# 10 year old gets it right **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [December 2, 2002, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-year-old-gets-it-right/139948 "2002-12-02T13:19:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![RAWDuke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/71e660/32.png) [@RAWDuke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RAWDuke)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2002, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-year-old-gets-it-right/139948/1 "2002-12-02T13:19:47Z")
I sure most of you have seen various letters and articles about Harry Potter, and how he’s turning our children into evil witches and warlocks. Here’s a letter to the editor in this mornings paper. I found it most amusing. [Ten year old who can read and write](http://www.duluthsuperior.com/mld/duluthtribune/news/opinion/4647029.htm) ---
**Author:** ![butter\_pie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/aca169/32.png) [@butter\_pie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/butter_pie)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2002, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-year-old-gets-it-right/139948/2 "2002-12-02T13:34:52Z")
Quick, someone nominate that kid for public office. ---
**Author:** ![norinew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb9ed0/32.png) [@norinew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norinew)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2002, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-year-old-gets-it-right/139948/3 "2002-12-02T13:44:52Z")
> [@](#): > > I have read all the books at least 15 times, but I still can’t turn my brother into a toad. Well, doesn’t this prove what the fundies have been saying all along? It’s apparent from this quote that this kid ACTUALLY TRIED to turn his brother into a toad!! The evil will take over all children everywhere until the only beings left in the world are wizards and toads! In fact, he probably was only taught to read and write so could read Harry Potter and learn witchcraft! OK, I’ll stop now. Seriously, I’ve always thought that Harry Potter doesn’t promote witchcraft any more than Charlotte’s Web promotes magical spiders. ---
**Author:** ![Nutty\_Bunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/d07c76/32.png) [@Nutty\_Bunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nutty_Bunny)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2002, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-year-old-gets-it-right/139948/4 "2002-12-02T14:23:15Z")
If I had some balls, I would send this to my sister-in-law. She has forbidden her 8 year old daughter to read the books and see the movies, while her 12 year old cousin is allowed to and often talks about HP while in her presence. It probably makes her feel left out of the biggest thing (your kids can waste their money on 😉 ) since Pokemon and it’s only because her mother decided that, _this year_, she was going to be sup-iddy-duper religious. Then next year, when she inevitably changes back into a heathen, she’ll let her get into Harry Potter, but by then it might be “uncool” to like it. Her mother bought into all the fundie propoganda. This is the same person who sends me all of the (already debunked by Snopes) urban legends and really believes that someone is going to give her a perfume sample to sniff in a Walmart parking lot and she’ll pass out because it’s actually ether. :rolleyes: This child will be so fucked up from her mother’s constantly changing values, but that’s a story for another day. ---
**Author:** ![misstee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/958977/32.png) [@misstee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/misstee)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2002, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-year-old-gets-it-right/139948/5 "2002-12-02T15:08:11Z")
Having read all of the Harry Potter books, I have to agree with the statements that this boy has made. ---
**Author:** ![Ranger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@Ranger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2002, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-year-old-gets-it-right/139948/6 "2002-12-02T15:10:51Z")
Ah, sheeyit! _tearing up my list of "People who would make good toads._ ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2002, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-year-old-gets-it-right/139948/7 "2002-12-02T15:11:22Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by jinwicked \* > \*\*Quick, someone nominate that kid for public office. \*\* Just what we need, a politician who has sense. ---
**Author:** ![CRorex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dfb087/32.png) [@CRorex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CRorex)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2002, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-year-old-gets-it-right/139948/8 "2002-12-02T15:14:12Z")
Yes yes, focus on that evil Harry Potter… Take all the attention away from those of us who can REALLY turn you into a frog (genetically speaking anyway). MUWHAHAHAH fear the geneticists and the virologists, all your DNA are belong to us! (Ps: I hate being at work) ---
**Author:** ![Michael\_Ellis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/977dab/32.png) [@Michael\_Ellis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Michael_Ellis)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2002, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-year-old-gets-it-right/139948/9 "2002-12-02T16:27:08Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by CRorex \* > **your DNA are belong to us!** You can have it as far as I’m concerned. OR: Launch nucleotides for maximum justice! ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2002, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-year-old-gets-it-right/139948/10 "2002-12-02T16:30:28Z")
“Out of the mouths of children and infants, you have perfected praise.” — Jesus ---
**Author:** ![80sHairMetalMaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/8/ed655f/32.png) [@80sHairMetalMaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/80sHairMetalMaven)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2002, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-year-old-gets-it-right/139948/11 "2002-12-02T21:36:45Z")
ROTFLMAO\* I’m gonna print this out and send it to me dear old mutha who thinks Harry Potter is evil incarnate.She and some of her wierdass fundie friends staged a small protest at one of the local theatres when the movie came out last year and she would have this year too if she hadn’t gotten the flu. IDBB ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2002, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-year-old-gets-it-right/139948/12 "2002-12-02T21:51:53Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by misstee \* > \*\*Having read all of the Harry Potter books, I have to agree with the statements that this boy has made. \*\* What, you can’t turn your brother into a toad either? What incantation did you use? ---
**Author:** ![Maeglin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8baadc/32.png) [@Maeglin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maeglin)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2002, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-year-old-gets-it-right/139948/13 "2002-12-02T22:01:35Z")
My incantation worked. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2002, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-year-old-gets-it-right/139948/14 "2002-12-02T22:16:41Z")
I got better. ---
**Author:** ![Catamount](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/catamount/32/2840_2.png) [@Catamount](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Catamount)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2002, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-year-old-gets-it-right/139948/15 "2002-12-02T22:29:01Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Telemark \* > \*\*I got better. \*\* That’s because she turned you into a newt. If you had been turned into a toad, you wouldn’t have gotten better. Ever. ---
**Author:** ![Eats\_Crayons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/278dde/32.png) [@Eats\_Crayons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eats_Crayons)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2002, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-year-old-gets-it-right/139948/16 "2002-12-02T22:58:39Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by misstee \* > \*\*Having read all of the Harry Potter books, I have to agree with the statements that this boy has made. \*\* That’s because you’re reading them wrong. Read them backwards and you’ll find hidden messages. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Lao](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/2bfe46/32.png) [@Dr.Lao](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Lao)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2002, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-year-old-gets-it-right/139948/17 "2002-12-02T23:48:08Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by norinew \* > **It’s apparent from this quote that this kid ACTUALLY TRIED to turn his brother into a toad!!** Perhaps he was joking. Admittedly, that would be some pretty subtle wit for ten-year-old. But, if I hadn’t known that and given the second paragraph, I would have read that as a joke. > [@](#): > > \*\*Seriously, I’ve always thought that Harry Potter doesn’t promote witchcraft any more than Charlotte’s Web promotes magical spiders. \*\* Or talking pigs. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Tsubaki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d07c76/32.png) [@Tsubaki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tsubaki)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2002, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-year-old-gets-it-right/139948/18 "2002-12-03T00:07:28Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Eats\_Crayons \* > \*\*That’s because you’re reading them wrong. Read them backwards and you’ll find hidden messages. \*\* BWAHAHAHA! ---
**Author:** ![ENugent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/4af34b/32.png) [@ENugent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ENugent)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2002, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-year-old-gets-it-right/139948/19 "2002-12-03T00:20:00Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by CRorex \* > **MUWHAHAHAH fear the geneticists and the virologists, all your DNA are belong to us!** All your base pairs are belong to us. ---
**Author:** ![Muad\_Dib](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/35a633/32.png) [@Muad\_Dib](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muad_Dib)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2002, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-year-old-gets-it-right/139948/20 "2002-12-03T00:48:53Z")
Actually I have not seen a whole lot of letters and articles about Harry Potter, and how he’s turning our children into evil witches and warlocks. In fact I have seen none. All I have seen is many, many letters and articles about other people who ar criticizing those books. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-year-old-gets-it-right/139948.md?page=2)