A friend of mine posted this article from aftonbladet on facebook – “There is nothing wrong with being a Hermiony”. I smiled when I saw it… cause I both agree and disagree…
For those who do not know swedish – the article is written by a swedish female debater, Katrine Kielos. She describes an incident where an older debater points out (as something negative) that her problem is that she can not engage in a debate about a subject unless she’s read 5 books about it. Her first reaction was to be taken aback, and be embarrassed, but she soon turns into being angry. “There is nothing wrong with being a Hermione” she rages. Using the parallel between the heroes in the Harry Potter books, Hermione, Harry and Ron (especially Harry) to illustrate female vs male attitudes. The studying girl… and the boy that relies on luck, talent and contacts.
That is all well… But the black and white attitude annoys me: The “female” way is good, the “male” one is not.
No… There is nothing wrong with reading up before you form an opinion in order to discuss. But there is also nothing wrong with having the confidence and generall knowledge to discuss something a bit unprepared, relying on your gut feeling.
But at the same time I cannot help wonder… isn’t it a female drawback that we tend to rely more on others opinions – especially printed aforementioned ones – and aspiring for perfection, instead of forming our own good enough opinion and actually standing for it?
The problem lies not in being a Hermione… The problem begins when you believe you need to be perfect.
There is an infinite ocean of knowledge out there… knowing all is impossible. Only the big thinkers of the renaissance had a sporting chance to cover the biggest part of available knowledge.
Being a Hermione is good… but you need enough of Harry in you to say – That’s what I think based on what I know. Prove me wrong, add to my knowledge, and I’ll gladly revise my opinion.
That’s MY opinion… 😉
My days in Uppsala: 