Mudbloods (and Marriage)

[Cindy C.]

No: HPFGUIDX 30529

Philip wrote:

<snip numerous fascinating observations about the wizarding world>

> And prejudice is, indeed, entangled with the legal system.  In 
>fact, there seem to be laws combating prejudice as well as laws 
>tacitly condoning it.  For an example of anti-racist legislation, 
>recall Arthur Weasley's Muggle Protection Act (mentioned in _Chamber 
>of Secrets_).  

I have always found it interesting that, given the blatant prejudice 
that seems to infect the wizarding world, certain laws you might 
expect to see are not in place.  In the pre-civil rights era U.S., 
there was a feeling among certain people that the races should not 
mix.  This resulted in segregation (as has been mentioned already) 
and laws prohibiting interracial marriage.

I cannot think of any similar restrictions on marriage in the 
wizarding world.  Wizards can definitely marry muggles, giants and 
veela, and so far as I can tell, they suffer no harrassment or even 
diminished status by doing so (although their offspring seem to).  
Given that wizards are apparently attempting to avoid detection by 
muggles, and given that wizards generally believe themselves somewhat 
superior to muggles, I am frankly surprised that wizards are allowed 
to marry muggles.  Don't get me wrong.  I'm not saying that such 
restrictions should exist in the wizarding world.  I am just saying 
that they might be consistent with the wizarding world as JKR has 
conceived it, so their omission does surprise me.

Perhaps we can conclude from the lack of marital restrictions that 
wizards have their biases and prejudices, but perhaps their biases 
are not so deeply held as those found in Muggle history because 
wizards don't restrict the fundamental right to choose a suitable 
mate.

Cindy