In times of stress, I turn to two sources of entertainment for comfort: The Real Housewives or Harry Potter. Given the hellscape that is the year of 2020, it’s safe to say that I have been doing A LOT of binging of both (I may or may not have watched all 12 seasons of The Real Housewives of New York City 5x throughout quarantine, but who’s counting). Last night, after making the mistake of watching 20 minutes of the news, I turned on Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix to try and forget the fact that the world is currently on fire.
Admittedly, out of all the Harry Potter films to choose from, this one was probably not the best option because the 5th film in the series marks its transition from relatively lighthearted kids films into more mature adult films that explore much darker themes. Watching the movie, I was struck by how eerily similar our current society mirrored the wizarding world depicted at this stage in Harry’s journey.
The driving narrative of Order of the Phoenix is the character’s struggling to navigate a post-truth world overwhelmed with partisan hostility and entrenched in political divisiveness – sounds familiar, right? Here’s why the 5th Harry Potter film is more relevant today than ever.
Its Portrayal of News Media
As MuggleNet notes, although tabloid journalism features prominently throughout Goblet of Fire, Order of the Phoenix furthers the series’ exploration of the wizarding world’s news media. Freedom of the press is the cornerstone of a democratic society, and Order of the Phoenix addresses the dangers of political misinformation and censorship. In Order of the Phoenix, Fudge abuses his power as Minister of Magic by interfering with the Daily Prophet to disseminate false information in order to discredit Harry and Dumbledore’s claims that Voldemort had returned. Order of the Phoenix implores readers to critically evaluate the news that they consume, as well as not to live in filter bubbles that reinforce their own biases.
Its Warning of Government Inference in the Education System
With the appointment of Dolores Umbridge to Hogwarts, first as the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher and then as the Hogwarts High Inquisitor (which gives her power to hire, fire, and control every aspect of life at Hogwarts), Harry is faced with complex questions about the purpose of education and how the education system can be manipulated to promote a government agenda–in this case, that of the Ministry of Magic, which seeks to discredit Harry and Dumbledore’s eyewitness testimony that Voldemort is back. Umbridge’s installment at Hogwarts is a very clear way for Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic, to weaponize the education system and control exactly what students know and believe about the world. In other words, Fudge understands that the best way to keep up the façade that Voldemort isn’t back is to put people in charge who will force this message onto others (LitCharts).
Its Portrayal of the Importance of Unity
At the start of the school year, the Sorting Hat warns students that they need to stand together. Unfortunately, the House system at Hogwarts automatically divides students into four houses, mirroring the ideological split of the school’s four founders. Coupled with a highly competitive Quidditch Cup tournament and separate dormitories, students at Hogwarts are inherently segregated. All of Harry’s close friends—Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and Neville—are members of Harry’s House, Gryffindor. Houses are not the only form of segregation at Hogwarts. Like Slytherin founder Salazar Slytherin, some Hogwarts students believe that only pure blood Wizards should be allowed to study at Hogwarts—Mudbloods and half bloods are often ostracized or mocked. Even outside of the Wizarding community, terrible segregation exists. The giants Hagrid visits in the mountains are not welcoming to others, and the Centaurs constantly chase outsiders out of the Forbidden Forest.
Lord Voldemort preys on this internal splintering, as does the Ministry of Magic. Ultimately, Ministry employee Dolores Umbridge is able to use this petty competition to form an Inquisitorial Squad of students, which consistently thwarts Harry’s attempts to stop Voldemort, making his work far more difficult. Now more than ever, Hogwarts must stand together—not only to defeat Voldemort but to protect themselves against corrupt faculty members that threaten their education (SparkNotes).
