Talking about Generations

By Eline Kullock

I ask myself why Harry Potter is so popular with generation Y.

Is it a deficit in idols that makes this “hero” more significant than Spiderman for this generation? What values of witchcraft and magic does this generation identify with?

Everyone will agree when I say that Harry Potter mania is officially upon us…

We often hear about the idea of a Peter Pan Youth who just doesn’t want to grow up. And yet, every individual has a Peter Pan within, independently of what generation they belong to.

Having to assume responsibility isn’t the most fun. Everybody wants to stay young. Everybody wants to fly. It’s not a generational question. It’s a question of being human.

But going back to Harry Potter, it seems that some of Harry Potter’s personal history, relates to the life history of Generation Y. He’s an idol, but he’s also an orphan. His parents were killed by a wizard. Who is the wizard that killed the parents of Generation Y? All young people feel like orphans to some extent. Their parents go out to work, and they currently live less in function of their families. They are more preoccupied with themselves. This preoccupation is legitimate, and allowed. Divorce is now an option, the pill has liberated women, and as women started entering the workplace, they made personal happiness a priority. For most people, home sweet home is a space they only see very late at night.

The children of baby boomers often came home to an empty house. It seems that Harry Potter put that feeling out in the open. The adoptive parents of Harry are not magicians. They are normal human beings. They are good people, but they are very distant from Harry’s reality. That’s exactly how young people feel. Parents aren’t aware of the magic possible through technology. Kids don’t learn with their parents anymore, they learn among themselves, with their friends. Their parents don’t know the “tricks” of life anymore.

Harry’s enemy is the murder of his parents, Voldemort, who wants to achieve immortality. Again, this concept of eternal life, which has been so sought after among human beings, appears here, showing us how dangerous and negative this ideal can be.

It’s also interesting to note that Harry goes to a boarding school. There’s no house, street, or city. These concepts are more and more viable today. Perhaps school is still the most secure (or the only “real” as opposed to virtual) environment to be with your friends.

The story unravels as Harry and his friends face various dangers. Together. Spiderman and cat-woman are no longer relevant. There’s a group of real people who attempt to find solutions to dangerous and problems together. That’s how generation Y wants to be perceived: as a team.

There’s also no discrimination between men and women in this story. Hermione Granger is brilliant, she’s a great friend, and she’s always ready for new challenges, just like her friends.

The other thing that caught my attention is that reality and fantasy blend exactly as they do for generation Y. Just as Gen Y spends time playing virtual games, the film also mixes the reality lived by Harry and his friends with games and challenges, similar to those generation Y finds in the virtual realm. This connection depicts the life of a young person today. Sometimes, it’s difficult to separate reality and fantasy.

It seems that the Harry Potter books and films are very symbolic of young people’s realities today. They identify with Harry. Perhaps there’s an indirect message for us here. We should think about the generation we are raising, and about how our new lifestyles affect them. Reflecting on our future seems important, so that we can attempt to grasp the best possible future. After all, Harry teaches us that both in magic and in real life, anything is possible!

Tags: Artikullock, Generation Y, harry potter, super heroes