HP goes PC? (was Re: Elf Magic / Apparating)

[naama_gat at hotmail.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 16640

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., "Steve Vander Ark" <vderark at b...> wrote:

> In my opinion, House-Elf magic is some of the most powerful magic 
> there is. Dobby is capable of amazing magical feats without a wand 
or 
> incantation. He Apparates (the effect is the same, although he is 
> proabably not using the Wizard spell to do it but a House-Elf 
> version, which is why it works in Hogwarts). He can close a 
powerful 
> magical portal at will. He can drastically affect a Bludger, which 
is 
> not easy to do or players would do it all the time. 
> 
> Why do you think House-Elves are so enslaved? It seems to me that 
> somewhere back in antiquity, the Wizards found that it was "best" 
to 
> control the power that was so much greater than their own by 
cultural 
> means, rather like Apartheid controlled a large and potentially 
power 
> majority in South Africa. Hermione's clumsy attempts at House-Elf 
> Liberation may just be the gentle stirrings of a great social 
> upheaval which will bring to the surface a group weilding 
incredible 
> magical powers. The Wizard community will be faced with changing 
> their deep-seated prejudices or finding themselves up against an 
> incredibly dangerous and powerful enemy: their erstwhile slaves.
> 

I agree that it will be interesting to see how JKR deals with the 
elves and their special brand of magic - will they collectively join 
the battle against Voldemort? Will we see more Winkies, torn by 
opposing loyalties? (Winky, BTW, is one of the most tragic characters 
we have encountered so far, IMO) 
However, I have to say that I personally prefer the elves' attachment 
to humans to be natural rather than cultural. (Please note that I've 
used the word 'preference' - there isn't canonical proof that it is 
so, and JKR may develop the elf issue in either direction). 
Why do I prefer it that way? Well, in the real world that we live in, 
ALL differences of class, power, status are the outcome of historical 
contingencies and cultural rationalizations. In this world I'm as PC 
as you can find. But, for the sake of variety and pure difference, 
I'd rather have in a fantasy book humanoid creatures that are truly 
different from humans; whose difference is innate, not acquired. 
I've said it before that I think that it also makes the moral issues 
more interesting, because it's not a situation we humans, in the real 
world, have ever had to deal with. For instance, *is* it fair to 
treat an elf as an equal? It would be preposterous to even ask 
this question here, in the real world. In HP, the question is 
valid and much more intriguing and challenging if house elves have an 
innate tendency to serve humans. 
The same, BTW, goes for giants. I'd rather that giants were truly 
more ferocious and violent in their *nature* than if it was all 
"cultural conditioning" and prejudice. 

If I could have a quiet word with JKR, I'd ask her not to go too PC 
with HP. 


Naama