Harry Potter and Iraq... all in one post!

So I just read this article citing just how many lies were told leading to the Iraq war. This makes me sigh. If anyone has not yet seen No End in Sight, I would highly recommend it. Its a documentary about the disaster that is the Iraq war. It is very well-made and has some interesting points. I've been thinking a lot about the manipulation of language since my propaganda class and now, in thinking how to teach 1984, and the amount of crap that passes as truth is shocking, I have to say. I just read an amazingly awesome article called "Harry Potter and the Standardized Test: Some Thoughts for Teachers on Rhetoric, Magic, and Composition" from americanpopculture.com. It compared magic use in Harry Potter to contemporary rhetoric use:

"In the Harry Potter books, magic is always a means through which students use language to create something out of nothing, to impose their will upon others, and to defend themselves against those who would impose their will upon them. I believe students must learn this type of magic now more than ever, although we do not have to call it that; instead we can use a slightly more acceptable term, “rhetoric.”"

How's that for a mindfudge? I love this, partly because it is pretty geeky. But really, I think it is friggin' important to arm students with some skills to combat manipulative rhetoric. And to encourage them to actually think, but that might be a post for another day...

Anyway, that's my tirade for today. In other news, I saw Cloverfield and I loved it a great deal. This is one to see in the theaters, as its greatest strength is the fact that it is a moviegoing experience, if you follow me. I was worried about the movie going into it, but it didn't disappoint. Also, it is National Pie Day today, so go on out there and celebrate!