Reposted from Main List: The SNEAK Mark, Scarlet Letters, and Megan's Law

[Haggridd]

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "delwynmarch" 
<delwynmarch at y...> wrote:

> Del replies :
> First, the Red Letter was not an injustice according to a majority 
of
> the society at the time, or it wouldn't have existed to start with.
> People at the time thought it acceptable to mark adulterous women, 
but
> we don't anymore. Similarly, 15-year-old kids might think it's
> acceptable to disfigure a schoolmate who crossed them, but I, at the
> age of 30, disagree strongly.
> 
> Second, the Jinx is very much an injustice, for multiple reasons : 
> 
> 1. Nobody was warned about it. They agreed not to tell, but there 
was
> never any mention of what would happen if they did, and especially
> there was no mention of something so dreadful. Marrietta was not 
given
> a choice to avoid the Sneak Mark, because she didn't know she was at
> risk of getting it. If Hermione had told them what could happen, and
> yet Marrietta had told Umbridge, then I wouldn't find it unfair. But
> Hermione didn't warn them.
> 
> 2. But, you will tell me, Marrietta did agree not to tell. All 
right.
> But who gave Hermione the right to decide of the type and the length
> of the punishment ? Hermione wasn't commissioned to do that, she
> wasn't even the DA's leader. She took the matter in her own hands
> without any authorisation. In-justice.
> 
> 3. You say it was a war situation. I agree. A war against Umbridge
> (not LV). Only problem is : Hermione *forcefully* enrolled the DA
> *before* making sure which side they were on to start with. Had she
> checked, she would have realised that she'd better keep Marrietta 
out
> of it, because Marrietta was almost naturally on Umbridge's side, 
not
> the DAs. Hermione forced Marrietta to betray Umbridge long before
> Marrietta betrayed the DA. The situation Hermione *unnecessarily* 
put
> Marrietta in was unfair.
> 
> And even if Marrietta had truly deserved her punishment, the Trio
> still showed an incredible lack of compassion by letting her go 
around
> disfigured. Hermione lost it all when Snape ignored her rabbit 
teeth,
> she *knows* what it's like to be disfigured, she also knows how hard
> it is for Harry to have people gaping at his scar, and yet she lets
> Marrietta walk around with a balaclava on her head. I'm 
disappointed.
> 
> Del

I am going to copy this post on OTC, because it it is getting far 
afield, and I would like to ask your opinion on a current day examplw 
of the Scarlet Letter.  How do you feel about "Megan's Law" and other 
laws requiring sex offenders to register their presence in their 
community?  I will say no more on the main list.  Off to OTC

Haggridd