Layman's Logic

Cool. I'm a Flappy bird in teh Blogosphere Ecosystem, placing briefly at 650 in the charts. Which is nice. Though I think it's breaking down - for a week, I suddenly dropped to about 1000 from somewhere around 600, and now have flown back up.

Damn. My plans rumbled:

Welcome to the blog-roll - the new group blog Crooked Timber. One assumes from the Kant quote: "Out of timber so crooked as that
from which man is made nothing entirely straight can be carved."

Should be intellectually lefty, with strong academic leanings.


PS : I feel a need for an awful lot of philosophy postings soon....

Hmmm. Only takes around 1800 hits from Instapundit yesterday, and suddely I'm the number one search result for "wizengamot". Great. Now go and read Natalie Solent's take on the earlier books

"Results 1-11 of about 11 containing "wizengamot"
1 Layman's Logic
Layman's Logic Front page Archive Layman's Logic : Analytical Philosophy West of the Pacos Double entry book-keeping: how to explain you spent tax-payers' money on obscene performance art after P.J.O'Rourke's "Parliament of Whores" Just in case it's
layman.blogspot.com"

WARNING - anyone who wants to read Harry Potter V without having had anything given away to them should probably skip this post. Which is a pity, as there's some great comparisons to be drawn between the events in the book, and Britain under New Labour. I wouldn't say the whole book is an allegory about the Third Way, but I think that fittxing it in probably added some of the excess weight (while being the bit I liked best....). But I'll try to keep it fairly light on the details, just to suggest things to help your thoughts along.

Posting prompted by Natalie Solent's encouragement, and Mindles H. Dreck's pre-emptive strike comparing Dumbledore to a character from Atlas Shrugged. So blame them, not me...


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1) The Role of Dumbledore - in the early stages of the book, Dumbledore is stripped of his position of the International Council of Wizards and Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot. By the end of the book, as you might suspect, he has regained his positions, and the problems have been resolved. Through his absence, this wise, elder voice is ignored, though he has correctly described the perils of the course of action taken by the Minister for Magic, and so on. An old, wise voice, acting in an advisory role but suddenly ignored by the politicians - surely Dumbledore is the House of Lords?

2) The Minister's "Placewoman", Umbridge, is obsessed with doing away with overly progressive approaches to teaching, discipline, and justice. I wouldn't suggest Blunkett would go in for eliminating unhelpful elements. But Umbridge kinda tracks his roles. And more generally, the "be harsh to get results" approach isn't exactly unfamiliar.
a) The extended detentions = curfews, leg-trackers, etc
b) The banning of activities/positive vetting = well, take your pick...
c) The peculiarities of her "special" pen = prison conditions/conditions in Young Offenders Institutes
d) Her informants network = figure it out
e) The taste for truth drugs, etc = amendments to due process
f) That in spite of all this, law and order rapidly deteriorates, with street gangs running amok....
Etc

3) The Ministry increasingly taking over the running of the school = the Ministry increasing taking over the running of schools, particularly
a) the "dumbing down" of Defence against the Dark Arts = the dumbing down of the education system
b) the inspection of teachers = the inspection of teachers
c) the vetting of teachers = the "paedo-scare" vetting of teachers
d) the incompetence of the vetting of teachers = the incompetence of the "paedo-scare" vetting of teachers
e) the increasing reliance on substitute teachers because they've been driven out of teaching = complete the dots...
Etc

4) The Minister for Magic as a smiling glad-handing buffoon who is not alert to the real risks until they jump out in front of him, is paranoid about enemies of the current order (fearing the return of wiser heads), and whose department makes a great show out of "diversity", ignoring the massive issues of race relations or, where paying attention, misapprehending the issues entirely = no relation at all to J.K.Rowling's impression of the government

5) The Death-Eaters and Voldemort, a secret force plotting to strike terror and sow destruction, building up their forces ignored by the government = guess who; the Real IRA; possibly the actual IRA; innumerable organisations that might be doing things, but we know nothing about it

6) Secret raids on people's houses in the dead of the night by trigger-happy thugs = in the minds of at least some people, far too many Western government law-enforcement techniques - given the increasing numbers of fire-arms incidents involving police, possibly here too.

7) Fawning toadies in the civil service and the press = fawning toadies in the civil service and press

8) The main media sources trying to ridicule the potential opposition/anyone warning of danger = the Beeb? - it doesn't quite work, but it's close enough....

9) The truth coming out through widely disseminated samizdata = the truth coming out through widely disseminated Samizdata*

10) THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE BECOMING SO ANGRY THAT THEY HAVE TO SHOUT ALL THE TIME REALLY RUINING THE THREAD OF THE BOOK, AND WITHOUT ANY REAL PYSCHOLOGICAL EXAMINATION OF WHY THEY ARE SO ANGRY ALL THE TIME, JUST THE SHOUTING = Republicans talking about Clinton, Conservatives talking about Europe, lots of people talking about New Labour.

So there you have it. A few stretches lower down, where it's likely Rowling doesn't think this at all. But the higher up readings aren't very much of a strech, especially as Natalie tells me Rowling was a teacher once for a while.


[Update - Natalie's take on the early books]


* Is my tongue in cheek? I'm not sure I know. But if they keep plying me with red wine and chilli....

It's hard to think of a polite way to phrase it. But the Hulk needs those purple shorts

"Hulk doll's monster willy [Better headline: "You wouldn't like me when I'm horny"]....

SHOCKED six-year-old Leah Lowland checked out a mystery bulge on her Incredible Hulk doll — and uncovered a giant green WILLY.

Curious Leah noticed a lump after winning the monster, catchphrase “You wouldn’t like me when I’m angry,” at a seaside fair.

And when she peeled off the green comic-book character’s ripped purple shorts, she found the two-inch manhood beneath them.

Horrified Leah immediately ran to mum Kim and reported the find. And last night Kim called for a ban on the saucy toy. She said: “A hulk with a bulk like this just shouldn’t be allowed.

“Considering the doll is only 12-inches tall it’s amazing how big his willy is.

“And it’s definitely not an extra piece of material left on by mistake.”

Kim, of Biggin Hill, Kent, said the toy was one of several prizes she could choose after Leah knocked down cans with bean bags at the fair on Brighton Pier.

Kim chose the doll because she thought Leah would like it amid publicity about the new Hulk movie, to be released in the UK on July 18.

But she said: “Later when she was playing with it, she discovered it had a lump under its shorts. Being curious she took them off, then ran up to me asking why her doll had a willy. I find it very odd as none of her other dolls have anything like this.
...

The toy’s Spanish makers Play by Play — based in Valencia — claimed on their packaging that it was merchandise to coincide with the release of the film."

Did you know that Harrison Ford and Calista Flockhart were dating? Still, I like this analysis:

"Lopez is a stellar example of a female celebrity who is exploiting a tumultuous personal life to seduce audiences. Until recently, J. Lo was tarting around with the sleazy P. Diddy. By hooking up with Captain America Ben Affleck, and endlessly milking their relationship for publicity by co-starring in movies, posing for magazines, and discussing wedding plans, J. Lo has sweetened herself. She is a darling again. (What does Ben get out of it? He gets to sleep with J. Lo.)"

The Eye of the Beholder has the complete Aussie anthem lyrics - personally, I prefer it....

"Australians all let us rejoice,
For we are young and free;
We've golden soil and wealth for toil,
Our home is girt by sea;
Our land abounds in Nature's gifts
Of beauty rich and rare;
In history's page, let every stage
Advance Australia fair!
In joyful strains then let us sing,
"Advance Australia fair!"

When gallant Cook from Albion sail'd,
To trace wide oceans o'er,
True British courage bore him on,
Till he landed on our shore.
Then here he raised Old England's flag,
The standard of the brave;
With all her faults we love her still,
"Britannia rules the waves!"
In joyful strains then let us sing
"Advance Australia fair!"

Beneath our radiant southern Cross,
We'll toil with hearts and hands;
To make this Commonwealth of ours
Renowned of all the lands;
For those who've come across the seas
We've boundless plains to share;
With courage let us all combine
To advance Australia fair.
In joyful strains then let us sing
"Advance Australia fair!"

While other nations of the globe
Behold us from afar,
We'll rise to high renown and shine
Like our glorious southern star;
From England, Scotia, Erin's Isle,
Who come our lot to share,
Let all combine with heart and hand
To advance Australia fair!
In joyful strains then let us sing
"Advance Australia fair!"

Shou'd foreign foe e'er sight our coast,
Or dare a foot to land,
We'll rouse to arms like sires of yore
To guard our native strand;
Britannia then shall surely know,
Beyond wide ocean's roll,
Her sons in fair Australia's land
Still keep a British soul.
In joyful strains then let us sing
"Advance Australia fair"