Osama Bin Voldemort and George W. Fudge

[mcerise]

Someone from MuggleNet wrote an article comparing people in Harry Potter's world to the real world. I thought you guys at DU might be interested :)

http://www.mugglenet.com/editorials/thedeptofmysteries/tdom03.shtml

Some excerpts:

"Osama = Voldemort
Well, duh. Who else would he be? He is a seemingly all-powerful being who strikes fear in the hearts of millions. He is enigmatic, created by specific forces present in the world he grew up in, and empowered by later circumstances. Just as Voldemort was shaped by his mother's death and his father's abandonment, Osama was shaped by his personal struggle between Western pleasures and Islamic discipline. As Voldemort exploited opportunities in a Wizard culture that was not ready to fight him, so Osama achieved his greatest success in Afghanistan, where the Russians paid no attention to him. Just like Voldemort, Osama continues to run free because the man charged with catching him has tried to pretend he is not there. And just like Voldemort, Osama has seemingly come out of nowhere to shock the world again, as if to say, "Surprise! I'm baaaaack!" (or: "BOO!")

Bush = Fudge
In the English language, to "fudge" is to stretch the truth, or to completely ignore it. This is what George W. Bush does. In fact, people used to say some things about Richard Nixon which also could be applied to Bush, such as:

Q: How do you know when he is lying?
A: His lips are moving
And:

Q: Which of his words are untrue?
A: All of them, including "and" and "the"

Indeed, Bush is like the Wizard of Oz in a way, trying to misdirect us, telling us to "pay no attention to that man behind the curtain!" - although I am not so sure the man behind the curtain isn't Dick Cheney. But he definitely tries to distract us from our real problems. He is just like Cornelius Fudge, Minister Of Magic, who has done his best to focus people's contempt on that crazy old coot Dumbledore, the attention-seeking Harry Potter, etc. - anything but the real menace at large.

In the same way, Bush tries to convince us that Saddam Hussein was a threat to the United States, that the Iraqis love us, that everything in Iraq is all nice and sweet now (at least where US troops are in control) and that John Kerry is an evil "flip-flopper" who wants to destroy our country. I much prefer the Potterverse: at least those villains aren't real.

But Fudge will be sacked in the next book. Oh, if only we could do as good.

Dick Cheney = Umbridge
Well, they're both short and fat, hehehe. But really, Dick Cheney is America's Umbridge for several good reasons. First, he is supposedly Second-In-Command, but is really the power behind the throne, as I think Umbridge will prove to be. Second, he is a determinedly evil man who has manipulated his way into power behind other, more prominent figures. Third, he is a fanatic ideologue who is manipulating a somewhat clueless miscreant who is nowhere near him in terms of competence, but who has a much better public image. Fourth, he is totally ruthless and will use any means to get his way. Fifth, he seems to have no clue or concern about how he is perceived by others. I could go on, but I have to finish this sometime. :)

John Kerry = Dumbledore
I will not for a minute say that Kerry is a kind old savior who will make everything all sweet and nice. He is a politician just like any other, and I am sure if he wins the election, within a year the same people who voted for him will hate his guts (but I am voting for him anyway). No, John Kerry is like Dumbledore because he is the voice of truth flying in the face of all the lies. He has been saying for over a year that America's invasion of Iraq was a mistake ("crime" is how I would describe it) and that the real danger was Still Out There, namely Osama Bin Laden. And, as we've seen in the past 24 hours, he was right.

Also like Dumbledore, Kerry has been vilified, denounced and ridiculed -- everything except proven wrong. That the Bushies cannot do."

[ET Awful]

1. O'Neill could be Gilderoy Lockhart, both of them were exposed

as frauds and liars :)