Don't burn your Harry Potter t-shirts

When the first Harry Potter movie and book came out, I marvelled at how well written it was. But I also marvelled that it caused some controversy.
"How could a fairy tale inspire such religious angst?" I thought.
Haven't any of these people read Snow White or Cinderella? All these bedtime fairy tales were riddled with violence, really mean stepmothers, witches, spells and eventual redemption.In fact, with Snow White there even was her jealous stepmother with poison and a huge knife that would rival any Crips or Bloods street gang.
I was once in the Big Dog outlet store in Bossier City and was contemplating buying a Big Dog shirt with a Harry Potter theme for my son."You're not going to buy that, are you?" asked the woman in line ahead of me. "That's just evil."
"Oh no," I lied. "I'm just holding it before I burn it."
Now, it seems the controversy has worn thin and many people are just enjoying the story of Harry Potter, a lost orphan who discovers he can have power and learns to use it wisely.
There even will be a party to celebrate the next installment in the Harry Potter book series at Borders Books at 9:30 p.m. this Friday at the Louisiana Boardwalk.
At the party, there will be costume contests, a Harry Potter spelling bee, and for parents - huge discounts on the book.The party is free and open to the public.
For those who make it to midnight, there will be a chance to buy the book at 40 percent off the cover price.Best of all, no one is too young or old to participate in the fun.After all, fairy tales are for everyone.
If you don't agree, please take the time to tell me about it on the Bossier Voices blog at www.shreveporttimes.com.