Conversation with my wife, after I told her about a recent Slate article setting forth a hypothetical ending to the seventh Harry Potter book based on the series finale of "The Sopranos":
Me: I'll be glad when the whole phenomenon has passed.
Her: Which one? Harry Potter or the Sopranos?
Me: Both.
Her: I like Harry Potter.
Me: So do I, but it's kind of enough already.
Her: Whatever. I'm going to read Harry Potter to our kids.
Me: Good idea. It'll help them learn that they can be successful in life as long as they're really good at sports and have smart friends.
Her: [Glares menacingly.]
Me: And that they should worship the Devil.
Her: Well, that's the important thing.
Hee! Nod.
I interviewed a nine year old recently. After the interview, she apparently told her mother she'd been worried I would be like Rita Skeeter.
dude, that's not what HP is about at all. It doesn't teach children if they're good at sports they'll have a good life. It has nothing to do with goodness of your own accord. It teaches them that their birthright is the only thing that matters. Seriously, unless your parents are the most famous witches in the universe, you'll be nothing.
That's no entirely true. In the series, if you don't have a birthright you can still become famous by making friends with someone who does have one.