Many fans of Harry Potter read the books or watch movies and imagine what it would be like to live in that world. There are many ways in which having magic allows for more efficient lives. For example, being able to apparate would make it so much quicker to get around. Also, spells make it easier to do things such as clean or even cook. But, despite their ability to use magic, there are many things about the wizarding world that are whether outdated. Many Muggle inventions that we have in the real world are much better than what wizards use.
Here are ten ways the wizarding world is a lot less practical than the Muggle world.
USING INK AND QUILLS
While at Hogwarts, all of the students use ink and quill to do all of their homework. While this might create a nice aesthetic feel considering they go to school in a castle, it’s really impractical. This would make it so much slower to write things down. It’s much easier to make mistakes, too. Pens and pencils are much more practical and quicker to write with. It’s strange that the wizarding world hasn’t started using them. It doesn’t make a lot of sense why only medieval Muzzle devices seem to be acceptable.
GRINGOTTS BANK
Gringotts Bank definitely makes for a striking atmosphere. Its size along with containing large vaults filled with gold pieces definitely feels magical. However, this bank seems like a huge pain to deal with.
First of all, there is no method of paying other than using coins. There aren’t any credit cards, checks, or even bills. Plus, you have to remember an actual key in order to get into your vault. And, there is only one location. This just seems really impractical overall.
OWL POST
One of the most exciting things about the wizarding world is that it’s full with many magical and intelligent creatures. Many of the pets that wizards and witches have are a lot more capable than Muggle pets. So, having an owl that can deliver letters with accuracy definitely seems like fun. But, this is a lot less accurate than regular mail that Muggles use. First of all, there’s no tracking system. Secondly, owls are living creatures that have to eat and be taken care of. And, there’s no evidence that owls are any faster.
LACK OF ELECTRICITY
It’s not super clear whether electricity is used much in the Harry Potter world or not. It seems like some wizarding families probably use electricity, especially those that have integrated with Muggles in their family tree. But, at least at Hogwarts, there isn’t electricity. Instead, they use things like candles and lamps. Once again, this is a weird example of wizards and witches using things that are terribly outdated and way more annoying to use.
THE SCHOOL SYSTEM
Hogwarts might seem like a fantastic place to go to school, and who wouldn’t want to learn magic? But, at the same time, its entire setup is rather impractical. First of all, there is no elementary school education that’s set up for wizards and witches. How they get basic education isn’t very clear. Also, the fact that there’s literally only one option in all of the U.K. for kids to go to secondary school seems quite limiting. Plus, Hogwarts is rather outdated in how it is run.
NO MOVIES OR TELEVISION
Entertainment in the wizarding world seems to be quite lacking. While they are shown to have popular bands and to use the radio, there is no indication that there is any television or movies. It seems strange that they wouldn’t have at least invented their own interactive modes of storytelling. It would definitely be frustrating as a Muggle-born to integrate into a world that seems like it belongs to the 18th century, not the modern day.
AZKABAN
Azkaban seems like a rather barbaric and cruel prison. This is especially true because it appears to be the only wizarding jail/prison. While having a max security facility would make sense for the worst criminals, not everyone deserves that punishment.
Plus, even for violent criminals, having them live in a facility surrounded by dementors seems cruel and unusual. The entire system of law and law enforcement seems to be rather outdated and impractical.
LACK OF COMPUTERS
The Harry Potter books take place in the ’90s so there wouldn’t have been as much technology as there is now, but the wizarding world doesn’t seem to have any at all. They don’t have computers of any kind.
While computers were starting to be used more in the Muggle world, and video games and the like, this definitely isn’t happening for wizards and witches. It likely never will if their lack of many Muggle inventions is precedent.
NO TELEPHONES
This is another area where it seems ridiculous that the wizarding world wouldn’t steal from the Muggles. While wizards and witches do have other ways to communicate such as using the head in the fire method, telephones just seem so much more practical. You can call someone from all over, and you don’t need a fireplace to communicate. Muggles have used telephones for decades, and it seems weird that wizards don’t even know how to use them as evidenced by Ron’s attempt to call Harry.
FEWER OPTIONS ALL AROUND
In the Muggle world, there are many options of things to do and places to shop, for example. There are multiple places to buy clothes, many kinds of entertainment, and lots of new things are always being invented or made. The wizarding world, in contrast, seems much more stagnant. There only seem to be a few places in each country where wizards and witches can shop, and this means their options for what to do are quite limited.
