Anything that contradicts the knowledge of science is magic, because nothing contradicts science: if something does, science simply changes its dogma to incorporate new information. In my part of whiteness, it's "science" instead. I'm speaking from my own corner of white culture, & out here, "magic" is literally "stuff that can't happen." The notion of "real magic" is therefore kind of an oxymoron, which is a spell that makes "spell that contradicts its own making." Or, in English, a word that means "word that contradicts its own meaning." If it's real then it's not magic, because if it's magic, then it's not real. Probably is, especially in secular cultures, but idk. This is why this post is in Real Whiteness Hours: I have no reason to think this is true elsewhere. This is getting towards something fundamental about whiteness, & it stems from our understanding of magic: in the Harry Potter universe, "magic" is defined as "anything that happens that is impossible." This is a strange definition, but it is true when you think about it: what ARE the limitations of "magic?" Not actual magic, but fictional magic, the way "magic" is generally used in English? Basically, "the opposite of science?"
A sense of a person receiving food in a particular city? A question about schooling? Or perhaps a reference to a recent election? This is every bit as chaotic, tho obviously not as visually-amusing, as Ron summoning badgers & starting random fires & forcing himself to eat slugs in reverse. Reading her German spellcraft has unpredictable, burst-results when I tried to interpret it. Like Ron with his wand, all you can do is wave your arms around in hopefully-helpful ways, & try to make the right kind of noise.Ī recent example for me: an account I follow of a beautiful polyglot who speaks English, German, Japanese, & no doubt some other languages. "pewpew magic" does not require a recipient to interpret the spells, whereas real magic only becomes more than sounds when it can be interpreted by your comrades.
Interpretation is another important way solidarity is removed from the magic of Harry Potter. The results are unpredictable in the fiction, & this question likewise has many possible outcomes in terms of interpretation. In terms of Harry Potter's fictional magic, this question is the equivalent of Ron's consistent mispronunciations and broken wand. To continue exploring this question for Real Whiteness Hours, I'll continue to use an appropriately white cultural text: Harry Potter.
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