survey
I like him,
I like him not...

  By Iqra Asad

Harry Potter is truly a global phenomenon. The books and the movies have worked their powerful spell over many imaginations. As many hearts as they have touched, they have irked an equal number of minds. People can generally be classified into separate categories with regard to their attitude towards Harry Potter. As the release date for the seventh and final book of the series draws even closer, all breeds of people associated with Harry Potter are elevated to a more energetic state. Let Us take a look at the different types of people that abound across the world, and what effect this momentous event has on them.

The Fanatic Fans:

These people are on one extreme of the spectrum. Forget die-hard fans, these are fanatic fans, who see what they want to happen in the books as their right, and challenge Rowling's decision to deny them their 'right'! After all, the lady is perfectly entitled to do whatever she wants with her story, but these fans believe they know better than the author herself about what should happen in the story! With big questions like 'Who is Hermione's ultimate soulmate?' they are especially unforgiving. There are two major groups in this respect, one who favour Harry-Hermione and call themselves Harmonians, and the other favours Ron-Hermione. Fanatic Harmonians lost no time in demonstrating their depth of feeling on the Internet when Hermione was paired with Ron in the sixth book:

'J. K. Rowling is a *bleep* with no talent for writing. I can't defend her anymore. All those Harry-Hermione moments were written by accident. All that symbolism we found were probably just us being delusional...'

 Attitude towards book 7 release: They are on tenterhooks, not because they want to see how the story finally ends, but because they want to see if what they want to see happen, happens or not!

The propagators:

 These fans make it their point to propagate the Potter fandom as far and wide as they can. One of the first questions they will ask upon meeting a new person is, 'Do you read Harry Potter?' If someone dares reply in the negative, they will launch an attack with all guns blazing: 'You don't read Harry Potter? You DON'T read Harry Potter? It's the best book since the history of books! How come you haven't read it?' So taken up by their passion for the story, they forget that it is possible for people not to have read the books.

 Attitude: Oh boy! So little time left! We must rope in as much last-minute-converts to Potter fandom as we possibly can!

The movie-watchers:

These people's interest in Harry Potter extends as far as the movies; for some reason or other, they have not, or will not, read the books. There are people, of course, who just aren't the book-reading type.

 Attitude: The seventh book's coming out? I'm more excited about the fifth movie's release!

The normal fans:

These are the people who have read, loved and enjoyed the books, engage in speculation about what will happen next with zest, but with not as much ferocity as the fanatics, and don't go beyond recommending the books to other people, rather than ambushing those who don't!

 Attitude: Excitement, what else?

The don't cares:

Here we touch upon the negative end of the spectrum. These people don't like fiction or fantasy as a whole, and therefore couldn't be bothered to watch the movies or read the books, just because they don't like the genre itself.

 Attitude: *yawn*

The opinion-makers:

Having watched a movie or two and disliking them, they came to the conclusion that the books were crap as well, and thus form a warped perception of the entire Harry Potter concept. A film portrays the same story but in a different way from a book, because it is a different medium. Their opinion about the books is, therefore, made without having read the books in entirety.

 Attitude: The last book's coming? So what? It'll probably be crap anyway, like all the rest of the books!

The highbrows:

These people consider themselves too grown-up for Harry Potter. That's fine. But why do they have to accompany the airing of their opinions about the matter with such nose-wrinkling, chin raising and mouth-pursing? To display their grown-up-ness, perhaps? There are other ways, teenagers can show off their mental maturity, other than being royally offensive towards a book!

Attitude: Hmph! Children! *Turns back to Bollywood film*

The debaters:

These people either tend to be fans of 'The Lord of the Rings' by J.R.R. Tolkien, or those of Harry Potter, and are pitted to prove that the other story is shallow and immaterial compared to the one they like. This is done simply enough, by drawing similar elements from the otherwise dissimilar fantasy stories and using them to provoke fans of the other story, leading to the ever-raging and pointless debate: 'Which is better?' (Note: description of this type of people is not intended to provoke this same pointless debate in the letters section of this magazine.)

 Attitude of HP debaters: Finally! The last book shall aid us in our mindless quest to undermine TLOTR!

 Attidue of TLOTR debaters: Pah! This puny final book shall only serve as a target for further meaningless debate!

The ignorant:

Though it is hard to imagine that there are people who are unaware of this global phenomenon, there are those who have no inkling that such a concept exists. These people are usually our grey-haired elders (or small babies), for even adults who couldn't care less about Harry Potter at least know of the story's existence!

 Attitude: What? (Or "ga ga", as the case may be.)

The clock is ticking...see you on the 21st--or maybe not!