Opinion: Harry Potter and the Self Fulfilling Prophecy

Lindsay Lohan. Britney Spears. Demi Lovato. We all could keep the names coming. These days, it’s only a matter of time before another young actor or actress dives off the deep end, shaves their hair, and very publicly drags themselves off to rehab. The problem: we expect teen celebrities to fail, to reveal themselves as drug addicts, to turn up in rehab. If tomorrow morning Daniel Radcliffe overdoses on crack and wakes up in jail, all your friends will say, “I told you so.” No biggie. Another shining star falls and life moves on.

The bigger problem: teen celebrities listen to and learn from this cynical standard. In an interview with GQ, Radcliffe “admits”, “I became so reliant on alcohol to enjoy stuff.” He continues to explain he decided to quit partying for a more quiet, stay-at-home lifestyle. However, when reporters ask his fellow costars about Radcliffe’s alcoholism, they shrug their shoulders, dumbfounded. Apparently, Radcliffe’s “alcoholism” flew under the radar so well that none of his friends picked up any signs, so well that I doubt his alcoholism existed at all.

Costar after costar, from Matthew Lewis (Neville Longbottom) to Rupert Grint (Ronald Weasley), discredited Radcliffe’s alcoholism. Indeed, all the evidence provided by Radcliffe’s costars and friends (the people who would first realize any alcoholic tendencies) points overwhelmingly to one conclusion: Harry Potter is not an alcoholic.

The truth is that the world is just waiting with peeled eyes for any young celebrity slip ups. The truth is that we not only expect these stories of drugged out teen stars, but enjoy them in a sadomasochistic way. Admit it. You find a certain joy out of other’s failures, especially if they fall from such a great height. It excites you and grants you the piece of mind that your life is not so bad after all. Hell, it’s even better than Harry Potter’s whiskey-infested life. This mentality embodies the darker side of the human psychology no one wishes to admit exists.

Now, let’s take a dive into the mind of Harry Potter. The young wizard grew up in a mentally destructive environment. Like every other young star, the world over expected him to fail from the beginning. So after years and years of listening to these pessimistic expectations and observing his peers’ similar mistakes, Radcliffe fell for this self fulfilling prophecy. When Jeanne Wolf finally questioned him about alcohol, it felt all too natural for Radcliffe to plead guilty to alcoholism.

Hopefully, in the future, Radcliffe can fight off this self-fulfilling prophecy and consciously realize that drug abuse should not remain the norm for young celebrities of his stature. Already, Radcliffe shows signs of improvement, claiming that the home life is the perfect life for him. So have no fear Harry Potter fans. With the quick flick of the wrist and a “Wingardium Leviosa”, this self-fulfilling prophecy should fly out of his mind in no time.