Harry Potter : RIP

March 3, 2004 7:25 AM

Harry Potter: RIPPrivate Harry Potter from the Worcestershire Regiment was killed in action at Hebron on 22/7/1939 aged 19 years, 10 months old. This is a genuine photo of the grave of a British soldier that died during the time of the “Arab Rebellion” and is buried in the British military cemetery in Ramla Israel.
posted by Postroad (17 comments total)

I'm really, really struggling to see the point of this. At least this has an element of coincidence to it.

I mean, what are the odds of someone having the name "Harry Potter" dying sometime in, say, the last 200 years? 1:1? Better yet, how many people named "Harry Potter" have died?
posted by GhostintheMachine at 7:51 AM on March 3, 2004

what a fuckin joke posty, you should be banned for a week for this.

Mel Gibson’s movie – who cares
With all the fuss about Mel Gibson’s new movie The Passion, I find that I don’t really give a damn about this film. You see there are a lot a minuses living Israel but there also good things. One of them is that I don’t have to worry if some famous movie start makes a movie that presents Jews in a bad way. I don’t have to worry about angry reactions from non-Jews that feel they can blame the Jews for everything bad in the world.

from the idiots blog.
posted by clavdivs at 7:54 AM on March 3, 2004

whoop-dee-doo.
posted by angry modem at 7:59 AM on March 3, 2004

Hey postroad, why not go stand in front of a grade school and tell kids that Arabs killed Harry Potter?
posted by stonerose at 8:01 AM on March 3, 2004

why not go stand in front of a grade school

if you check out his blog, it's likely that he already hangs out in front of grade schools
;)

anyway "posty" is fun
posted by matteo at 8:19 AM on March 3, 2004

I think this is in bad taste, without all the name calling.
posted by triv at 8:48 AM on March 3, 2004

So, is this meant to be funny, or a chilling coincidence... or what?

Poor old Private Potter - he dies a thankless death in some half-remembered war, only to find his grave a source of humour decades later thanks to a childrens' book of questionable quality.
posted by jack_mo at 8:50 AM on March 3, 2004

Um, his blog is definitely NSFW, in case curiosity overcomes you.
posted by tommasz at 9:16 AM on March 3, 2004

Postroad, if you found a grave marking where some Latin guy named Jesus was killed by the IDF during an Israeli bombing, would you find that funny too?
posted by XQUZYPHYR at 9:18 AM on March 3, 2004

Man, what's with all the crankiness everywhere these days?

Ok, yes, so its a light post. And the guy's blog is ... well ... not my cup of tea. But its a free internet, he's entitled to write what he pleases....

But, on the other hand, I always find it interesting how the progress of history can suddenly turn a bright light on a life a century ago that was (perhaps) otherwise hidden from us. All lives are interesting, just sometimes we don't realize it until long after the life itself has finished. We all have a story to tell; sometimes a story about ourselves, sometimes a story about the times in which we lived.

I mean, don't you wonder about him at all? What his life was like? Did he have a sweetheart? What was it like for him, posted in this desert land, far from home, far from the climate he had known? How would he feel today about his name being so famous -- proud, annoyed, irked? What would he have wanted us to know about him?
posted by anastasiav at 9:22 AM on March 3, 2004

he probably wouldn't, but he could shoot a blockbuster movie about that story and become a millionaire
posted by matteo at 9:23 AM on March 3, 2004

I am answering XQUZYPHYR 's question of course, not anastasiav's sane-as-always comment

posted by matteo at 9:26 AM on March 3, 2004

from the idiots blog.

dumb post, clavdis - I think for European Jews who are worried about Mel Gibson's movie, a place like Israel would actually be very nice. From what I understand, we in America have really no idea how the Passion is being received in other parts of the world; in some places it is truly a threatening piece of Propaganda. Do keep in mind that there are some places (Poland, etc) that would kill Jews KKK-lynch style during Pogroms during Easter - for "finding the christ killers" and this is barely fifty years ago, built upon two thousand years of hateful violent bigotry. This film threatens to revive something that is barely healed up, ya know? Not to bring up that in this thread, but for a guy to take some comfort from not having to care about the fallback because he's safe in Israel (despite Israel's own controversy with the rest of the world, re: Palestine, etc) - and for you to call him an idiot for that as an example - is pretty baffling and mean-spirited, to say the least. exposes more of what I could think of you than what you could think of him, really. I apologize for coming on so heavy about this but that was a stupid thing for you to post. But geeze ...
posted by Peter H at 10:35 AM on March 3, 2004

aw ya'll made him cry.
posted by bitdamaged at 11:07 AM on March 3, 2004

Well, chalk it up to a learning experience. I did not know Jesus was Latin...in fact I thought he was Jewish. No wonder the Catholic Mass is said in Latin (or was).
posted by Postroad at 2:07 PM on March 3, 2004

I find that I don’t really give a damn about this film.

ya, he seems real concerned and scared. Yeah, he is an idiot IMO. the passage i qouated is all about him, him, him, and his security and his opinion but sense he does not give a damn, what is the problem? that i called him an idiot, ok, how about self-centered and ignorant.

and thank you for being polite PH. I do see your point but...
posted by clavdivs at 5:41 PM on March 3, 2004

well, the guy does look a little self-centered. but most blogs are supposed to be about navel-gazing, aren't they? you know, cheese sandwiches and stuff.
but I am unimpressed also by the guy's content.
posted by matteo at 7:24 PM on March 3, 2004