Anti-Muggleborn prejudice (was Mudbloods and Marriage)

[Jim Ferer]

No: HPFGUIDX 30559

Cindy C:"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."

The point has been made (by Ron, for one) that the wizard world would 
have died out if there hadn't been for Muggle-wizard marriage; so 
prejudice is an anti-survival trait.  That's why, perhaps, it hasn't 
been outlawed.

Cindy:"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."

I'm a little surprised also.  It's the `species' survival thing 
again, I expect, or perhaps that Muggle-wizard couples don't have to 
advertise their status to those who don't know. (That's what's so 
pernicious about the various racial prejudices - you can tell the 
members apart at a glance.) Consider this as well: the Hogwarts 
experience brings them all together, where they may not know each 
other's status. (Is Lee Jordan pureblood? Ernie MacMillan? Lavender 
Brown? We don't know, and they don't have to say.) They fall in love. 
If Hogwarts didn't admit Muggle-borns, the wizarding world would 
quickly become even more isolated.)

I can see many opportunities for jealousy against Muggle-born 
wizards. Take Harry and Hermione as examples.  They can move in two 
worlds - ours and the wizarding one. Ron can't. He had trouble 
figuring out a telephone, and if you dropped him in the middle of 
London without his wand he'd be in a fix. There's likely to be envy 
against those who can "cross over," disguised by holding  that 
ability to be the  mark of untrustworthiness or disloyalty to the 
wizard world.

OTOH, you can probably tell the Muggle-borns apart by their clothes 
or hair, at least. Harry and Hermione probably don't change their 
mode of dress that much, although they could change if they wished. 
It's a difference the prejudiced can point at. I doubt Harry's going 
to buy a purple top hat anytime soon.

Prof. Nel [visiting professor of Muggle Studies at Hogwarts]:"Rowling 
understands that prejudice is insidious, subtle, and easily fed by 
rumor. Not only do powerful people harbor prejudices but the 
apparently "good" characters hold many unexamined assumptions about 
certain "types." So, it's true that Rowling is condemning racism, but 
she's also saying that racism is not the exclusive province of 
the "bad guys." 

Once again, Rowling is presenting an important point with subtlety 
not seen in "children's" literature.  She's showing us how universal 
prejudice is, the dark side in all humans, and thereby also 
underlining the humanity of wizards. She's doing the same with the 
class system, including that just because one of the "lower classes" 
(house elves) are used to their station in life, that doesn't make it 
okay.