Random Thoughts II: Does Harry Potter Hate America?

Have you read the Harry Potter series? I have to say that I really, really enjoyed those fanciful works and have to commend J. K. Rowling for a job well done! Those hefty tomes held my attention raptly and I could barely wait until the next installment of Harry’s misadventures. Harry the lowly underdog who had lost both his parents to the evil wizard, “He who must not be named” or “You know who”, one dark night while Harry was a babe. His mother’s love saved him and he went on to be a wizard among wizards at both Hogworts and all the other wizard schools also. Which brings me to my point of contention with Rowling’s works, I didn’t see an American wizard school represented anywhere in the series whatsoever. Aren’t there any American wizards out there in the Muggle multitudes? Perhaps all the American wizards were too busy fighting world wizard terrorism and other magic type injustices and couldn’t attend school functions?

Americans were sadly overlooked in all cases in J. K. Rowling’s works and I for one wonder why that is? The U.S. and England have always had a close association politically, religiously, and economically in the real world so shouldn’t Americans have a special place in Harry’s fictitious and wonderful world of wizardry also? I know this particular American is feeling rather left out in this case. Sadly this seems rather prevalent today in many of films breaking new ground in cinematic splendor. In other words, if you don’t have a British accent you seem rather mundane and unappreciated or at least I do. I mean Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen) and Frodo (Elijah Wood) in the Lord of Rings series are distinctly American and good. How unusual in an almost entirely foreign cast!

I’m quite sure that all the American wizards were home on their own soil and just too busy to appear in the movies or books. American wizards were all in United States fixing things that only magic (and I mean real MAGIC) could fix. These American wizards were probably trying to magically fix the American banking system to thaw the credit crunch in the U.S. and thus the world’s credit problems. Or perhaps they were magically trying to improve President Bush’s approval rating? (Now that would be some real magic!) Maybe they have been focusing all their efforts on reducing petroleum prices? I can only guess that OPEC has its own team of wizards on retainer (God knows they can afford it!) to keep prices Mount Everest high. You can almost see the SWAT like van pull up and Arabs spill out like clowns at a circus with wands blazing as they counteract all the work the American wizards have accomplished from the confines of their gas guzzling SUV’s. They could also simply be trying their magic spells on saving their soon to be foreclosed enchanted properties since they’ve been far too busy trying to repair others’ problems rather then being able to focus on their own. Unfortunately it’s going to take more then magic to stop or deter a gleeful banker from taking your home away from you. If magic really worked on bankers….now that would be movie to make or a book to write. Wait a minute now, I know that they were doing, they were creating a very strong spell to make the DOLLAR actually worth something! Now that’s some strong magic worth taking note of isn’t it? And evidently American wizards aren’t quite as creative as their British or French counterparts since I’m burning my dollars as a heating source since I can’t afford fuel to heat my home……..oh wait a moment, that was repossessed wasn’t it?

You know what really makes me terribly sad while I try to write a few humorous lines of prose? The really, really tragic part of all this is that America, the Home of the BRAVE and Land of the FREE, has for the most part helped out (almost magically) in every natural disaster and conflict in every corner of the world. Yet anti-Americanism is rampant across the globe and that looks to be a common theme for a long time to come. America’s real magic is in its generosity and ability to help others the world over while never or rarely getting a thank you in return. Oh I know that the United States isn’t perfect, believe me. Problems abound both internally and externally and an ungrateful and hateful world isn’t helping so let’s try this little bit O’magic. How about America focuses on America for a change? I’m a firm believer that you should clean up your own backyard before taking on the neighbor’s. How about that idea? Let’s take the purely selfish route for a change and when disaster strikes or freedom is threatened in some far flung place rather then throwing food and money at it let’s have the new American slogan be “DEAL WITH IT!!”? How would that strike the world’s fancy? We’re always being told Americans have a responsibility to help! America has to be held accountable because of its riches and deep pockets! Now why is that really? Our help is always wanted but at what cost to us? It’s not like our help is appreciated in any way by those who receive it. CNN certainly touts those who hate us and revile us. I think change is in the wind and I can almost smell it and you know what? I relish it!

How about America invests in its citizens and homeland for a change and if there happens to be any scraps left over maybe, just maybe you’ll get a few and then again maybe you won’t. It’s time for the world to be accountable to America for a change because in my eyes no country “deserves” our help and we as a people and a country have no real responsibility to anyone but ourselves. (Except for the British of course!!) And yes I’m saying Israel (the 51st state) also has to be held accountable for American help too. I can’t fairly leave that one out now!

So what do you think world? I’ve gone from Harry Potter and humor into a bit of a political rant but it all ties together like it or not. So if you’re a disaster victim in Myanmar and the cyclone has taken everything from you and you look up and see an AMERICAN military cargo plane overhead laden with food and medical supplies or anywhere else in the world where disaster or a war that is being fought or has been fought for YOUR freedom how about saying a little prayer (To any god or deity of your choice! It’s a free country after all!) for America the lowly underdog of world opinion? Like it or not the world is a better place because of AMERICA, Land of the FREE and Home of the BRAVE and as of right now we share our table and bounty freely but those days are numbered as far as most Americans and I’m concerned. Just think on that for a minute and realize what can and could be lost without the MAGIC that is the UNITED STATES of AMERICA? We Americans already understand Harry Potter’s go-it-alone style and overwhelming tenacity. So how about some love world? Because just like Harry we can see the evil out there lurking and wer’re willing to help stem it but the real question is are you……………….?