Fun_People Archive
22 Nov
Harry Potter and other fantasy books

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From: Peter Langston <psl>
Date: Mon, 22 Nov 99 18:18:21 -0800
To: Fun_People
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Subject: Harry Potter and other fantasy books

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From: Fressola@aol.com
From: The Nation, November 15 1999

Media Moments

"I am Unfit"    by Daniel Radosh

Ah, the New York Times Letters page.  A forum for the free exchange of any
and all ideas that do not unduly disturb the editors of the New York Times
Letters page.  A letter with my signature appeared in the October 25 Times,
but it was not exactly the letter I wrote.  The changes were not for length
or clarity.  Rather, the editors felt readers might "misunderstand" my
point, even after I assured them I meant to say precisely what they were
afraid people might think I was saying.  Here is my original letter,
followed by the one that was published.  See if you can spot the subtle
differences.

To the Editor:
    Parents who want to prevent children from reading Harry Potter should
take a similar look at another popular fantasy book.  Among the horrors it
describes are drunkenness, rape, incest, cannibalism and the wholesale
slaughter of infants.  And talk about sorcery--the entire affair is presided
over by an all-powerful magical being.  Of course, some people might object
to banning the Bible, but don't we owe it to the kids?


To the Editor:
    Parents who want to prevent children from reading "Harry Potter" should
take a similar look at another popular book.  Among the horrors it describes
are drunkenness, rape, incest, cannibalism and the slaughter of infants.
Of course, some people might object to banning the Bible.

                ----Daniel Radosh

© 1999 Peter Langston