Rachel Decker
The Paw Print
Laura Mallory is at it again. The mother of four from Atlanta, Georgia is going after the Harry Potter books, claiming they promote evil and witch craft, and, according to Mallory in a comment made to MSNBC, “they help foster the kind of culture where school shootings happen.”
This isn’t the first time that Mallory has gone after the books. In August 2005, she attempted to get the books banned at her son’s elementary school. She feels that the books influence children in a negative way, and are not appropriate for schools to carry. Now that the final Harry Potter film has been released, and the Potter franchise has come to an end, Mallory is attacking the series. In an interview with MSNBC, she claims that Rowling’s “overuse of vicious attacks between the characters, crude language, and the death of many characters can be scarring for young children.”
“They’re not educationally suitable and have been shown to be harmful to some kids,” Mallory said to MSNBC. “The books promote evil. They help foster the kind of culture where school shootings happen.”
This is not the only time the Potter books have gone under fire. In 1998, not even a month after the first Harry Potter book, the Sorcerers Stone was published, parents, teachers, and even government officials attacked author J.K. Rowling.
“Some say that it deals with witchcraft,” Rowling stated in an interview with Rolling Stone.” And then some say that it is too heavily based on Christianity. I say that Harry Potter is simply a story about a young wizard who must help good conquer evil, and if others want to take it a different way, I can’t stop them.”
But Rowling isn’t the only one defending the Potter books. Victoria Sweeny, an attorney that represents Gwinnett County Board of Education in Atlanta, stands strong in defending the books and their right to be on school shelves. She also represented the Gwinnett County Board of Education back in 2005 when Mallory first attacked the books.
“If schools were to remove all books containing references to witches, they would have to ban mainstays like Macbeth and Cinderella,” said Sweeny to MSNBC. “The Potter books do nothing to promote evil or sin like [Mallory] states. They’re a good tool to stimulate children’s imagination and encourage them to read. Harry Potter presents a universal theme of friendship and overcoming adversity.”
Mallory is also claiming that Rowling is “seeking to indoctrinate children as Wiccans.” Rowling has stated many times over that her books promote no religion, and she has never influenced her readers to practice any type of religious witchcraft.
“The potter books are very harmful to children who are unable to differentiate between reality and fantasy. Children are trying to imitate Harry Potter and cast spells on classmates.”
Not everyone is seeing eye-to-eye about that, however. Those supporting the Potter books bring up the point that a child pretending to cast spells is no different than a child pretending to be a super hero.
“It’s just fun and games,” said Sweeny. “The children are not intending to harm one another, and even if they were, they couldn’t. The spells aren’t real, and neither is Harry Potter. Children know a lot more than people think.”
I am from Georgia and taught in the same county where this woman is making this complaint…. Back when she first spouted this nonsense, she hadn’t even read the books; how she thinks she can make any kind of valid argument escapes me. The books are about good v evil, love, sacrifice & honor, friendship, family & bonds that cannot be broken, even by death. Maybe my memory of Sunday school is a bit fuzzy, but isn’t that what’s taught in the Bible? Is Harry Potter a rule-breaker? Yes he is, but wasn’t Jesus a bit of a rebel who had to break some rules in order to preach? Through everything, Harry was loyal to his friends, defended people (like Neville) who were afraid to stand up for themselves, put himself into harm’s way to protect the ones he loved.
What Mallory says about the books is not true. I really like Harry Potter and there are atleast another 250 million people that have the same feeling like me.So Mallory is just trying to prevent Kids from reading a great series of books that has changed peoples lives.
A good parent should be able to teach their child the difference between fantasy and reality. People assume children are stupid and unable to differentiate between the two. If your child is old enough to read then they are old enough to understand magic isn’t real. If not; then that can only be blamed on bad parenting, not the books.
This book has not taught me anything about violence or anything, its actually made me a better person. As for promoting witchcraft, most fairy tales have parts relating to magic, that doesn’t mean you take it off bookshelves. I would never have picked up a single book in my entire life if i had not read Harry Potter. The series really opened me up into the whole world of literature, and gave me a hobby, something to do in my free time. Instead of spending all my time on the computer or watching TV, I started reading more.
I would rather my children read Harry Potter and learn about how to be brave than Twilight, and take an abusive relationship.
Furthermore, I am a Wiccan. And I have been for five years. BEFORE I READ HARRY POTTER.
If kids spent MORE time reading engaging books like Harry Potter and getting more interested in educational endeavors then there probably wouldn’t be as many shootings. If kids had a moral character similar to that of Harry, Ron, or Hermione, then they would put more effort into their studies. This woman is insane. Also, where is her proof that they harm children? Also, Shakespeare contains fart jokes, hows that for crude language, madam?
Possibly if Mallory actually bothered to read the books, she would see that they spread good, not evil. Harry Potter has changed so many people’s lives for the better that any argument of hers to the contrary is simply invalid.
If anything is promoting evil, its this woman. She’s spreading hate for something innocent. I’ve loved Harry Potter since I was little and there is absolutely nothing wrong with me. The deaths in the books do not scar young children, they help teach them that death is natural and not to be afraid of it. This woman is a real life Voldemort, trying to ruin the childhood of children by spreading her nonsense. There is absolutely nothing wrong with Harry Potter.