Gordon Brown = Cornelius Fudge?
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Politics Imitates Art; Gordon Brown is Cornelius Fudge. [Lisa Schiffren]
The struggle between good and evil, freedom and enslavement is, of course, an eternal literary theme. Still, one can't help but notice the astonishing manner in which Gordon Brown has taken a page directly from Harry Potter — and the just released film of Book Seven, [Actually, Book Five] at that. Specifically, Brown's strong desire not to call Islamic terrorism by name echoes the insistence of the head of the Wizard government, the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge — to refer to their mortal enemy, Voldemort, as "he who must not be named."
So, even greater kudos to J.K. Rowling, who understood back in the 90's that the world's youth needed a rousing tale of heroism in the face of evil. Whatever her politics — and I believe she has not indulged in a discussion of them — she has made the point again and again in her books, that, in the face of the gravest threats to freedom, government is more likely to temporize and play down the severity than to act boldly. It is a rare leader who will look evil straight in the face, call it by name and respond appropriately, even at the cost of his own life. If that hasn't been the case in England and the U.S. for the past six years, well, times are changing.
Politics Imitates Art; Gordon Brown is Cornelius Fudge. [Lisa Schiffren]
The struggle between good and evil, freedom and enslavement is, of course, an eternal literary theme. Still, one can't help but notice the astonishing manner in which Gordon Brown has taken a page directly from Harry Potter — and the just released film of Book Seven, [Actually, Book Five] at that. Specifically, Brown's strong desire not to call Islamic terrorism by name echoes the insistence of the head of the Wizard government, the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge — to refer to their mortal enemy, Voldemort, as "he who must not be named."
So, even greater kudos to J.K. Rowling, who understood back in the 90's that the world's youth needed a rousing tale of heroism in the face of evil. Whatever her politics — and I believe she has not indulged in a discussion of them — she has made the point again and again in her books, that, in the face of the gravest threats to freedom, government is more likely to temporize and play down the severity than to act boldly. It is a rare leader who will look evil straight in the face, call it by name and respond appropriately, even at the cost of his own life. If that hasn't been the case in England and the U.S. for the past six years, well, times are changing.
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