Loki and HP

In discussing the "George and Fred as Cunning" material with my friend Dominic we were making the comment I noted that the specific instance Steve had mentioned was the phrase "mischief managed," and that I had noted, yes! and it is precisely mischief, not evil." To this Dominic added the very brilliant observation that this is pretty much what you have in the movie The Mask, with Jim Carey. The particular "mischief" behind the mask in that movie is the Norse god "Loki," who is pretty much a trouble maker and a master of mischief (kind of more like a Gremlin). What I always liked about that movie is the irony of the "Why do nice guys always finish last?" letter he wrote to "dear Peggy" in the newspaper. It is precisely the girl who tells him that it was a great letter and that there are a ton of girls like her who really want a nice guy that screws him over. "Niceness" is when "goodness" becomes defined solely by politeness. To be sure politeness and courtesy are good things, but sometimes they aren't feasible if you're to do the right thing. Sometimes it is better to be truly good at the cost of not being "nice." In the end it is not Stanley Ipkiss the nice guy who can overcome Dorian Tyrell. Dorian is a very dangerous evil all the more because he is a very mediocre evil, and thus very subtle evil. When his kind gets the empowerment of the mask (which, in this world, will happen sooner or later) he is a a huge problem, all the more because of his "underdog" grudge born out of luke-warmness. Stanley Ipkiss the nice guy does not stand a chance of being able to stop him even when he is the "regular" Dorian ... he needs a little "cunning" on his side in order to manage that particular mischief.