[HPFGU-OTChatter] "Mudblood"

[Audra1976 at aol.com]

In a message dated 12/01/2003 19:13:03 Eastern Standard Time, 
HebrideanBlack2002 at hotmail.com writes:

> I have noticed people using the term "mudblood" to refer to muggle-born 
> students. 
<snip>
Am I just taking this waaaaay too seriously? 
> <G>

Me:
Wendy, 
Stop reading your HPfGU mail.  Hide your books and toys.  Take the audio 
books and soundtrack out of your stereo, and ground yourself from Harry 
Potter for a couple days.  LOL!  Yes, you *are* taking it far to seriously, 
IMO.  

You write:
>  
and
> My mind tells me that the posters using the term in this way are not trying 
> to be offensive, or portray a bigoted attitude about Muggle-born students. 
> But every time I read it in a post, there's a part of me which is becoming 
> more and more sensitive to it. 

Me again:
You're blurring the line between fiction and reality.  The word "Mudblood" 
means nothing to us in reality.  The "N" word--if you can even compare it to 
that--has a history for for us in the real world, and is offensive to people 
in the real world.  "Mudblood" is not an offensive term in the real world.  
It is a made-up offensive term in a book.  

Why are you getting sensitive to it?  Are you a muggleborn witch? No.  Do you 
know or know of any muggleborn witches or wizards for whom you feel 
sensitive?   Not in the real world.  You're elevating the fictional 
characters to the state of real people, and sympathizing with them.

Audra




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