The Anti-Fantasy Groups: A State of Hypocrisy Needing to Be Addressed

With the genre of fantasy currently undergoing an explosion of popularity, it seems that there are groups of people who would rather see the absence of books featuring magical worlds on the book shelves.

The most popular fantasy series in pop culture is Harry Potter, though it is also the most hated. Another controversial novel/movie is The Golden Compass. Both are celebrated and loved by fans, but critics are wary of them due to magical themes. Of course, critics attempt to reason that their contempt for fantastical literature is due to religion, though jealousy of success more likely plays a role. Regardless of the true reasons, their toxicity and attempts to reduce imagination and freedom of speech is, at best, hypocritical.

If the problem is simply that controversial fantasy includes elements of magic, why does no one get worked up about popular Christmas classics, to name only one sub genre? Frosty the Snowman, for instance, is the perfect example of magic in children's' stories.

In the Frosty the Snowman theme song and movie, he was a snowman built by a couple of children. After they placed an old top hat on his head, he came to life and played with them. "There must have been some magic / In that old silk hat they found / For when they placed it on his head / He began to dance around." That sounds like dear old Frosty was a spirit inhabiting a snowman, with the hat as a catalyst. He also holds a broomstick in his hand all day long, which is clearly magical imagery.