We Need Dumbledore's Army

I try really, really hard not to get political here. But I need to share this. Regardless of what you think of the recent US election and inauguration, you can't deny that the country is extremely divided right now. Hate is on the rise. Therefore, many people are turning to their favorite sources of comfort-- notably, Harry Potter.

This post was inspired by Ezra Miller's comments a while ago regarding the current political climate. He said, "The world of J.K. Rowling is this beautiful mythology that comforts us, and if we knew it as children, it brings us to a very basic place of feeling like we're not alone in the world. [She] reminds us of the tools that we have in times of darkness, like the one we are barreling into right now: our love, our support of each other, friendship, community." He noted that he watched the Harry Potter films with his friends after the election, because they needed that comfort. And he also made a statement that I think is beautiful. "I think we're going to need the Order of the Phoenix."

Reading this made me think. Being a teenager, I often feel painfully limited in the good I can do (which is often where these kinds of posts come from- sharing my voice via the internet to try to inspire change on some small level). I have strong political opinions, I'm a feminist, I care about equality, but it's so friggin' hard to do anything about it in a small town and smaller high school. Teenagers often aren't given credit for their opinions, being told they're "too young" to worry about these things.

Harry Potter often feels the same way. In book 5, he's told he's too young to join the Order of the Phoenix. Then he gets back to school and sees the same problems happening there. So what does he do? He creates Dumbledore's Army.

So I'm asking all the teenagers who might come across this-- will you be Dumbledore's Army with me? Let's educate ourselves on important issues, challenge injustice when we see it, and prepare to be the ones in the Order. Maybe the DA didn't cause broad, sweeping change. But it taught the people who participated. They learned how to defend themselves and others. And it prepared them to enact that broad, sweeping change.

As much as it feels like giving up to write this, maybe teens can't change the world by themselves. The world is a very big place, after all, and a very stubborn one. But I've discussed small-level change before. When you can't do everything to help (and you can't), do something to help. Create your own little pockets of joy and hope and peace and beauty and all the things the world desperately needs right now. If you can't make change for everyone, make change for someone. It's okay if that's just one person. It's okay if that one person is you. Because one day, you're going to be where the adults are now, and you're going to need all of your dueling skills and defensive charms.

I'd like to make one more note on this. Learn your Patronus charm. Find something that can make you happy, that can drive away the darkness around you, even if it's just for a while. Because all the hate in the world is ready to devour everything. It's crushing. You're going to need something to protect yourself. Whether it's music, or a sport, or books, or a list of a thousand little things that make you smile or all of these or none of these, please find a way to protect yourself from the hate. You can't help anyone if you don't help yourself first.

And don't feel guilty about using it. Use your Patronus as often as you need. Let yourself feel happy if you can, and if you can't, work to get to the point where you can. The world has enough sadness. Let yourself be happy. It might even be a little glow, a candle in a vast dark space, but it will illuminate your way and help you find other candles to light.

Maybe we can't change the world yet. But we can get ready for the time that we can.

3 Slytherin Stereotypes that Need to be Destroyed

           It's been a while since I last posted. Maybe now that NaNoWriMo has wound down, I'll get better at this. Lol. We'll see how long that lasts.

            Today I'm continuing my series of Hogwarts house blog posts. This time I'm focusing on Slytherin house.

            Slytherins tend to get demonized. Of all the houses, they get the worst reputation. Which is a shame, because in my opinion, Slytherin is one of the coolest houses (I've got a bit of a bias towards Ravenclaw). So here's three of my least favorite Slytherin stereotypes, and my personal experiences and arguments to destroy them.

1- Slytherins are evil.

            No. Just no. This one drives me insane. Some Slytherins are evil. Some Gryffindors are evil. Frankly, by clinging to this stereotype, the wizarding world created a self-fulfilling prophecy. Imagine being an eleven-year-old, so excited to be learning magic in this amazing place, and you're sorted, and people boo at you. The only people who will accept you are other Slytherins, some of whom are involved with bad people. Saying Slytherins are evil only exacerbates the problem.

            Slytherin stereotypes affect members of the house on a personal level. I asked a few Slytherin friends about stereotypes. My ENFP best friend said, "[The stereotype says I'm] evil and manipulative don't trust them they'll cut you. I hate it. It makes me want to cut them. Which makes them right. Which I hate even more and then I want to cry."

            Shortly afterwards, she sent me a message reading, "FOREHEAD KISSES!!! ARE THE CUTEST!!!!!!!!"

            Another friend said, "I suppose the worst one is that all Slytherins are snooty and/or rude to everyone outside our house. Another one is that all Slytherins turn into death eaters. Not only is this upsetting for me, it lowers self-esteem. I don't aspire to be a death eater solely because I'm a Slytherin."

2- Slytherins don't care about anyone but themselves, and they’re all the same snotty rich kids.

            I started writing this in paragraph form, but it's much simpler to make a list.

            -My best friend is a Slytherin (I mentioned her earlier). She's also the sweetest, most compassionate person I've ever met.

            -I know a Slytherin who loves theatre and is amazing at improv.

            -I know another one who is very quiet and loves sports.

            -Another Slytherin friend is a feminist, also in theatre, and he sings and dances in the school show choir.

            -Another one is amazing at sewing and is in charge of costumes for theatre (Most of my friends are in theatre, if you can't tell).

            -Another one has an incredible mind and a great sense of humor, and drives our seminary* teacher crazy by taking everything literally.

            -I know another Slytherin who plays Magic and is on the wrestling team and regularly wears a "Viva La Pluto" t-shirt.

            Slytherins are people. They’re just as messy and colorful and diverse as anyone else. Reducing them to a few traits based on a few unfortunately prominent members is both fallacious and limiting.

            Ambition isn't necessarily getting to the top no matter what. Sometimes it's stubbornness. Sometimes it's having huge, impractical dreams that you will achieve, because you're just crazy enough to take the risks to make it happen.

3- Slytherins are manipulative.

            This one is actually true. But everyone is manipulative. Manipulation is such a common thing; we don't even look at it most of the time.

            Manipulation is actually fascinating because it's such a common, everyday thing that everyone does, but the moment you put the label manipulation on it it's twisted and wrong and evil (Sometimes I wonder why people react so strongly when you call it manipulation. Like hmm. Why are you so personally offended by this? Do you not want to see yourself as a villain? And really, what people are defensive about is a really good indicator of their insecurities).

            Coming back to the main point, manipulation is not a Slytherin trait. It's a human trait. Saying that it exclusively belongs to another group of people is an excellent way to feel better about yourself at the cost of demonizing said group and missing an opportunity to learn and become self-aware.

           

            Guys. Slytherin is the house of tradition, of huge, impractical dreams, of impossible things. Slytherin is the house of people who fiercely protect the people they love. It's the house of pushing the limits of what you can achieve and having the hard-working spirit to pull it off.

            Slytherins are like Gryffindors in their devotion to their causes.

            Slytherins are like Hufflepuffs in their work ethic.

            Slytherins are like Ravenclaws in their imagination.

            It seems to me that Slytherin house is a combination of some of the best traits of the other houses. Slytherins are fabulous. Stop telling them they're not.

           I'd love to hear about you in Slytherin house, your Slytherin friends, and how you feel about these stereotypes! I'm also doing Gryffindor sometime soonish, which will be a bit more difficult for me as I have a bit of a bias towards them. Hopefully, in writing the post I'll educate myself and others, but if you're a Gryffindor and have any input, I'd love to hear it.

*If you don’t know what seminary is, I’m part of the LDS church. We’re also known as Mormons. We have a program in many schools where we go early or are released for a class hour to go to a class to learn about scriptures, and we call it seminary.

Hufflepuffs are not Potatoes

    Wow. I kind of forget that people actually look at this, and that it isn't some isolated exercise to try to get me to meet deadlines (it's not working so far). And then I look and eight people have seen my blog this week and... wow. That is cool. And a little scary. And a reminder that I really should try to post more often.
     So, in my quest to post more often, I'm writing today about a topic near and dear to my heart-- Hogwarts houses (again). Because it's largely ignored, today I'm going to talk about Hufflepuff.
    The first thing I want to say about Hufflepuff is summed up in this quote by Queen Rowling herself- "This may surprise people, but Hufflepuff is my favorite house. There comes a point in the final book where each house has the choice whether or not to rise to a certain challenge... the Slytherins, for reasons that are understandable, decide they'd rather not play. The Ravenclaws: some decide they will, some decide they won't. The Hufflepuffs, virtually to a person, stay- as do the Gryffindors. Now, the Gryffindors comprise a lot of fool-hardy and show-offy people. That's just the way it is. I'm a Gryffindor, I'm allowed to say it. There's bravery and there's showboating, and sometimes the two go together. The Hufflepuffs stayed for a different reason. They weren't trying to show off. They weren't being reckless. That's the essence of Hufflepuff House. Now my oldest child, my daughter Jessica, said something very profound to me not very many days ago, actually. She said to me-- and she, by the way, was not sorted into Hufflepuff house-- but she said to me, "I think we should all want to be Hufflepuffs." I can only say to you that I would not be at all disappointed to be sorted into Hufflepuff house. So I'm a little upset that anyone does feel that way."
     I have very strong feelings about Hufflepuff, and, in particular, that it is not the potato house.
     HUFFLEPUFF IS NOT THE POTATO HOUSE.
     Hufflepuff is full of the people who have their priorities sorted out. Hufflepuffs are the ones who are brave enough to fight, but understand that sometimes the greater difference is made by caring for the wounded. It's the ones who are intelligent and creative, but care more about helping the people around them than simply studying and thinking, who think that their knowledge is worthless if they can't use it for good. They're the ones who have huge goals and the cunning and ability to reach them, but would NEVER EVER step on someone else to do it, people who will take the long, hard way over the short, easy one. Remember "those patient Hufflepuffs are true and unafraid of toil?" Hufflepuffs are hardworking, and caring, and really excellent people. And they're so much more. My youngest sister is a Hufflepuff. She's also a born performer, ready to make people laugh at any opportunity. One of my best friends is a Hufflepuff with a deep love for art and a dark sense of humor.
    My point is, Hufflepuffs may be friendly and accommodating. That's not an excuse for you to ignore them or make them the butt of your jokes. And, for the love of all that is good and holy, stop calling them the potato house. Learn from them. Admire their strengths. The four houses show four values, but they are not mutually exclusive. And of all the values the houses show, I think Hufflepuff is the most important. In fact, if we all tried to have a little more Hufflepuff in our lives, I honestly believe the world would be a better place.
    I suppose this has turned into a series now, so I may as well do the other houses at some point. I won't promise when, but probably sometime by the end of this year, I'll also discuss Slytherins and Gryffindors. In the meantime, what do you guys think? Which houses are you in, and do you agree with my assessment of Hufflepuff? Did I miss anything? Let me know in the comments!

The Types of Ravenclaws

    I'm sure I've mentioned how I'm obsessed with Harry Potter before. I've adored the series since fourth grade. And I love the house system, trying to figure out deeper meaning behind it, reading and coming up with my own headcanons, and figuring out exactly what the house does and doesn't account for.
    As a proud Ravenclaw (with more pride for my house than my high school), I think it's important to remember that there's more to Ravenclaw than good grades. We usually associate Ravenclaws with being smart. That's it. But when a narrow, traditional view of intelligence is used that it becomes all about academic performance, any person who is intelligent will think they are not. Albert Einstein once said, "Everybody is a genius. But when you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid." When discussing intelligence, we need to keep this in mind. Therefore, using Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences, I'd like to present a picture of Ravenclaw House. Remember, you probably use at least three of these well. Every Ravenclaw is different, and realizing that and embracing it is what gives our house its trademark quirkiness.
       Think about linguistically intelligent Ravenclaws, who keep painstaking journals and and write stories and poems and keep lists of their favorite words. Ravenclaws with ink-stained hands, who learn languages easily and adore identifying the latin roots in spells, and pride themselves on their huge vocabularies, but are so busy writing their own projects that their formal schoolwork never ends up getting done.
      Musical Ravenclaws who learn everything they can about their favorite composers and instruments, who write notes on the back of sheet music. Musical Ravenclaws who form bands, orchestras, and choirs, because dang it, there important things to learn besides magic and *long rant on the positive effects of music. . .* Ravenclaws who drive their roommates insane by playing music at night when they can't sleep, who devour new sheet music and spend hours composing their own. Ravenclaws who study by writing songs and rhythms for the information, if they ever get to studying.
     Intrapersonal Ravenclaws who can't focus in class because they're too busy exploring their own souls. Ravenclaws who work to find their flaws and fix them, who are more often than not lost in their heads, who see self-knowledge as teh most important knowledge. Ravenclaws obsessed with personality tests, who can tell you their Myers-Briggs type and Enneagram and Color Code and Archetype, but can't remember what that eighteen-inch essay was supposed to be about.
      Naturalistic Ravenclaws who always keep their windows open, much to the annoyance of their roommates with loose papers. THey're right up there with the best of the Hufflepuffs in herbology, and ace care of magical creatures. The ones who stare at the lake to observe the giant squid or linger at the edge of the forest, hoping to catch a glimpse of a bowtruckle or niffler. Ravenclaws who own dozens of books on plants and animals, who study best outside, and learn everything they can about Biology. Ravenclaws who argue ethics with their defense against the dark arts teachers, debating current regulations on magical creatures.
      Logical Ravenclaws who hate essays and busy work, but adore gathering statistics, who keep charts of the house points and figure out exactly the average amount of points each house gains per month. Ravenclaws who write and solve complicated equations because they were bored. Ravenclaws who love solving puzzles and riddles, who create their own, who ace the door question so long as it's logical (the more philosophical ones are harder), but never do their schoolwork because they don't see the point of it.
     Interpersonal Ravenclaws who hate classes, but thrive in between or after. Ravenclaws who don't read as often as their less socially conscious housemates, because there are people to be talked to and observed and learned from. Ravenclaws who are social butterflies, who talk to the intrapersonal ones about personality, who take the theories to heart and apply them everywhere. Ravenclaws who draw even the most introverted out of their shells, who know just how to put the new first years at ease. Ravenclaws who don't see the use of History of Magic, but adore learning about people and how they think and feel and act.
     Ravenclaws with Spatial intelligence, who fill their shelves with sketchbooks and own more paintbrushes than quills. Ravenclaws who doodle all through class, who draw detailed portraits of their experiences at Hogwarts to send home to their families, whose robes are stained in paint and fingers caked with clay, who can perfectly capture their roommate's faces or the common room or the great hall, but cannot for the life of them brew a potion.
     Ravenclaws who are kinesthetically intelligent, who are shocked to be Ravenclaws, since they can't even sit still through class, much less to study. Ravenclaws making up active games to remember facts, skipping class to practice quidditch or devise the next brilliant strategy for the upcoming match.
      Ravenclaws stressing out because they can't get perfect Os, sitting alone in the common room, convinced that the sorting hat made a mistake. Older Ravenclaws coming to them, sharing their experiences, and how intelligence isn't just in grades.
     The stereotypical nothing-but-studying Ravenclaws make up maybe 1% of the house. At the end of the day, Ravenclaws aren't just the smart ones. We're the ones with a passion for learning about our interests, who are creative and always seeking new ideas. Yes, we are smart. But we are so much more.