Harry Potter News????

Maybe there’s a good reason that the Washington Post is the only one to run (on its FRONT PAGE) the story about Harry Potter postage stamps. Not to mention that the ‘issue’ was given two pages. But it brings up an interesting dispute, one that most Americans would never have known about if not for this article. There the argument between the Postal Service and the Citizens’ Stamp Advisory Committee.

It’s really hard for me to take this subject seriously. Especially after the one anonymous source who asked to remain unnamed for “fear of retribution by the Postal Service.” I’m not saying that this piece is unnecessary or that it isn’t relevant. It is a good reminder of how much we have forgotten about snail mail. I love getting letters in the mail, though mostly all I receive are bills (I’m sure this is the same for most of America, but I can’t be certain). What we tend to push in the back of our minds is this: the Postal Service is on the downhill spiral. The article even brings up the point that Nagisa Manabe, the new director that was hired to invigorate the mailing business, couldn’t stop the $5 BILLION dollar loss that the US Postal Service had this last year. Requests for help has been sent to congress, but even the author of this piece pointed out that ‘a fix this year is unlikely.’ I’m entirely certain that the last thing congress is thinking about right now is how to maintain the health of a delivery system that is slowly being outdated (hello, healthcare issues).

The article says the dispute the CSAC brings up is this: Harry Potter isn’t American, and they weren’t consulted on the design, nor the subject matter at all. This is one of the ‘only times’ that this has happened. I wish the article would have mentioned the other times. If this isn’t the first time, what other subject was put on a stamp that they weren’t consulted on?

The big issue that the CSAC seems to have is realizing that the Postal Service is being run like a big corporation now. Manabe was hired to slow the deterioration of the mailing system, and to bring it back to life. It was smart to realize that maybe, most people aren’t interested in stamps that have educational value. The journalist should have tried to find out what the people want: Harry Potter stamps, or Sarah Vaughn stamps. The article even states that “while their role is being curtailed, committee members have also objected to the Manabe’s decision to hire a futurist to help map out the future of stamps.”

Collectors may be outraged, but is this going to help bring in much needed money for the Postal Service? This was an interesting article, but getting more input from people who may be buying them for more than a collection in a book. 

The only issue I take with these stamps (as a Harry Potter enthusiast) is...why didn't they use the illustrations from the books? Daniel Radcliff should not be the face of everyone's favorite wizard.