The Harry Potter novels predate today’s post-truth phenomenon by at least a decade. First, they novel give an unflattering portrait of the media, which fails to report the truth, censors it, or simply churns out blatant propaganda. In Goblet of Fire, there were discrepancies between what Harry said in the broom cupboard, and what Rita Skeeter’s Quick Quotes Quill transcribed. The Daily Prophet refused to acknowledge Voldemort’s return in Order of the Phoenix, and accused Harry of involvement in Dumbledore’s death in Deathly Hallows.
Furthermore, in Prisoner of Azkaban, we first learn that Sirius Black was a follower of Lord Voldemort, a murderer of 13 people, and fugitive of Azkaban prison. And in Deathly Hallows, we discover that Snape really has Harry’s best interests at heart, despite his constant bullying.
These kinds of twists clues in readers not to believe in first impressions, surfaces, and common beliefs, and look deeper and more closely. In a magical world, things are not always what they seem, and this suspicion—an epistemological stance if you may—has a political correlative: we must transcend common and negative stereotypes of social outcasts—such as werewolves and fugitives—and see them for who they really are. As liberals, we must distrust what we see, disavow custom or tradition, and look at things differently. Just as we need to see beyond the Muggle world to experience magic, we must overcome our prejudices—often learned—if we are to create a society without racism and social discrimination. Harry’s treatment of elves, goblins, and werewolves exhibits this liberalism.
Photo: © JKR/Pottermore Ltd.™ Warner Bros.https://www.pottermore.com/features/stories-of-the-hogwarts-founders
Janus Knows 