this post was submitted on 25 May 2025
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When they are old enough to make their own decisions they can. I'm able to seperate the art from the artist, without introducing them to hateful commentary that they aren't able to properly process yet.
Not showing them Harry Potter does not mean they won't be exposed to the media or the merchandise through friends and shops.
It would take a saint's patience to stop the book at every racist moment and explain why it's wrong.
Why not skip the books then? The movies were made by hundreds of awesome people while the books were written by just her. The movies cut out a lot of the controversial stuff too.
Because reading the books is a good educational experience for kids. I don’t allow them watch the movies until the books are read. Movies can miss nuance and have less information and world building. There is racism and bigotry and horrible things happening in life. I explain it to my kids at appropriate times.
When I first discussed the holocaust(very broadly), for example, they didn’t understand why someone would hate others for religion only, as religion is not important to us. Nor was it a good reason to not like someone from their understanding. They understand simpler concepts like absolute good and absolute evil. Goodies and baddies. More complex topics like themes in Harry Potter books being problematic is beyond their understanding completely.
Other books with good themes but problematic authors or themes include Enders Game, starship troopers, religious texts. Authors include Neil Gaiman, Sylvia Plath, Virginia Woolf, Dr Seuss, Enid blyton, Shakespeare, Stephanie Meyer, etc etc
That doesn’t make the books useless. Rhoal Dahl has problematic parts. Rhoal Dahl was also racist. That doesn’t mean we skip Charlie and the chocolate factory.