By Carol Church, Writer, Family Album
Reviewed by Heidi Radunovich, PhD, Department of Family, Youth, and Community Sciences, University of Florida
Are you a Hufflepuff, a Ravenclaw, a Gryffindor, or a Slytherin? Do you ever worry, even just a little, that He-Who-Must-Not-be-Named might one day come back?
If you know what I’m talking about, then you, like millions of other fans around the world, have read J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter books or watched the movies. This astonishingly popular series, beloved by adults and children alike, has converted many reluctant readers into book-lovers. It’s one of those exciting, plot-driven stories that’s very hard to put down.
Potter’s Moral Framework
If you’re not familiar with the storyline, Harry Potter (the hero) and his friends battle an evil wizard named Voldemort and his minions. Voldemort believes that wizards who are not “of pure blood” (from wizard and witch parents) should be killed, and is also cruel to other beings he considers inferior, such as house elf servants. Harry Potter takes a stand against these atrocities. To an adult eye, the parallels Rowling draws to Nazism, racism, and other types of prejudice are pretty obvious.
But do young readers absorb the moral lessons the author is trying to teach? That’s the question asked by an interesting new study in the Journal of Applied Social Psychology. Researchers wanted to find out if young people who read Harry Potter books were less likely to have negative attitudes toward groups who often suffer discrimination, such as refugees, gays and lesbians, and immigrants. They looked at three different groups of young people to learn more.
Identifying with Harry: The Key
In the first study, 34 Italian elementary schoolers first completed a survey on their attitudes toward immigrants. They then read selected passages from Harry Potter books and discussed them with a group leader. Afterwards, students who’d read passages that depicted Harry Potter fighting against prejudice had developed more positive attitudes towards immigrants. However, there was an interesting caveat: this was only true of children who identified with Harry, the main character.
In the second study, about 100 Italian high school students indicated whether they’d read Harry Potter books or seen the movies. They also took a questionnaire about their attitude towards gays and lesbians. Once again, those with more exposure to the series had more positive attitudes towards this often-marginalized group—but only if they identified with Harry.
And in one final study, about 75 British college students were asked about their attitudes towards refugees and willingness to accept them, as well as their exposure to the Harry Potter franchise. Once more, more exposure to Harry Potter was linked to more tolerant views of an out-group, seeming to help students identify with immigrants’ experiences. However, in this case, lack of identification with the series’ villain was more important than identification with its hero.
Importantly, these studies controlled for other factors, like age, gender, media viewing, general book reading habits, and prior exposure to the groups the studies focused on.
Can Fiction Change Us?
Experts have long known that one effective method of reducing prejudice is simply to get to know a range of different people whose life experiences and backgrounds are different from our own. Studies also suggest that knowing that one of our own friends is friends with a so-called “out-group” member (such a refugee or gay individual) can reduce prejudice as well. This interesting study suggests that simply reading about and identifying with a character who befriends and stands up for out-group members may be effective as well.
As the mom of two kids who are preoccupied (okay, verging on obsessed!) with Harry, Ron, Hermione, and their imaginary world, I consider this great news. Those of us who love to read have probably always suspected that literature has the power to change us for the better. It’s pretty amazing to have some more concrete proof of the power that books can have to fight prejudice and discrimination.
(Photo credit: Harry Potter costumes by rmkoske. CC BY 2.0. Cropped.)
Further Reading
Understanding Prejudice: Bibliography of Children’s Books –A list of children’s book that deal more explicitly with the topics of prejudice and discrimination and those who have fought back against these problems
Partners Against Hate: How to Talk to Your Children About Bias and Prejudice
References:
Vezzali, L., Stathi, S., Giovannini, D., Capozza, D., & Trifiletti, E. (2014). The greatest magic of Harry Potter: Reducing prejudice. Journal of Applied Social Psychology. Advance online publication. http://dx.doi.org/0.1111/jasp.12279
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Comments:
December 10, 2019
I love using a bread machine, too! Thanks for the recipe, it's great finding something new to experiment with. I mostly use the basic cycle because I love basic white bread but, from time to time, it's nice trying something new.
March 20, 2017
Very interesting information, thank u grosir obat herbal
November 17, 2014
This recipe is amazing and delicious and you don't have to knead it. You can sub in whole wheat flour for about 50% of the flour, but may need to add more water, and the loaf will be flatter. The long rise and high water content give it amazing flavor and texture. http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/08/dining/081mrex.html?_r=0 I also use this recipe, which makes two loaves and is sort of similar, but not the same. Again, you can sub in whole wheat flour for about 50%. I also like to add sesame seeds. I make this one in traditional loaf pans with a silicone liner (otherwise it will stick) so it can be used for sandwiches more easily. I used to make this recipe every week but haven't been getting around to it lately. http://www.splendidtable.org/recipes/five-minute-artisan-bread
November 11, 2014
I am sharing this blog with all of my students' families. Beautifully written!
October 15, 2014
I've never seen meat on BOGO! I've seen sales on cost per pound, but how do they provide them as BOGO? Would like more information about this as that would be a tremendous savings and a do have a freezer.
October 15, 2014
And then there's the snack provided to the kids after the game! (I can go for fruit and water, but that is not what tends to be provided) Fortunately, the stand turns out to be not that visible to the kids...they didn't notice it, at least this first time.
October 15, 2014
Thanks for sharing this Carol. Those concession stands were always a concern for me, as a nutritionist and mom interested in healthy eating for my family. We almost never bought anything, which made me feel a bit guilty that I was not supporting the team, but I figured that our health was more important than a few dollars for the team. Not only do those foods provide more fat, sodium, and/or added sugars than most people need, they tend to fill you up so that you may not eat a healthy dinner after the game. Of course, that was the other annoying part of soccer games ... the team always wanted to stop at McDonald's after the game! Oh my ...
October 10, 2014
Hi Selina, You may be looking for a point of contact with the UF FYCS department? I will send you an email with the appropriate info. :)
October 10, 2014
Hi, We need you in the community for purpose of educating youth on your resources. Is this the source of contact to participate in an upcoming event. Please reply at e-mail if so. Agriculture Dept has participated in a previous event with our organization. Thanks so much for the plethora of info that comes from your letters. we appreciate you. Selina Lee
October 9, 2014
My family is totally converted to no-cook overnight oatmeal, whch we had never tried before this post! My daughter loves banana-peanut butter with a tiny bit of chopped dark chocolate, and my son likes apple-cinnamon. I am not a morning person, so I love that I can make it the night before!!
September 25, 2014
I appreciate and agree with your comments, Kevin. Martial Arts are a special way to develop special talents that have gone by the wayside because we are too busy to slow down and realize that past practices, in many instances, still work well in our modern society -- especially with youth.
September 25, 2014
You raise a nice set of points there and maybe I can help expand them. I've studied for a long time, and one thing that is earned in training is a sense of community developing from common goals and collective perseverance. It is struggling together. It is setting unattainable goals, but then getting to them. "Special training" sessions are weekends of intense training that is awful. But you survive it and come out stronger. Nobody is a star. We're reminded that we can always do better and strive for perfection. You are always a student and learning, even when you're teaching. Those are some of the best lessons that can be learned and why kids should be involved in martial arts.
September 17, 2014
These are great suggestions. Wish I had time to try more of them than I will be able to try! Thanks for putting these together in one place ... great resource.
September 8, 2014
Yes, a lot of people seem to like those flavored waters and sparkling waters. Call me a seltzer purist! Sometimes I do mix seltzer with orange juice or grape juice for a sparkly drink, so I'm not "pure" all the time ...
September 5, 2014
I find that if I carry a refillable water bottle with me I drink more during the day. I also prefer lemon sparkling water, with natural flavors. No calories, no sugar, no fat yet I get the bubbles!
September 4, 2014
I'm actually not a big fan of water either, but I really enjoy seltzer, so that is my beverage of choice for hydration. You might try that and see if it works for you. No calories, no sugar ... great choice for thirst quenching.
September 4, 2014
It should be easy for me to drink more water, but somehow I don't. Thanks for the inspiration.
September 3, 2014
This is a great blog post -- really enjoyed reading about this research and the fact that it demonstrated what I have long thought about this amazing book series -- that it has extremely positive messages and much to teach young people (and adults as well). One only has to be concerned about those readers who relate more to Malfoy or Voldemort than to Harry and his buddies ...
August 28, 2014
Howdy! I'm at work browsing your blog from my new apple iphone! Just wanted to say I love reading through your blog and look forward to all your posts! Keep up the fantastic work!
August 26, 2014
Everything is very open with a clear description of the challenges. It was really informative. Your site is very useful. Thanks for sharing!
August 11, 2014
Excellent! We found some deals from online websites as well. This did require us to order two weeks ago or else we would not have had it arrive in time...
August 11, 2014
Just did my family's back to school shopping--I was able to find a $10 off coupon using a couponing app! :)
August 5, 2014
Good catch! Hopefully readers will still focus on the bottom line of this blog that suggests that consumers should be aware that many so-called super foods do not have super powers.
July 31, 2014
"Antioxidants protect your cells from damage and can boost your immune system." Umm, no. Nothing "boots your immune system", that's just one of those nonsense phrases from the alt-med & supplements community who think scientifical language legitimizes their claim. http://www.skepticalraptor.com/skepticalraptorblog.php/boosting-immune-system-sorting-science-myth/ You're right to be wary of "superfood" claims, but also beware of false concepts like immune system boosting.
April 15, 2014
good article, thanks for information
March 25, 2014
Getting a diagnosis is so important so that people can either make changes to reduce their risk of diabetes or begin to manage the disease if they already have it. In either case, lifestyle management can make a big difference in quality of life and long-term health. Thanks for the information about the on-line Diabetes Risk Test -- hopefully many people will take advantage of it.
March 25, 2014
Hey! AWESOME!! Thanks for the great info!!
March 20, 2014
Great addition. It is important that we check charges in bank statement, credit card statements, utilities, everything. Being a good consumer truly takes action on our part.
March 19, 2014
Good post. You mentioned here: "Be alert for bills, mail, or account statements that don’t arrive on time". To add to this, many people do not check their bank statements often enough to catch fraudulent activity in a timely manner. It is always a good thing to be mindful of the charges debiting an account and not take for granted that all charges are going to be legit.
March 1, 2014
This is great especially for people like me that needs financial help and assistance. I'll for sure share this to my friends. Thank you ecourtney. :)
February 13, 2014
Well said, I too have a growing collection of art projects and cards from my kids. I treasure these. In fact my wife still has a poem I wrote for her while we were dating in graduate school. She eventually had it mounted onto a plaque several years after we were married.
February 12, 2014
This is a good reminder about what is really important on this holiday. It made me think about all of those cards I made for my parents when I was in elementary school ....you know the ones with red paper and doilies! My mom kept those thoughtful (and cheap) cards for years and I too have some that my son made for me. Guess it is the thought that counts (although chocolate is really fun to get too, I must admit ...)!
Comments are closed.