Hummin' a lunar tune

Here, for the record, is my one and only Deathly Hallows prediction:

Draco Malfoy will redeem himself.

This seems necessary. Whatever else the odious little snot may be, he is also one of Dumbledore's students. Dumbledore is now Dumbledead, sacrificing himself not to save Harry, but to save Draco -- or, rather, to save for Draco the possibility of choosing to redeem himself.

That's a pretty huge wager on young Mr. Malfoy's prospects, one I'm guessing neither Dumbledore nor Rowling would have made unless they knew something we didn't.

* * * * * * * * *

"Wal-Mart to sell religious toys:

Early next month, 425 Wal-Mart stores nationwide will begin carrying faith-based toys from One2believe that target parents who would rather that their kids play with a Samson action figure than a Spider-Man action figure. ...

Because a costumed crime-fighter just isn't as much fun as an ancient terrorist and the inventor of the suicide bomb. Plus the Spidey figure doesn't come with gouge-able eyesockets.

The toys, including a 12-inch talking Jesus doll and 14-inch Samson or Goliath action figures -- target pre-schoolers to 12-year-olds. ...

Hmm. Goliath was said to be nine feet tall. If Jesus is 6/7 as tall, that would put him at, let's see, about 7' 7". That seems a bit off.

On the plus side, I was worried when I saw that the talking Jesus doll was endorsed by James Dobson's Focus on the Family, but it turns out it says mainly things like "Love your neighbor as yourself" and not "Spare the rod and spoil the child" (or "Kill all the bad people and keep your family safe").

* * * * * * * * *

Ezra Klein and Matthew Yglesias on vacation. That is to say on the subject of vacation, and how little of it Americans take, and how the U.S. is the only advanced economy nation in which paid vacation is not guaranteed.

My two cents: Whatever the public policy, the option of vacation buy-backs (which would account for the questions Matt raises) makes sense as company policy. My employer has a strict use-it-or-lose-it policy. This works out well for me, because it means I rack up tons of overtime every December when half the office is desperately trying to squeeze in their time off before the year ends. It doesn't work out quite so well for the company, since the year-end staffing squeeze tends to cost them far more than buy-backs would.

* * * * * * * * *

Mitt Romney's new TV ad warns against "inhaling too deeply of the ocean." Probably good advice.

His message of moral ecology might be easier to swallow, as it were, if he weren't also calling for the doubling of Guantanamo Bay. Cleaning up the moral waters "in which our kids and our grandkids are swimming" isn't really possible when you're also doubling the toxic industrial waste, dumping a steady stream of lawlessness, detention without trial and "enhanced interrogation" into the moral environment.

In other Romney news, though, I think I've found his ideal running mate: Romney/Vick in '08!

* * * * * * * * *

Tyler Cowen wishes Jonathan Kozol would just shut up.

A lot of people have that reaction to Kozol. It's just intolerable the way he complains that schooling for poor children is intolerable.

You want Jonathan Kozol to shut up and go away? Fix the schools. Get poor kids the same education and health care that rich kids enjoy. That'll shut him up good.

* * * * * * * * *

Oh deer. Over at Entertainment Weakly there reporting that actor Isaiah Washington left Grey's Anatomy after using a "homophonic slur." That's just not write.

Comments

[Kitty]

A commenter at Pandagon called Friday the "Potterdaemurrung," which I think is completely perfect. I totally agree with you that Draco redeems himself in the last book, although I think he does because Narcissa sacrifices herself for him. I also, by the way, agree that Snape killed Dumbledore at D's request to prevent Draco from becoming a murderer. Anyway, we'll know soon, won't we?

I do hope you have time to read "Deathly Hallows." Your noble pursuit of reading the Left (from a) Behind books so we don't have to really should earn you some major good karma. I have, by the way, adored the reviews, especially where you point out the screaming idiocies contained in them. Please do consider a thread for Harry fans on Monday or something.

[Lila]

In pondering what went on between Snape and Dumbledore in the last moments of the latter's life, I think it important to ask: who made the potion that was covering the locket?

[Tonio]

"Homophonic slur"? You mean Washington accused T.R. Knight of sounding gay?

I may be reading too much into the Biblical action figures, but I had an image of the fundamentalists and other extremists establishing a separate culture for themselves, like the Pennsylvania Dutch or the Shakers. I say that because of the quote I spotted in another thread, where a fundamentalist father said his family would refuse to get marriage licenses if gay marriage was legalized.

[Abigail]

I doubt it'll be Draco who redeems himself. Rowling isn't too keen on him, and frequently warns her readers off him, suggesting that they're mainly influenced by the handsome kid who plays him in the films.

It's probably Dudley who redeems himself. He and Draco have almost identical character arcs - kids ruined by bad parenting who have absorbed indefensible attitudes - but in interviews Rowling frequently discusses him in pitying, sympathetic terms. I also think it works better to have the redeemed character be the fat, stupid, unpleasant bully, rather than the thin, handsome, clever one. It forces us to accept the character on moral terms, not through our affection for bad boys.

[Drak Pope]

who made the potion that was covering the locket?

The bastard probably outsourced British potion-making jobs to India like the rest of his Nazi pureblood supremacist brethren.

Oh deer. Over at Entertainment Weakly there reporting that actor Isaiah Washington left Grey's Anatomy after using a "homophonic slur." That's just not write.

:D

[Jesurgislac]

Here's my Deathly Hallows prediction: Although he may appear to be succeeding in the early chapters, Voldemort does not actually win.

I don't think either Draco or Dudley redeem themselves, but I'm fairly sure the giant Gorp or whatever his name is does.

[bad Jim]

What on earth is the play value of a religious figure? Is Jesus reborn after washing and drying? What if the dog thinks it's a dog toy and deliberately eviscerates Him? Do you tell your child you'll pick up a fresh savior tomorrow?

[treeandleafster]

The religious action figures (versus Spiderman) reminds me of a story a friend of mine, an Anglican priest with a young family told me. One day he saw one of the kids playing with building blocks, so he asked what the boy was building. "That's my church", the kid explained. "And who's the vicar?" my friend enquired.

"Spiderman."

I've never been able to think of Spidey in the same way since....

[Rosina]

What if the dog thinks it's a dog toy and deliberately eviscerates Him? Do you tell your child you'll pick up a fresh savior tomorrow?

Obviously, while your partner nips down to the emergency 24/7 religious toyshop, you wrap the poor plastic bits in a hanky, and lay it in the Rock Tomb (available at all good stockists). On Easter Day, you roll away the Easter Egg from the mouth of the tomb and find a new fully-functional toy Jesus. Child is reassured in his faith, and anti-canine persecutions will follow.

[Jesurgislac]

Rosina: Obviously, while your partner nips down to the emergency 24/7 religious toyshop, you wrap the poor plastic bits in a hanky, and lay it in the Rock Tomb (available at all good stockists). On Easter Day, you roll away the Easter Egg from the mouth of the tomb and find a new fully-functional toy Jesus. Child is reassured in his faith, and anti-canine persecutions will follow.

*tea over keyboard* *splutter*

With Barbie playing Mary Magdalen, obv.

[Peter Head]

A 'homophonic slur' would be to call someone a 'pouf'.

[Dave Lartigue]

No David? Who will Goliath fight?

[indifferent children]

Can someone clarify this for me? Is the Jesus action-figure not a "graven image" because it was injection-molded?

[the opoponax]

No David? Who will Goliath fight?

This raises an interesting point. Isn't Goliath the bad guy? If you're making religious action figures to teach your kids "good moral values" they can't get by playing with Spiderman, why make one of your three choices the most famous heavy after Satan?

[the opoponax]

Sorry, third heavy after Satan and Judas. d'oh!

[cjmr]

Can someone clarify this for me? Is the Jesus action-figure not a "graven image" because it was injection-molded?

I think the rationale is that they aren't considered 'graven images' because they aren't being worshipped. (Unlike, say, certain 'landmarks' with the Ten Commandments engraved on them which are being carted around the country for the worship adulation of the populace.)

Technically, any doll or stuffed toy that has recognizable features could be considered a 'graven image' by the most conservative definition. (That's why Amish dolls don't have faces.)

[Vermic]

No David? Who will Goliath fight?

Doctor Octopus.

If they have the talking Jesus doll say "Math is hard!", it will have redeemed the whole enterprise in my eyes.

[Wakboth]

"I also think it works better to have the redeemed character be the fat, stupid, unpleasant bully, rather than the thin, handsome, clever one."

AFAICT, Draco is neither particularly handsome (he's described as pale, thin and looking somewhat like a weasel), nor particularly brilliant, except relative to Crabbe and Goyle. He is thin, though.

[Tonio]

David and Samson being marketed as alternatives to Superman and Spider-Man? According to Rabbi Simcha, those Old Testament heroes were the antecedents of the superheroes:

http://www.rabbisimcha.com/pages/book.html

[cjmr's husband]

By the book, Draco is quite clever, if in a weaselish sort of way. Dumbledore learned this the hard way.

[Pal_sch]

My prediction about Draco? It won't be so much him being redeemed as his parents. The last book showed his mother being desperate for his safety. After those events, I don't see the Malfoys being in favour, and so that safety is likely to be challenged. I can easily see her (or even both parents) turning to the other side for protection for their son.

As for Dudly, I don't see him being in it enough to be redeemed as such, but it is likely he will be better disposed towards Harry after the last book.

[Rosina]

I think Percy is going to turn out to have been working secretly for the goodies, infiltrating the Ministry so he can find out what Fudge is up to. Either that, or he will have a change of heart. And die, defending his parents.

Dumbledore will be revealed as not being really dead (revived by his phoenix) but he will really die at the end.

The fanfic Draco (particularly the one in A J Hall's stories) may well deserve to be heroicly redeemed, but J K Rowling doesn't like him that much. I think he'll end up snivelling.

[ChristianPinko]

Will they have a St. Paul doll with tentmaking action grip?

[Luke]

Neville Longbottom. As the alternative to Harry that Valdemort turned down, someone who's spent the life in the shadow of his shattered/(Martyred) parents finally gets his due. He's shown a mixture of courage and heart, as at the end of book five. Pity, Bellatrix will kill him.

[LM]

And for future reference, Superman is the Pope and his son is the antichrist.

[1982_Cygni]

I have heard predictions that Draco could be redeemed, but I don't think it's likely. I think it would be far more likely for Dudley or Peter Pettigrew to be redeemed, since Harry rescued them both from Dementors when he really didn't have to, and since Dudley is his blood relative, and he hasn't got many of those left. I also wonder if Narcissa, who was VERY concerned for her son's safety in Book 6, could feel betrayed by Snape and decide to leave the Dark Side.

I had a look at Conservapedia and was quite disturbed by their entry on Harry Potter. Schlafy's scribes don't even describe Harry's appearance or say what house he's from, yet 3/4 of the article is devoted to saying that the book is sacriligious (without specifying WHY) and attempts to ban the book; the article ends with the words "no legal action has been taken yet against the books," implying this would be a good idea. Contrast this with Conservapedia's article on Lord of the Rings, which acknowledges it is as a Christian allegory, albeit not an intentional one; I do know that Rowling is of the Church of Scotland and have noted many medieval Christian motifs in her work (unicorns, griffins, extensive use of the phoenix, association of snakes with evil, etc.), so her book could be an allegory as well. I've read two books (The Gospel According to Harry Potter was one, and I forget the title and author of the other) that made the case for it and favorably compared the books with C.S. Lewis.

In any case, I'm happy that the children are reading SOMETHING. Now if they could just expand their horizons after Potter and read some Octavia Butler, Ursula K. LeGuin, Madeleine L'Engle, the late great Lloyd Alexander, etc.

[Dan S.]

"I don't think either Draco or Dudley redeem themselves, but I'm fairly sure the giant Gorp or whatever his name is does."

Granted, by giving up his life to sustain our heroes during a long hike, but hey . . .

I find it quite amusing that Wikipedia has a category entitled "Fictional Giants" - as opposed to . . .?
(ok, ok, real 'giants,' I suppose, but still . . )

[Bugmaster]

Technically, Andre the Giant (of Princess Bride fame) was a real giant. I mean, he had "Giant" right in his name...

[Tonio]

@LM,

Oh, man! I've been a Superman fan for a while and I had never heard of that site. I laughed at the covers while wincing at the atrocious treatment that DC often gave Superman during those years. Too many stories had Clark once again managing to conceal his secret identity. I never found Clark, Lois, Jimmy, and the others believable as personalities until the John Byrne era in the 1980s.

[the opoponax]

Andre The Giant Has A Posse.

[cjmr]

I also wonder if Narcissa, who was VERY concerned for her son's safety in Book 6, could feel betrayed by Snape and decide to leave the Dark Side.

Why would she feel betrayed? She got Snape to make the Unbreakable Vow (cue ominous music) to "Watch over my son Draco as he attempts to fulfill the Dark Lord's wishes" and "To the best of your (Snape's) ability protect him from harm" and "should it prove necessary...if it seems Draco will fail...[will you] carry out the deed that the Dark Lord has ordered Draco to perform". I don't see that Snape fell down on the job on any of those...

That said, I do think that Narcissa is a key character who will not end up on the Dark Side in the end, but I think it will be because of something Voldemort does (or fails to do) rather than something Snape has done (or failed to do).

[arghous]

Rosina: Obviously, while your partner nips down to the emergency 24/7 religious toyshop, you wrap the poor plastic bits in a hanky, and lay it in the Rock Tomb (available at all good stockists). On Easter Day, you roll away the Easter Egg from the mouth of the tomb and find a new fully-functional toy Jesus. Child is reassured in his faith, and anti-canine persecutions will follow.

Jesurgislac: With Barbie playing Mary Magdalen, obv.

No, no. I'm sure it was Barbie and Skipper who went to the tomb and saw Ken angel but no Jesus, with the hanky nicely folded. And Jesus eventually turned up, but still with his doggie wounds before being whisked away to sit at the right hand of whatever was in that landfill.

BTW, later, if mysterious brown splotches start showing up on your hanky, you'll have a ready answer.

[Doctor Science]

"Potterdammerung" (umlauts optional) is actually the standard term in the more fannish parts of Teh Series of Tubes. I assume it comes out of the Fandom Wank community -- a link I recommend *not* clicking before you read Deadly Hallows, as I assume it's currently a spoiler-o-rama.

Fandom_Wank (motto: "Mock Mock Mockity Mock") is a community devoted to mocking, documenting, and in many cases amplifying dustups, conflicts, self-aggrandisement, and the rich tapestry of human folly in fannish circles.

I am crawling back under my galaxy-shaped rock now.

[Jeff]

No David? Who will Goliath fight?

It's a three-way cage fight between Samson, Goliath and Jesus. Two men and The Son of God go in. One ..entity..? comes out!

[ako]

I think Draco, in particular, will have a turnaround.

Because through much of the books, he's been an obnoxious little jerk in love with the image of being the big, nasty, impressive, nearly-Death Eater. The whole Purebloods-are-better-than-everyone deal, and the Big Scary Slitheen thing. He's been having a lot of fun with it.

The last book had him finally getting a taste of the reality. A glimpse of what being a Death Eater (the natural result of where he was going) really meant. Actually having to hurt and kill people. And he was miserable. Frightened, guilty, learning the hard way how nasty the reality is. He wasn't the glamorous, angsty hero of fanfiction, but he was a scared kid learning that he didn't like serious evil. And sobbing in the bathroom.

And when it came down to the decisive moment, he pointedly wound up not choosing. He didn't renounce Voldemort and choose not to murder. He also didn't go through with it.

I don't know if what I'm picturing would count as a full-on redemption. I'm not picturing any terrifically heroic and noble "Draco is so good now!" moments. But I do expect him to turn away from what being a Death Eater actually demands. Because the last book held his feet to the fire, and that seems to be the best reason why.

And while it would be interesting to do the same thing with Dudley, he didn't get pushed to the same extent. There hasn't been a moment so far where he had to seriously look at the consequences of his choices and see where he was heading. So I don't see the redemption being set up.

[ako]

Big Scary Slitheen thing

I'm sorry, that was supposed to be Slytherin. But enjoy the mental pictures, everyone.

[Robb]

Two men and The Son of God go in. One ..entity..? comes out!

Bwahaha! One in Essence, three times the Pummeling power!

RE: Draco "redeeming" himself...

I don't think so. Rowling has set him up to be a much more complicated figure than just Harry's foil/Dudley's wizarding parallel, and I can easily see some sort of questioning of his Death Eating direction, but will we see Draco see the error of his ways, fall to his knees, and say the word "savior" (immediately preceded by the word "personal")? I highly doubt it.

If anything, I'm looking forward to Snape's "conversion" scene (which will probably come in the form of Dumbledore's memories in the Pensieve).

Curious thought: Dumbledore giving an "altar call" to the Death Eaters after Voldy's first fall.

[Selcaby]

I want Draco and Dudley to meet. That should provide a good comeuppance for at least one of them.

[Erick Oppeen]

I think that what'll happen is that Draco will fall in love. Actually, I'd say he already is in love...with Draco. He strikes me as so in love with himself that he probably screams out his own name when he comes, and Snape probably had to keep all the mirrors in the Slytherin boys' rooms covered, lest he see himself and spend the day telling his reflection how beautiful, charming, perfect, above-average and gorgeous he was. Pansy Parkinson probably had to hold up a mirror during the Act, so he could stare into the face of his One True Love.

[the opoponax]

It's people like you who are the reason I'm going to have to declare a media moratorium over the weekend, btw. Silly people trying to bring Harry Potter spoilers/hypotheses into every damn conversation...

[cjmr]

I'm with you on the media moratorium thing. My copy isn't going to get here until the 25th at least...

[Jesurgislac]

I'm sorry, that was supposed to be Slytherin. But enjoy the mental pictures, everyone.

My eyes, they burn!

[bulbul]

Dumbledead

KUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUURVA!

I only just got around to reading HP6 and I'm still at chapter one. For two years, I managed to avoid any spoilers - and quite a feat that was, what with my friends and my little sister being HP fans - and now you have to go and spoil it for me, Fred.
What the hell am I gonna do come Saturday? Stop reading newspapers and magazines, stop watching TV, disconnect from the internet?

Actually, not a bad idea...

[Prankster]

"I'm Mitt Romney, and I want to clean up the waters in which our children swim. Just, y'know, not *literally*."

[Kate]

Gotta say I was unimpressed when this post came out that there wasn't an HP warning on it... some of us really were trying our hardest not to be influenced by others on the books... just sayin...

(and it totally kept me away from the blog entirely until today 'cause who knows what else you might say... and how do I know that three more sentences in you'll say 'because Rowlings admitted tearfully that it was really hard to kill off xxxx and she needed someone to be redeemed'...)

[1982_Cygni]

I saw Romney's ad today in between Lou Dobbs' show on CNN. The ad scares me because Romney, understandably, cares a lot about what's in the media, but his concerns, however valid, could lead to censorship? I was born in 1982 and wasn't aware of the precarious situation the National Endowment of the Arts, etc. was in until I was in junior high, but I'm sure at least some of the readers here remember the PMRC hearings or Mapplethorpe? Anybody read in history class what happened under the Comstock Act and how much suffering it caused for women? Or how strict the film and television codes were prior to the 1960's, when you couldn't show a married couple sleeping together or even have a character say the word pregnant?

Oh, and yeah, I did notice that Romney doesn't have cleaning up the environment as a priority. The literal waters that his kids and grandkids are swimming in could be full of literal shit with literal E. coli and literal poisons that ought to be banned, like dioxins, or have been banned (like PCB's and DDT), but unlike, say, records of WASP's Animal Fuck Like a Beast, are still around. But what do you expect from a guy who tied his own dog to the roof of the family car?