Oct 294 min read

Forget '1984'....'Harry Potter' Was Spot On and You Blokes Haven't Even Realized It

First, I must start by saying I am NOT a Harry Potter fanatic. I’ve never read the books: for a 600 page commitment I need to learn something.

I have watched the films. Once: when the trio could have been on my babysitting rotation.

But a 2020 holiday marathon found me with Harry on the mind. I’m going by the films only, referencing Harry Potter Wiki for names and references. (That’s how shallow my love for Hogwarts runs.) So if you want to educate me on details from the novels and all that I’m missing, please know - I don’t care. I’m simply analyzing the movies and their many parallels to 2020.

Three things stuck out to me during this binge of the Brits:

1) These films are amazing! Sloppy CG and all they are captivating start to finish, I get why people love them….even if it took me a couple decades to catch-up.

2) Any good love story makes me feel like I’m 13 again. And Romione is one for the history books.

3) Aaaaand most importantly - the evil takeover of the wizard world from the inside looked a little too familiar.

I laughed as I thought of the generation raised on these stories are failing to see them act out…in real time.

Let’s take a closer look.

First we see how powerful the media is as they paint whatever story they please. In end of The Goblet of Fire Harry comes face to face with the real-life Voldemort. People didn’t want to believe Harry or Dumbledore, so the newspaper came up with their own version of the truth - or rather - a narrative.

Their narrative was that the two were in cahoots to take over the world and used Voldemort as a smokescreen. The Daily Prophet newspaper is such a powerful tool in painting Harry and Voldemort as partners in crime even classmates of Harry who had known him for years became skeptical; they were so brainwashed by propaganda they turned their robe clad backs on their old friend.

Next we have Delores Umbridge. She begins her tenure as the Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor at Hogwarts, but we quickly learn she's really a corrupt bureaucrat with orders to take over the school. On this quest, please note that she sells everything she does…for the good of the students.

What does she do?

She dumbs down the curriculum, refusing to teach students actual Defense from the Dark Arts, an old-fashioned yet necessary discipline to protect them from...very real and very dark forces.

She strips them of their history and culture. Once she replaces Dumbledor as Headmaster she has all the portraits at the Grand Staircase removed. Some of these portraits were of legendary healers from Hogwart’s past.

And eventually, Headmaster Umbridge nails over 100 Educational Decrees on the wall, spelling out mandate after mandate she will mercilessly enforce. But remember…this act of piety is to protect the students.

Are her actions supported by the students she is charged to lead…no. But that doesn’t matter, she (and only she) knows best; for she is the expert. You can see her thirst for control grows when she uses her wand to viciously correct every little misdeed she sees. Power is addictive.

And when the tyrant’s decrees did not yield the blind obedience she hoped for, what did she do next? Called on those loyal to her to spy on defectors.

Mmm, that always ends well.

And finally - the Muggle-Born Registration was created. The supposed intent was to investigate how these wizards “stole” their magical powers, although the true purpose was to degrade and imprison the Muggle-Borns.

Then eradicate them.

In 2020 a member of the California Legislature said it perfectly when he stated:

We've seen how petty politicians quickly turn into blood thirsty tyrants when given the opportunity.

Then why – my little sorcery sycophants - why, would you want to give ANYONE in positions of authority....more power?

There are endless examples that played out right before our very eyes in 2020:

After governments forced the closure of certain business, schools and “nailed” their own covid decrees, many officials were caught defying them. Did that change any of the mandates? No.

Meanwhile dozens of pastors and churchgoers were arrested and demeaned in the media for noncompliance while exercising their First Amendment rights.

New Yorkers were asked to telephone a hotline (or text photos of people) not complying with covid mandates. (Delores Umbridge would be proud.)

Any covid information circulating that was not government approved was…well…censored.

And lest we forget - the rage; the unadulterated, "f*$! your freedom", you're killing grandmas, don't ask questions, RAGE - towards the unvaccinated.

So how was J.K. Rowling so ahead of her time? How did she pen the perfect playout of trappings, takeovers....and totalitarianism?

Simple......

She knew her history. The author has stated that she “draws parallels to Nazi Germany during the Second World War", basing her writings around actual events. Actual evil.

Actual fascism.