.
| Hearsay: |
I don’t even know what to say. I mean, I knew stupid had a strangle-hold on society, but this is a new level of… what? I don’t even know. I’d say I’m speechless, but we both know I’m not. It’s my job to call douchery when I sees douchery and it’s my job to call fucktardery when I see fucktardery. But is it my job to call pathetic idiocy when I sees it? Maybe this guy, who calls himself a Harry Potter rabbi and quotes from the books like scripture to justify his social activism, is calling it all for himself. (I’m getting too old and cranky for this job. Excuse me: “job”.)
Slack, 29, is a self-declared ‘‘Harry Potter rabbi’’ who quotes from the series as a clergyman might quote scripture, and his organisation uses parallels from the Potter books to educate and mobilise Potter fans around such issues as workers’ rights and combating genocide.
Slack started the group in 2005 and has used his online connections to reach millions of Potter fans. His group’s accomplishments include collecting more than 13,000 donated books to give to community centres and a youth centre in Rwanda, and raising $US15,000 ($18,200) for the Genocide Intervention Network’s civilian protection program for displaced Darfuris and Burmese.
Slack relates all sorts of social issues back to themes in the Harry Potter books. Using the opinions of Harry’s mentor Albus Dumbledore as a moral compass, Slack suggests Potter fans should fight prison torture because Dumbledore was against Dementors, and that they should support fair trade because Dumbledore agreed on giving rights to house elves.
‘‘We always connect everything back to the books,’’ Slack says. ‘‘It’s very Talmudic.’’
Is there a hint of irony in here? Am I missing it? Have I become so jaded? It’s a joke, right? I suppose it doesn’t matter how people get there, so long as they’re—&*!@#$–Oh, who the fuck am I kidding, it matters how you get there! Dude, you look like a sad, deluded reject, but it looks good on you. Keeping fighting the good fight.
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July 28th, 2009 at 9:17 am
But George, every religion quotes from fantasy stories.
July 28th, 2009 at 10:42 am
If he’s doing good work and encouraging others to do the same, why does it matter?
July 28th, 2009 at 11:09 am
I think what’s getting George here is that the Potter books are essentially Satanic fairy tales. White and Black magic come from the same source. Potter fans are being seduced. The books glorify evil.
July 28th, 2009 at 12:44 pm
No, Spanner, I don’t think that’s what’s getting George.
July 28th, 2009 at 4:12 pm
…and it took three comments to generate something more depressing than the post.
July 28th, 2009 at 4:16 pm
I disagree. post 3 is hilarious. posts 4 and 5 are sanctimoniuous and depressing.
July 30th, 2009 at 11:42 am
Maybe you don’t live in a place that makes you take Spanner McNeil’s comment at face value, michel.
July 30th, 2009 at 12:12 pm
got that right, Blake. If I were you, I’d move.
July 30th, 2009 at 2:47 pm
In times like these, i like to meditate on saying from the greatest thinkinr of our times, George Carlin. Please bow your heads…
“Just think of how stupid the average person is, and then realize half of them are even stupider.”
So He has said, so shall it be.
July 31st, 2009 at 3:39 pm
Still have a job here, michel. :D