I've recently been seeing more and more debates both for and against a specific book series. While some arguments are well-founded with wells of information to back it up, there are still other arguments that are less than lacking. This is even more true when I see these debates over internet forums and various blog commentaries. There are merits to both sides of the debate, though people generally only heavily consider an argument if it's well presented, well thought-out, and well worded. If you were to look at discussions around this series, you would most likely find the arguments against it are analytical, supported by evidence in the books themselves as well as outside research references, and are usually worded in a way to display the effects of said literature on the world as a whole. Which is to say: I've yet to see an argument in favor of this book series that could persuade me to believe it is worth any positive attention.
This isn't going to be a a commentary on the series itself and how I personally feel about it, no. I'm writing this to discuss one of the most commonly used arguments in favor of this series that I see thrown around in most, if not all, discussions.
"It's just a book!"
"It's just a story!"
"It's just fantasy, you're not supposed to take it seriously."
A million variations of this argument are given in any response to a negative critique of this series, usually with no other follow up or discussion. I find this argument is not only lazy and unfounded, but also incredibly ignorant. It neglects a fundamental truth to be found when it comes to literature, and by extension, movies, television, and video games. While, yes, it is perfectly okay to take a story simply at its surface material, it would be disrespectful to the work to ignore that the writers wrote the story with deeper meanings behind it.
Here is the simple fact: Writers are writing a story to tell readers something.
No matter what it is, there is always a meaning behind a story, something they want to show the world, a commentary on society, a lesson to teach a reader, anything. Very rarely have I watched a movie or played a game or read a book without seeing an author's purpose in it. I feel this isn't something that should be ignored, even if the message isn't obvious or as straightforward in some stories as it is in others.
What I find a lot of readers making this argument forget is that stories of any medium have always been used as an educational tool starting from early child development. Think about it: when you were young and just learning to read, how many "See Jane Run" types of books did you go through? While they're rudimentary at best, the basic idea of teaching a young child to read through a page-by-page story about Jane still stands. As you get older and need to learn more things, the stories attached to them aren't as simple. Even when you get to high school, think of all the math equations presented to you as a story. "Martha gained X amount of [...]". Or even after high school and you're going through a learning orientation for your job, the regulations are given to you in a subtle story format.
The point is that education uses stories as a way to help people learn what they need to learn.
However, once you delve into the realm of fiction, it becomes a little more difficult. Rather than teaching educational lessons, fictional literature usually focuses more on teaching lessons learned in life. Sometimes it focuses on a religious message, or a social commentary, or how to accept oneself for who they are. The messages are usually more subtle than educational tools, but they're still there. Younger children might have stories about society standards, that things like stealing is wrong and you should always strive to do the right thing. Young adult fiction tends to focus more on romance because it's such a large part of their lives at that time. Other genres might focus on war and its effects or political storylines or finding one's place in the world. But the fact remains that a writer of a story or a movie or a game storyline is telling their story to send the readers or viewers or players a message. What that message is is up to the authors, but it's still there.
Now, whether the reader chooses to acknowledge and reflect on this message varies and depends entirely on the reader. Older readers may find it easy to see a message in a story and discard it and take it as just that: a story with no deeper meaning. However, younger readers aren't capable of fully making that sort of detachment. Not to say they can't see it for what it is -- but being able to dismiss the message entirely in favor of merely enjoying a story is what younger readers may find difficult. Not to say younger readership doesn't understand the messages; they most certainly do. But the capacity to detach the message from the story may not be as well developed.
When a child is young and just venturing into the world of fictional stories, parents tend to pick and choose what stories they want their child to read based on content and subliminal messages. When the child is old enough to decide on books themselves, parents might give their opinions or objections to the child's choices based on what they might understand that the child doesn't. This same mindset happens with movies, television shows, and video games as well. Something that seems to be forgotten these days is that these subtle messages they pick up from an early age are ideas and beliefs they hold on to as they grow older. It's a very common, simple learning technique employed by parents and teachers alike. Some parents consciously invoke this method while others do it without even realizing it. This action is what leads on so many debates you see over how violence in video games or movies makes a child more violent, or how sexist music videos teach young Americans that it's okay to be sexist and continue perpetuating that kind of culture. While those debates continue on in households, courtrooms, and offices, it doesn't change the fact that outside influences can, in fact, help form a child's thought process and belief structure. Ask any kid who's seen a Disney movie what kind of romance they want and they can tell you what specific Disney romances they want their real life to reflect.
A lot of influence on younger children is regulated in part by parents' participation in the child's life. Some parents research the material before allowing their child to delve into it, some parents let the child do as they please. I've seen a parent buy their eight year old son a copy of Call of Duty while knowing nothing about it and asking the store clerk if it was violent or had any foul language. I've seen parents buy their children a movie ticket to an R rated film not thinking anything of what the rating system is actually there for. And then there are parents that will outlaw some books for ridiculous reasons or disapprove of a television show for a message they don't agree with.
So why, then, are the stories with truly damaging messages not only allowed, but encouraged in homes? Why are we, as a nation, empowering these disrespectful ideals in ways that help it flourish in books and movie sales? Why are supporters of this particular series so quick to defend it without acknowledging how truly harmful these stories are and instead romanticize the more horrific elements into something that should be glorified?
Part of this is because older fans are able to detach the subliminal messages from the story and enjoy it as just a story. This is all well and good, however, they forget the crucial point in acknowledging the problematic elements and thus ignore that they exist. When they encourage younger readers to enjoy this series, their example is followed and children and teenagers who aren't able to take note of the damaging messages fail to realize they're there and take it as, "just a story," while they unknowingly accept the messages the author is sending them as "normal". By the older readers' failure to raise awareness to these problems, younger readers are failing to see the problem at all. This means when someone points these flaws out to them, a supporter who might not have noticed these flaws is quick to go on the defense. When this happens, they are not willing to take a step back and examine what they're defending, even with strong evidence set out in front of them.
This kneejerk reaction applies to fans of any series or book or movie. When was the last time your favorite TV show was blasted by critics? How quick were you to say, "They don't know what they're talking about"? A lot, I imagine. How many times did you read a critic's review on a film and reflect on the points they brought up? Not very often, I can guess.
What I am asking is fans of any television series, movie, book series, or anything in the entertainment venue to stop and reflect on what you love. Do some research and see what kind of messages are being received by other audiences. What do those against your interests have to say about it? Do some research and see if those messages have any merit. Basically, what I am asking you, as a lover of entertainment, to do is reflect on and acknowledge problematic elements in what you love rather than ignoring them. While it's perfectly okay to enjoy problematic fiction, it's not okay to refuse acknowledgement of these elements. When you ignore damaging material, you not only allow an already flawed society to continue in its ways, but you're also instilling these beliefs into a younger generation that will grow up thinking these flaws are okay when they are not.
