Besides Thanksgiving Break, talk of anticipation and excitement over the premier of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows plagued the nation. Needless to say, hundreds viewers of every age and level of obsession flocked to the box offices for weeks in advance to purchase tickets to the midnight showing.
It was expected. Fans in the hundreds attended the midnight premier, myself included, dressed as various characters from the books. KBIA, The Missourian and KOMU were seen reporting on the crowds, showing the best outfits. I thought I was being somewhat original with my costume choice, playing up my ethnicity by dressing as Cho, the only Asian character in the series. I figured hardly anyone else in Columbia would choose Cho as their character of choice because you clearly need a certain look to pull it off, an ethnic look with only a small percentage of students and residents.
This got me thinking; Why would I put so much emphasis and pride in one character, not because of her character personality traits and strengths, but because of her ethnicity. Sure, her positivity, charm and sensitivity are relatable to me - maybe because they can be viewed as stereotypical characteristics of Asian-American or Asian girls. It's more clear, however, that such traits speak to me because we are similar in the ethnic level.
The Harry Potter saga, as cheesy as it sounds, is relatable to nearly everyone and gives us a sense of commonality. We all, individually, have something we are fighting for: a relationship, a job, a football team, identity, equality, clarity, what have you. J.K Rowling has made it clear that Harry is fighting for justice and love, among other things - both of which everyone can find a commonality in.
