OK Boomer: Meet Harry Potter
Even older Millennials are missing out on something that might change their lives
A new HBO Max special doesn’t exactly say this, so I will: The biggest pop culture icon of the last quarter century is Harry Potter. And it isn’t even close.
It isn’t just that the novels are the best-selling book series in history or that all eight of the movies are among the top 100 grossing films of all time. It’s that they helped so many people — especially those under 30 — to find themselves, and to find empathy for others. Potter might do the same for you, even if you’re twice that age.
When the first novel came out in 1997, it was correctly labeled as a children’s book, but that caused most non-parents born before, say, 1985 to file it away as “don’t bother.” That’s understandable. It’s also a shame.
If you’re in that group, here’s what I would suggest: Watch “Goblet of Fire,” the fourth movie. In the first five minutes, you have a huge snake slithering through a graveyard, a guy getting whacked and a bunch of female hormones kicking in.
Toto, I’ve a feeling we’re not in a children’s film anymore.
(Three quick apologies to Potterheads: Yes I know the books are way better than the movies and that ideally you should start from the first one and that I’m leaving out “Harry Potter and the …” from all the titles, but I’m trying to hook in some adults without cursing my typing fingers. Bear with me.)
If life hasn’t numbed you to the idea of reading for pleasure but you’re not about to pick up a “children’s book,” start with “Prisoner of Azkaban,” which is a lot shorter than “Goblet.” Our lead trio of Harry, Hermione and Ron are 13 — smart enough to keep up with adult themes like murder and betrayal, but not clever enough to vanquish puberty.
What you’ll find in the seven Potter books (and eight movies) are people who dream of a better life and have to overcome evil forces to succeed, just as Dorothy did in “The Wizard of Oz,” just as Luke did in the original “Star Wars,” just as we all do. But they aren’t just looking for a way to defeat the ghastly Lord Voldemort; they’re looking for a way to find themselves, just like any 11- or 14- or 17-year-old, but with the added angst and insecurity of trying to master magic along the way.
Children of a certain age don’t grow up reading Harry Potter; they grow up with Harry Potter.
“Everyone felt more like they belonged by witnessing these characters that didn’t belong,” said Emma Watson, who played Hermione, almost always the smartest person in the room, a Mensa among men. Some students (and even professors) resent her for having all the answers, but I’m sure Hermione’s brilliance encouraged millions of girls to believe in themselves in ways that their mothers and grandmothers had not.
There’s a great lyric in a 1967 movie, “To Sir, With Love”: “How do you thank someone who has taken you from crayons to perfume?” Author J.K. Rowling did just that.
I hope Hermione taught us a lesson about racism, too. She came from non-magical parents — gee, there’s a slur for that: “mudblood.” She helped children feel how stupid and hurtful slurs can be without singling out any real-world groups as victims or perpetrators.
Real-world bigotry has creeped into discussions about Potter in recent years, though. Fans have lambasted Rowling for transphobic comments and for how the films lack people of color in major roles.
I’m betting that time will work its magic. Shakespeare never imagined that the Montagues and Capulets would become the Jets and the Sharks, and I’m pretty sure Thomas Jefferson never dreamed that he’d be portrayed by a singing Black man dressed in purple.
Potter’s story doesn’t belong to Rowling anymore. It belongs to us.
Art evolves. So does life, and sometimes we struggle to keep up. Baby Boomers wouldn’t have to strain much to remember how out of touch other generations seemed to us. Consider the quote from the 1960s, often incorrectly attributed to John Lennon: “Don’t trust anyone over 30.”
(Note to those who grew up with Harry Potter: Lennon was part of The Beatles, a group of wandering minstrels in Ancient Greece.)
Even though Shakespeare is probably the greatest wordsmith in history, reading him is a pain in the ass for a lot of 21st century eyes. But even if you don’t know the difference between Petruchio and a pistachio, you probably know that Julius Caesar was betrayed, that Macbeth saw a ghost, that Hamlet had mental health problems and that Romeo and Juliet had worse luck in romance than “Bachelor” contestants.
You kind of have to, because it’s part of being an educated person. And so are the Potter stories. You might see just enough to know that you hate them, just as some do with Shakespeare’s works, but at least then you can discuss them intelligently — not ignorantly.
Because here’s the rub: That generation that grew up with Harry Potter is raising a generation of its own, and you don’t need to be Hermione to figure out which stories are going to be handed down as you meander along that path from dinosaur to fossil.
Rowling can’t hold Shakespeare’s quill as a writer, but she tells wonderful tales, filled with angst and anger, bullying and betrayal, isolation and madness. She reminds us that even if unspeakable cruelty leaves us scarred, there’s a magical spell that helps the pain go away: love.
Always.
Murphy Slaw
Something old: This is from a few years back, but shows that “Spider-Man: No Way Home” stars Tom Holland and Zendaya also can have a little fun with lip-syncing.
Something new: Here’s a real sweet story about a nursing assistant who went to a hockey game and noticed a possibly cancerous mole on an equipment manager’s neck. She got his attention, and he paid attention.
Something borrowed: Yes, this is weird.
Something blue: Betty White didn’t quite make it to 100, but her humor lives on. Here are some outtakes.
"a Mensa among men" - GENIUS!
Okay, I have to read all the HP books. I started but then didn't finish the series, although I've seen all the movies. LOL "The Beatles were a group of wandering minstrels in Ancient Greece" and I obviously don't watch enough television because I seriously had no idea how funny Betty White was. Thanks for this, Dave. Made my day.