Pre-determined Rejection of Truth in Harry Potter

George Kennedy's second thesis, "The receiver's interpretation of a communication is prior to the speaker's intent in determining meaning," was interesting to me because he sets up the theory that it doesn't really matter how persuasive the speaker is because the listener has already decided how they will take the information which will determine if they are persuaded or not. This can also be seen as an audience's bias toward a person or situation; if they don't want to hear or receive something, they won't.

This made me think of this thesis in terms of my final project. I want to focus on truth in the Harry Potter series. In Harry Potter, when Voldemort, the evil wizard who wants to eradicate all except the "pure-blooded" families, comes back to life and is yet again a threat, the Ministry of Magic refuses to admit he's back. Even after Dumbledore, one of the most powerful wizards alive, and Harry Potter, their poster child for all that is good, explain that Voldemort has returned, no one believes them. Newspaper ads are run about how crazy both of them are, and the Minister gives statements denying any presence of evil.

Very few people want to actually hear that Voldemort is back. Their lives have been peaceful since he disappeared, and they don't want to believe he's coming to finish what he started the first time. Because of this, the people Harry and Dumbledore are talking to have already decided to reject their story. No matter what evidence the two present, the majority of people who hear them automatically disregard what they say. In this way, their interpretation is prior to the speaker's intent. The meaning the people give Harry and Dumbledore's words has already been determined.

Of course, once there is no longer a way to deny Voldemort's presence any longer, people start to believe what Harry and Dumbledore have been saying from the beginning, showing the audience must accept the truth they initially rejected.