By Deirdre Spilman
Assistant Opinion Editor
To many people, television shows like “Glee,” “Doctor Who” and “Star Trek” have nothing to do with film series like “The Hunger Games” and “Harry Potter.”
However, there is one thing all of these unique franchises have in common: their devoted fan bases.
We have all witnessed people like these passionate fans. The people who dress in costume to go to movie premieres, people who ride around on brooms pretending to play quidditch and those who did not dare speak the name “Voldemort” until the final “Harry Potter” film came out last summer.
We usually just write these fans off as passionate, quirky people who like to cause a spectacle, but they have found a way to focus this “fandemonium” so those in need can benefit from it.
Andrew Slack, a self proclaimed “Harry Potter” superfan, is the driving force behind the Harry Potter Alliance, a forum for fans everywhere who are fascinated by J.K. Rowling’s fictional creation, according to his website, thehpalliance.org.
That alliance spurred the clever Imagine Better project, designed to bring fans from all different types of franchises together to make a change.
And what a difference it has made. The Harry Potter Alliance responded to the 2010 earthquake in Haiti quicker than the Order of the Phoenix could arrive at the Ministry of Magic in the fifth “Harry Potter” novel, donating five cargo planes equipped with more than $123,000 worth of necessary supplies.
Other groups have focused on other causes. With today’s release of “The Hunger Games,” fans have been delving into the pages, applying the characters’ problems to real life. In the first novel from the series, readers learn of a place so heavily controlled by a dictating government to the point many citizens suffer from starvation on a daily basis.
Unfortunately, this scenario sounds like something that is prevalent in many African nations today. With a little inspiration from the book’s heroine, Katniss Everdeen, people are doing what they can to bring about change. People have signed up on the website to set up food drives at their schools and at movie theaters on the night of the film’s premiere.
I applaud Andrew Slack for inspiring change in the followers of the multi-billion-dollar franchises. When crucial issues are recognized by so many people, it is hard for them to be ignored.
If you want to channel your inner Harry Potter or Katniss Everdeen, go to thehpalliance.org and pledge to help your favorite fan base.
spilmadm10@bonaventure.edu
