The Icarus Paradox Once More

“Within hours of Warner Bros.'s decision to postpone the release of ‘Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince’ to next July, hate mail began to pour into the studio. An online petition expressing fans' disgust with the decision garnered more than 45,000 signatures. The studio says it even received death threats. ‘I hope you choke on your own saliva,’ snarled one fan in an email…

“Warner Bros. is in some ways a victim of the same forces that drove its success. The five prior Potter films have grossed almost $4.5 billion in world-wide box-office revenue, making the series the biggest franchise in history. In the past, Warner Bros. has invited staffers of Potter fan Web sites to movie premieres to help whip up hysteria ahead of upcoming movie releases. With its transgression, Warner Bros. inadvertently unleashed this powerful force against itself…

“Many fans felt Warner Bros.'s stated reason for the delay -- that the film would make a bigger splash in the middle of summer -- was a crass admission that the studio cares only about bigger box-office returns. ‘YOU just slapped the face of EVERY Harry Potter Fan and told us you don't care what we want -- you only want our money!’ stormed Natalie DeGennaro, a 50-year-old electronic-design engineer who lives in Hillsborough, N.C., in an email she sent to Time Warner Chief Executive Jeffrey Bewkes, Warner Bros. Chairman Barry Meyer and other executives…

“Some think the outsized reaction could actually be a boon for the studio. Steve Sansweet, who runs fan relations for George Lucas's Lucasfilm Ltd., says ‘Warner Bros. should be delighted. Sure, they have a problem on their hands, but they are also seeing the passion of their fans. The real problem comes when you have fans that don't give a damn.’

“The fans, however, are still angry. Many are still signing petitions planning protests and uploading angry videos to YouTube. Ms. Fink, the artist and administrative assistant, recently stood outside Warner Bros.'s Burbank lot with a large sign. ‘Dear Mr. Horn," she scrawled in red marker. ‘You will forever be known as ‘The man who changed Harry Potter's release date.’ Are you happy now?’”

(“Voldemort Hath No Fury Like Angry Harry Potter Fans; Studio Delays Movie, Gets Death Threats; 'I Hope You Choke on Your Own Saliva'.” Lauren A.E. Schuker. Wall Street Journal: September 8, 2008. pg. A.1)

THE VERY THING that allows us to soar can unexpectedly become the cause of our downfall and destruction. Whipping up fervor is the sister of whipping up hysteria is the sister of whipping up a mess.

As in both the yin and the yang, the seed of reversal lies at the heart of our strongest motions.

In order to work at the cutting edge, in order to play with fire, we must develop that fine sense, that delicate balance, that only comes through being in close touch with our constituencies.