Values

[Nelsmom]

I have been hearing some people complain that Harry Potter books have flucating values and so don't teach good values to children. I personally feel that the values and character traits that he shows are great for children and show the differences between good and evil but I want to know how others feel.

Toni

[Psychee]

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Nelsmom wrote:
I have been hearing some people complain that Harry Potter books have flucating values and so don't teach good values to children. I personally feel that the values and character traits that he shows are great for children and show the differences between good and evil but I want to know how others feel.

Toni

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Toni, I haven't seen anything in the books about "bad values" being taught to children, unless they are talking about the fact that they show the bad values of the bad guys -- do "some people" get more specific, using examples?

[Nelsmom]

I am not talking about what books say but I have been hearing some parents and other adults saying that Harry Potter is not a good example for values for young perople and they take things out of context from the different books to try to prove their point. It could be someone that just doesn't have any values. I don't know enough about the person to say. I just know that were trying to push their point. I just wanted to know how other people felt or if they had heard anything.

Toni

[Psychee]

Well, I suppose values are very personal. Some people think that celebrating birthdays is a bad thing, for example, so they wouldn't want their children to read a book that shows a kid getting birthday presents.

Then there are the people who think that any fiction involving magic is a bad thing for kids because it "undermines the work ethic"...

And there are others who think fiction in general is bad for values, as there is too much work to be done and "wasting time in fantasy" is slothful.

[Becs_Aunt]

I haven’t read about specific “bad values”, but I think I have an idea.

Conservative people, especially the very fundamentalist religious, believe that any story where a child thinks for him or herself is wrong. For some people, (like our president) there is right and wrong. There are no shades of gray. In SS, for example, Harry is warned not to go to the third floor. Yet, after he accidentally finds himself there, he stays and explores (and finds Fluffy!). In that book and all the others, adults lay down rules, and Harry and his friends break them. All kids break rules. But Harry doesn’t get punished. He gets rewarded. He thinks for himself, acts in a way *he* believes is right, and is proven right.

This sort of thing galls people who want to control children, not raise curious and thoughtful human beings. It is the secret argument against _Huckleberry Finn_. Not that he curses and the “N” word is used (although he curses and Jim is called that name). But that Huck is told that Jim is a slave who must be returned to his mistress and that he must obey his drunken and abusive father. Huck works out in his mind that those things are wrong. He does it himself—using his own brain and internal moral compass. Of course, he is right. Because he thinks for himself, the right wing hates this book. And it’s the reason they hate Harry.

Shame. Because these are great literature and great stories!

[Nelsmom]

Thanks for your input. I'm like you and think that children have the free agency to chose what they want to do and shouldn't be punished if it turns out to be a good choice but take the consequence if it doesn't. Which happens in the Harry Potter books as much as it does in real life. I'm the type of person who respects the right of everyone to express there opion but I don't like it when people try to force me to accept their opion as the only right way.

Toni

[Wrighty]

I personally love the books and I think they include many examples of good values, loyalty, friendship, kindness, sacrifice - I could go on and on. What's nice about reading is that you get to choose what you read and form your own opinion. Everyone interprets stories differently and develops different tastes. If people don't enjoy these kinds of books, don't read them!! But, as Toni said, don't tell me what I should or shouldn't read. I appreciate other peoples' opinions and reviews and find them very helpful but to each his own. I also think that children should be guided and supervised but in a knowledgeable way. There are some people that don't like these books, which is perfectly fine, but they also feel that others should dislike them as well. Maybe if they actually sampled one of these books instead of assuming bad things they might just enjoy them a little.

[Becs_Aunt]

I absolutely agree. If someone chooses NOT to read HP or any book, that's fine. I've met people who don't like fanatsy or sci-fi, and are turned off by the wizarding subject matter. Whatever.

I do know parents who expressly forbid their children from reading HP or going to the movies for the standard "witchcraft is contagious" reason. I love talking to them about how moral and brave Harry is, how loyal and true Ron is, and how smart Hermione is. That these characters possess all the good characteristics we'd want for our children. The parents smile and nod. I don't argue, I don't make an issue of their rules (I don't even mention that I know how they feel!), I just express my love of the books. Hopefully, I'm making headway!

My niece and I have had many happy hours reading and then discussing the stories, the characters, and what will happen in the end. Wonderful times!!

[amm1]

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Becs_Aunt wrote:
I haven’t read about specific “bad values”, but I think I have an idea.

Conservative people, especially the very fundamentalist religious, believe that any story where a child thinks for him or herself is wrong.

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I can't speak for all Conservative, fundamentalist people but I believe your statement is wrong to a great extent. It is not that they do not want their children to think for themselves. What they object to is the content of the HP books. Surely a parent has a right to object to any book their child may read. I've never understood why that bothers some people. Just as one side can go overboard, so can the other.

I personally am not reading the books for their so-called moral values. I read for entertainment only. My morals are not dependent on what JKR believes.

I'm not trying to be confrontational but I believe the objection from Christians is at times not understood.

Message Edited by amm1 on 06-07-2007 10:38 PM

[stacielynn]

I got both good and bad things that I heard about the books. My father-in-law thinks HP is satanic and that it shouldn't be a kids book.

I for one don't listen to what other people say. I am in my early 30's and I will read what I want to.

As for the books teaching bad values to kids, people have to read the series in order to see what it is all about before judging. In my opinion the values taught in the books are very good.