A reader in Israel says I should refrain from discussing HP until the international readership of this blog has had a chance to read the book. I then came across a link on Marginal Revolution to an analysis of the economics of the world of HP (Megan McArdle, Guardian July 20). Hm.

Readers who think an article on the economics of magic spoils the fun should not read McArdle. Some unwary Guardian readers seem to have blundered into the article without knowing what they were getting into; the heading

led them astray. Their loss is your gain:

Commenter 713317

You poor woman. Your question is the answer to itself.

You are about things. You want things. You want pieces of paper with high denominations stamped on them. You want shiny vehicles. You want a castle.

You have a very small mind and, as a consequence, a very small world view.

If a person can do magic, why would they want physical things? If a person know the secrets of the universe, of what interest are mere physical objects?

The reason magical people are usually portrayed as poor is because they are mentally about 10 levels above the rat or squirrel like acquisitiveness that is characteristic of most human beings. A rat or a squirrel mindlessly acquire physical objects and bring them back to the nest. Nobody really knows why. They just do.

Maybe you can help us out. Why is your life devoted to acquiring meaningless physical objects to bring back to your nest? Why is that the dominating thought in your mind?


Comment No. 713709

I think this is a terrible article.

Why do people have to try and destroy everything. Could you imagine if some little kid just wanted to go to McDonald's once for an ice cream? Can you imagine what this writer would say? Save it for another occasion. It's just not appropriate to talk about a book like this in this way.

[and so on]

So. If you can imagine some little kid wanting to go to McDonald's for an ice cream, savaged by a nasty, calculating Economist economist who only wants pieces of paper, shiny vehicles and a castle, you will probably NOT read the article wanting to read everything McArdle ever wrote, wondering why you never heard of her and wishing she would turn her hand to fiction, and you will probably also not read Jane Dark's review pairing HP & the order of the phoenix with Joe Strummer: the future is unwritten (British Prep School Boys Against Evil) wishing more film reviewers knew their Fredric Jameson. Wir sind für Sie da. Ihr Paperpools Team.