This is discussion archived from a time before the current discussion method was installed.
From YKTTW Working Title: Magic Is Evil
Roland: I notice someone removed the Dresden Files as an example; any reason why? I think it's an excellent example, really, given the almost universally malicious bent of magical beings and the extremely easily-accessed Black Magic compared to relatively limited "safe" magic.
Jerrik: I removed it because I felt the entry was taking things out of context.
- In the Dresden Files, while magic is in theory a power for life and creation, no matter how many times Harry claims this it doesn't seem to add up. A shockingly disproportionate number of supernatural creatures are at best somewhat ambivalent to human life, the predominant magical association conducts its affairs totally without any regard for Muggle authorities and is at best harsh and unyielding in its discipline, and the predominant way most young wizards develop their power leads them almost invariably to The Dark Side, whereupon the only solution is apparently to kill them with only a rudimentary trial. It also makes the protagonist's life uncomfortable with relatively few payoffs, since it acts against modern technology; all in all it seems like it would be better not to have the power around at all.
1. The kind of magic humans use is not the same kind of magic used by supernatural creatures; the power comes from different sources. 2. The White Council are dicks, yes, but they do play a very large role in protecting humanity from the various species that want to either enslave, prey upon or wipe out mankind. 3. Only a small amount of new magic users end up using Black Magic, most of them either join the White Council or one of the smaller magical communities, where they learn to use magic responsibly. 4. Harry's difficult life is something that is unique to him, and is mostly the result of him running around trying to act like a superhero. It is stated that most other wizards live a comfortable, quiet life of study or make ridiculous amounts of money using their abilities.
The books do tend to focus mostly on the negative aspects of magic, but that is because they detail Harry fighting against the worst the supernatural world has to offer, not because magic in the series is inherently bad. If you really, really think it belongs here, then I won't protest if you add it again, but I don't think it's an example.
