In Defense of Harry Potter

We found the Sorcerer's stone,
We entered the Chamber of Secrets,
We freed the Prisoner of Azkban,
We entered our names in the Goblet of Fire,
We fought alongside the Order of the Phoneix,
.We discovered the Half-Blood Prince,
We mastered the Deathly Hallows,
With pride and love, we are the Harry Potter generation.
It will never die, but live on through us.
There is now, and will always be magic in the world because of Harry Potter.

 I recently had a friend tell me that it was sad to say that Harry Potter was the defining moment of our generation.  My first, knee-jerk reaction was that he was just a jealous muggle.  But after much thought, I came to a more logical and consicse argument.:

What else would you have define it? Jersey Shore, Teen Mom or any other ridiculous and embarrassing TV shows? The current economic crisis? Decreased marriage rates and rising suicide occurrence? Faceook/Myspace/Twitter? It is true that there are great technological and scientific advancements that could also "define" our generation, and I would whole-heartedly agree with such sentiments. But saying that Harry Potter defines a generation does not mean to the exclusion of those things.
In defense of Harry Potter, if it were a primary thing that could be said defines our generation, I would not think it sad in the slightest. First because it is first and foremost a book. In a world that is fast becoming indiscriminately (and not in a bad way) intertwined with technology, the fact that a book is primarily reaching its audience in the form of literal printed word is never a bad thing. In fact, it is a true testament to its literary heritage. This series has had a phenomenal influence on literacy rates and school work as well as increasing the interest of the general population (specifically children, teens and young adults) in the written world. About 450 million copies of Rowling’s novels are in circulation in almost every language under the sun. She has inspired our generation to pick up a book and read again! (In a slightly scientific side note, it has also been shown in several research studies that an increase in fluency and literacy, which come from an increase in reading, are directly related to increased “intelligence” as is classified by academic achievement and academic interest.)
Second, the simple but constant messages of this story have left a lasting impression on those who participated in the phenomena. Harry Potter is about hope, courage, friendship, self-sacrifice, family, loyalty, hard work, choosing good in the face of evil, and above all love, not just for our friends but also compassion for our enemies and those considered of less worth by society. In a world constantly bombarded by the media with deceit, hatred, intolerance, greed and cruelty, this is a surprising and most welcome change. There are all sorts of charities, organized, funded and run by our peers striving to apply this series towards changing the world. With mottos like “love is our weapon,” and acting to help the down-trodden of society (donations of thousands of books, raising money for Haiti and Darfur, etc.), Harry Potter has given a “raison d’etre” for our generation to stand and fight for what is good in the world.