this post was submitted on 09 Jan 2026
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[–] zalgotext@sh.itjust.works 32 points 2 days ago (2 children)

Auror was his very first idea

Not to nitpick, but Auror was Rowling's first idea, as you suggest in your last sentence there. Rowling's narrow-minded world view wouldn't let the hero become a teacher, or a politician, or an activist, or anything else. Her view of the world says cops are the real heroes, so the hero of her story must become a cop.

That's cause Rowling was a status quo loving Tony Blair labourite. As per a 4chan post:

“It very neatly describes the way liberals see the world and political struggle.

Lots of people complain about the anticlimactic ending, but really I don’t think it could be any other way. I’d like to imagine that there’s some alternate universe where Rowling actually believed in something and Harry was actually built up as the anti-Voldemort he was only hinted as being in the beginning of the books. Where he’s opposed to all the many injustices of the Wizarding World and determines to change their frequently backwards, insular, contradictory society for the better, and forms his own faction antithetical to the Death Eaters and when he finally has his showdown with Voldy, Harry surpasses by adopting new methods, breaking the rules and embracing change and the progression of history. While Voldemort clings to an idyllic imaging of the past and the greatest extent of his dreams is to become the self-appointed god of an eternally stagnant Neverland, Harry has embraced the possibility of a shining future and so can overcome the self-imposed limits Voldemort could never cross, and Voldemort is ultimately defeated by this.

But that would require a Harry that believed in something, and since Rowling is a liberal centrist Blairite that doesn’t really believe in anything, Harry can’t believe in anything. Harry lives in a world drought with conflict and injustice, a stratified class society, slavery of sentient magical creatures, the absurd charade the Wizarding World puts up to enforce their own self-segregation, a corrupt and bureaucracy-choked government, rampant racism, so on and so forth. But Harry is little more than a passive observer for most of it, only the racism really bothers him (and then, really only racism against half-bloods). In fact, when Hermione stands up against the slavery of elves, she’s treated as some kind of ridiculous Soapbox Sadie. For opposing chattel slavery. In the end, the biggest force for change is Voldemort while Harry and friends only ever fight for the preservation and reproduction of the status quo. The very height of Harry’s dreams is to join the Aurors, a sort of wizard FBI and the ultimate defenders of the wizarding status quo. Voldemort and the Death Eaters are the big instigators of change and Harry never quite gets to Voldy’s level. Harry doesn’t even beat Voldemort, Voldemort accidentally kills himself because he violated some obscure technicality that causes one of his spells to bounce back at him.

And this is really the struggle of liberals, they live in a world fraught with conflict, but aren’t particularly bothered by any of it except those that threaten multicultural pluralism. They see change, and the force behind that change, as a wholly negative phenomenon. Even then, they can only act within the legal and ideological framework of their society. So, for instance, instead of organizing insurrectionary and disruptive activity against Trump and the far-right, all they can do is bang their drum about what a racist bigot he is and hope they can catch him violating some technicality that will allow them to have him impeached or at least destroy his political clout. It won’t work, it will never work, but that’s the limit of liberalism just as it was the limit of Harry Potter.”

Source: https://www.tumblr.com/ryttu3k/672686578850840576/description-a-text-post-originating-from-4chan

[–] HCSOThrowaway@lemmy.world 11 points 2 days ago (2 children)

I think we're putting the cart before the horse here.

Assuming Harry is virtuous and good and brave and excellent at fighting dark wizards and helping people, wouldn't that be the perfect person to become a cop?

[–] zalgotext@sh.itjust.works 7 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

Those things qualify you for a whole slew of jobs, and Harry has plenty of other interests besides fighting evil wizards. It seems like very shallow, hackneyed writing to have a 14-year-old latch on to becoming a cop in a community that he didn't even know existed until he was 11*, one which he literally isn't permitted to participate in until he finishes boarding school.

[–] HCSOThrowaway@lemmy.world 0 points 21 hours ago (1 children)

Fair enough, but that argument also works against you:

Why become a cop? He has other interests than being a cop.

is equal to

Why not become a cop? He's interested in being a cop.

Surely you know cops don't eat sleep and breathe law enforcement too, right? As in they have other hobbies and interests? That goes for every job; a tailor has hobbies other than tailoring, and a taxi driver has other interests than driving.

[–] zalgotext@sh.itjust.works 1 points 17 hours ago

What? Those aren't equivalent at all. My whole point is that it's bad writing and out of character for Harry to be interested in becoming a cop. Him becoming a cop is in no way equivalent to him pursuing literally anything else that would be more in-character.

Your second point has nothing to do with anything, and I don't know why you included it.

[–] ivanafterall@lemmy.world -5 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (2 children)

Only if you assume cops are there to help people. He'd do more good as a Batman/Dexter type.

[–] HCSOThrowaway@lemmy.world 5 points 2 days ago (2 children)

Again, cart before horse.

You're asserting that there are no helpful cops, therefore Harry being helpful means he should not be a cop.

In reality, Harry being helpful should be a cop, because he could be in a position to help people.

Dexter/Batman don't do a lot of helping, they just crack skulls of people they perceive as bad. Ironically for your point, much like most IRL cops.

[–] ivanafterall@lemmy.world 1 points 2 days ago (1 children)

You’re asserting that there are no helpful cops

I asserted that?

[–] HCSOThrowaway@lemmy.world 0 points 22 hours ago* (last edited 22 hours ago)

Fair enough, it was an implication that you might not have intended. Add to it that 99% of Lemmites believe "ACAB," and you can imagine why I made that conclusion.

[–] Dasus@lemmy.world -1 points 2 days ago (1 children)

First off, ACAB.

Secondly, in a lot of stories Batman defeats city-wide or even nation- or global-wide threats. Kinda like Harry. And whatever Batman happens to do, because it's somehow justified, it ends up being good. Because he's the hero. Like Harry.

But like the earlier dude said Harry hasn't even got an understanding of the wider world. He would be much better at being a professor, because it also includes studying instead of just enforcing the rules.

Even if you imagine a perfect cop, he wouldn't be acting like Harry. Harry constantly breaks some rules or laws. Not what cops should be doing. Yeah you need some of the virtues Harry has but Harry is also inpatient and a large risk-taker. Neither of which are particularly good characteristics in cops except in media. A perfect cop would be someone slightly autistic about the rules and literally doesn't do whatever they feel like, but defers to the rules.

Which Harry most certainly doesn't.

Imagine if the magical world was (for this analogy) the US. Some who grew up in another country and hasn't even lived in the US, just went to a mostly American school, wants to be an American cop? Even when they go through a necessary training (and we know the wizarding world isn't big on credentials or experience) to become a cop, he'd still have very little understanding of the actual law with just some weeks of training, and wouldn't have grown up hearing about the constitution of the US let alone all the amendments to it.

[–] HCSOThrowaway@lemmy.world 0 points 21 hours ago (1 children)

But like the earlier dude said Harry hasn’t even got an understanding of the wider world. He would be much better at being a professor, because it also includes studying instead of just enforcing the rules.

This section is refuted by: He's 18, so "Duh" and "Nah," respectively.

Even if you imagine a perfect cop, he wouldn’t be acting like Harry. Harry constantly breaks some rules or laws. Not what cops should be doing.

A fair point, but essentially the opposite of what looks like most people's assertion about Harry becoming a cop, i.e. "He's good so he should not be a cop," and/or, "If some/most/all cops are bad, no one should become a cop." I find both of those asinine takes, hence my refuting them above.

TL;DR: Harry would be morally upstanding and a loose cannon (assuming he doesn't mature past 18), therefore a "good" cop, but not a "great" cop, and assuming his world is anything like ours, should absolutely be a cop to offset the bad.

Imagine if the magical world was (for this analogy) the US. Some who grew up in another country and hasn’t even lived in the US, just went to a mostly American school, wants to be an American cop? Even when they go through a necessary training (and we know the wizarding world isn’t big on credentials or experience) to become a cop, he’d still have very little understanding of the actual law with just some weeks of training, and wouldn’t have grown up hearing about the constitution of the US let alone all the amendments to it.

Yes, immigrant cops have a disadvantage to face, but I disagree in your analogy and its application to Harry that it means they're disqualified from the position; that's a training issue that is far from impossible.

[–] Dasus@lemmy.world 2 points 18 hours ago* (last edited 18 hours ago) (1 children)

TL;DR: Harry would be morally upstanding and a loose cannon (assuming he doesn't mature past 18), therefore a "good" cop

"Loose cannons" are never good as cops. No matter how much you delude yourself they're completely moral and even if that were 100% true they wouldn't be good cops. Cops aren't justice. They're law enforcement.

Someone applying their own morality all the time instead of laws should never ever be a cop. That's why ACAB.

[–] HCSOThrowaway@lemmy.world 0 points 18 hours ago (1 children)

“Loose cannons” are never good as cops. No matter how much you delude yourself they’re completely moral and even if that were 100% true they wouldn’t be good cops. Cops aren’t justice. They’re law enforcement.

A reminder that we're talking about choosing between lesser evils here. Would you rather an immoral by-the-book Auror/cop in league with Voldemort/Hitler or a moral loose cannon like Harry?

Someone applying their own morality all the time instead of laws should never ever be a cop. That’s why ACAB.

How do you feel about ICE arresting people for immigration offenses?

How do you feel about the DEA prosecuting people for cannabis?

There's nuance here, and you're pretending there isn't.

[–] Dasus@lemmy.world 2 points 17 hours ago* (last edited 17 hours ago)

"No but you have to understand, All Cops might Be Bastards but they're could be way worse bastards!"

Wow what a magnificent argument.

How do you feel about ICE arresting people for immigration offenses?

How do you feel about the DEA prosecuting people for cannabis?

Do you not understand that things are clearly immoral should lead to law enforcement refusing to enforce the laws. It doesn't mean they get to decide which laws to enforce or not, willy nilly, but if someone says "go an arrest every minority out there" they can say 'that's unconstitutional and I won't do it, you can fire me and then I'll sue you' or whatever it is you do there.

What you CAN'T do is become law enforcement and then use that authority while being completely arbitrary about laws.

The only reason I'm not a cop is because drugs are illegal (and some other laws but mainly those.)

[–] tetris11@feddit.uk 3 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

You're putting the cart before the horse there.

If cops could be helpful to Harry, then why wouldn't he ride a time horse back in time to meet his grandaddy's prize-winning steed, a racehorse name you've likely not heard of. I hope you're happy with your assertions