Avada Kedavra

In light of my depression that the Harry Potter series has been officially over since 2011, my boyfriend bought me The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling to feed my withdrawal. I'm currently 150 pages into the book, and I'm noticing this typical social norm that usually takes place in our society. A casual vacancy, described by Rowling, is when a councilman dies within his/her term. A casual vacancy happens in the book and the question of who is going to take the late councilman's place is the hot topic in the fictional city of Pagford. It's a big deal to Pagford because the council's plan of action on what to do about "The Fields" is currently split. The Fields is an area between Pagford and its neighboring city Yarvil. The Fields used to be a nice grassy area a part of Pagford until the owner of the land sold it to Yarvil, who in turn created the Fields. The Fields is an area of cheap housing that attracts low-income families. Over the span of 60 years, the Fields turned into a spot to buy stolen goods and drugs. The houses are filthy; They have graffiti all over them and trash on the lawn. Half of the council wants to help the Fields - they want to build a drug rehabilitation center, clean up the houses, and help the families get back on their feet. The other half of the council wants to work together to have the Fields become a part of Yarvil instead of Pagford, so the Fields will no longer ruin Pagford's image. Whoever becomes the new councilman has the power to
finally end this debate and decide the fate of the Fields.

I find this interesting that half of the council wants the Fields to be considered a part of Yarvil rather than them. They don't want anything to change - they're fine with the drugs, graffiti, and stolen goods - they just don't want it to be considered a part of them. It's sad because this is what happens in everyday society. Patricia Williams writes about social class in her article Of Race and Risk. She is a black female looking to buy a house in a nice and safe neighborhood. She completes her application for a loan over the phone with a loan officer and is given terms for her loan that she approves of. When she receives her paperwork in the mail, she realizes that the loan officer marked her ethnicity as white. This was due to her "white" accent, good credit, and profession as a law professor. She sends the documents back correcting this, only to have her terms changed. The bank now wants more money, a better credit score, and a higher interest rate. Come to find out that someone of black descent moving into a white neighborhood is a risk. Supposedly some white families do not approve of blacks moving into their neighborhood and if this happens they will move out.

Williams' experience reminds me of Pagford. Pagford doesn't care about the people living in the Fields. Half of the council just wants them to be considered a part of Yarvil so they no longer ruin their reputation. Do people really care about their reputation that much? This upper-class white town has a reputation that they want to keep up, so why not all agree to help the Fields and keep this reputation that they care so much about? This applies to Williams' story as well. If this white neighborhood cares about their reputation, they shouldn't be worrying about if a black person moves into their neighborhood, they should be focusing on not having drug dealers or gangs be in their neighborhood. Why someone would constitute a black person moving into their neighborhood as a reason to move is beyond me. I can understand how people/neighborhoods/cities take pride in their reputation. Yet, they should all work together to have a safe place to live rather than an all white place to live. I haven't finished the story yet, but I'm totally rooting for Pagford to help the Fields. But, if it doesn't turn out that way (which would sadly be more like reality), I at least am able to read more from J.K. Rowling. I think this calls for Harry Potter part 8.

casual vacancy photo: i4.mirror.co.uk
shark photo: bendib.com