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Ignore Potter, and Be Doomed to Irrelevance?

Writer ponders the cultural cost of defying blockbusters

By Jonas Oransky, Newser Staff

Posted Nov 3, 2007 11:09 AM CDT

(Newser) – Lord Voldemort is the Darth Vader of the 21st century—if you don’t know what that means, you could be at a massive cultural disadvantage in a decade or two. Esquire's Chuck Klosterman claims he hasn’t read a page of the Harry Potter series—hearing Harry didn’t die at series’ end, he “wasn’t even aware he was sick”—and he doesn't want to. But he worries out loud that he'll be punished for opting out when readers grow up.

Since creative types tend to “traffic in their own nostalgia,” Klosterman pictures his future self not knowing when to laugh, oblivious to the “lingua franca of the 2025 hipster.” So is he obligated to bone up on Quidditch? For now, Klosterman is inclined to hold to his outlier position, figuring eventually he’ll age out of culture anyway—so there’s no use fighting it.

Actor Daniel Radcliffe poses in Beverly Hills, Calif., Thursday, Sept. 6, 2007. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes) (Associated Press)

Harry Potter might be a billion dollar international phenomenon, but some pockets of cultural unawareness remain untapped. (© Warner Bros. Pictures)

Author J.K. Rowling signs copies of "'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" for 1,600 public school children Monday, Oct. 15, 2007, at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles. Rowling is on tour to promote the... (Associated Press)

Columnist Chuck Klosterman wants you to know that he doesn't know anything about Harry Potter. (Public Domain)

Large gaps in pop-culture knowledge can be dangerous to your social life, as references become more and more entwined with mainstream culture. (AP Photo/Peter Kramer) (Associated Press)

Harry Potter fans begin to read the latest German edition of J.K. Rowling's seventh fantasy book "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" after a book presentation on Saturday, Oct. 27, 2007, in Berlin,... (Associated Press)

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Ignore Potter, and Be Doomed to Irrelevance?

Writer ponders the cultural cost of defying blockbusters

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JK Rowling: I Almost Killed Ron

She wanted to kill one of the trio 'out of pure spite'

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More than a popular book, Potter transformed literature, says critic

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And no, it's not a new book

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Ignore Potter, and Be Doomed to Irrelevance?

Writer ponders the cultural cost of defying blockbusters

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OTHER STORIES ON OUR RADAR

Harry Potter • JK Rowling • culture • Star Wars • Voldemort

MOST POPULAR STORIES

[ By Views ]

[ By Comments ]

More Newser Stories

JK Rowling: I Almost Killed Ron

She wanted to kill one of the trio 'out of pure spite'

Cyberscams Surface Over New Potter Site

Security firm warns of bogus membership accounts being sold

Harry Potter's Real Magic Was on Way We Read

More than a popular book, Potter transformed literature, says critic

JK Rowling Banishes Agent in Potter Feud

Agent who discovered author weighs legal action

Rowling Explains 'Pottermore'

And no, it's not a new book

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Newser By Users

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