the books, I'm at least interested in watching the movies.
As for the comparisons to the Founding Fathers and our current situation...
I do believe we have come ALMOST full circle once again. This country, at least a large number in it, have forgotten what it took for us to become US. The REAL sacrifices those who fought the Revolutionary War made were of more profound meaning than someone's useless degree not getting them a job making at LEAST 6 figures out the gate. The men, and even some women, who fought for independence from King George did so for LIBERTY and the freedom to live as THEY saw fit. They wanted desperately to be free of someone TELLING THEM how they COULD and SHOULD do any and everything.
Many of the younger generations today are CLUELESS to what it means to not have FREEDOM. They THINK they know something about oppression, but I have news for them.
I certainly hope and pray there ARE enough of people like us that hold firmly to the ideals of the Constitution AS IT IS WRITTEN. There are some that say the founding documents are out dated. But they have no idea that it is THOSE documents and the ideas behind them that give them all of the luxuries in life they enjoy.
Hmm... perhaps I should have actually read Harry Potter.