Harry Potter and the Geneva Conventions
I've always had a bit of a problem with the Harry Potter series but this post by dr_strych9 helped me figure out one reason why. Azkaban.
According to Half-Blood Prince, Azkaban is located "somewhere north of the North Sea," which may place it somewhere around the Shetland Islands. Azkaban is probably not found on Muggle maps, as wizard land is often made hidden or Unplottable (therefore keeping it secret from Muggles and even sometimes from other wizards) and as a wizard prison, Azkaban would probably be especially secretive.
Azkaban has a horrible and justified reputation. Its remote location is more of a precaution than a safety measure- the mass presence of dementors renders the inmates incapable of happiness and forces them to relive their worst memories, as they become gradually helpless and very often severely insane. According to Sirius Black, many inmates simply stop eating and eventually die of starvation.
A secret remote prison where prisoners are falsely imprisoned without trial and kept intentionally in conditions so inhumane that they starve or kill themselves? Sounds a lot like Guantanamo, with Dumbledore as Rumsfeld. Prisoners gets hauled away to Azkaban screaming in fear about their impending torture while the supposedly "good guys" high-five each other, and chalk up another victory in the Global War Against Voldemortism.
Update: I'm not saying that Rowling is an English neoconservative intentionally writing neoconservative propaganda disguised as literature for children. I *am* pointing out uncomfortable parallels, which I am certain are unintentional. I have no specific knowlege of Rowling's personal politics and see no way to infer them based on her writing.
According to Half-Blood Prince, Azkaban is located "somewhere north of the North Sea," which may place it somewhere around the Shetland Islands. Azkaban is probably not found on Muggle maps, as wizard land is often made hidden or Unplottable (therefore keeping it secret from Muggles and even sometimes from other wizards) and as a wizard prison, Azkaban would probably be especially secretive.
Azkaban has a horrible and justified reputation. Its remote location is more of a precaution than a safety measure- the mass presence of dementors renders the inmates incapable of happiness and forces them to relive their worst memories, as they become gradually helpless and very often severely insane. According to Sirius Black, many inmates simply stop eating and eventually die of starvation.
A secret remote prison where prisoners are falsely imprisoned without trial and kept intentionally in conditions so inhumane that they starve or kill themselves? Sounds a lot like Guantanamo, with Dumbledore as Rumsfeld. Prisoners gets hauled away to Azkaban screaming in fear about their impending torture while the supposedly "good guys" high-five each other, and chalk up another victory in the Global War Against Voldemortism.
Update: I'm not saying that Rowling is an English neoconservative intentionally writing neoconservative propaganda disguised as literature for children. I *am* pointing out uncomfortable parallels, which I am certain are unintentional. I have no specific knowlege of Rowling's personal politics and see no way to infer them based on her writing.