Elves, goblins, etc., was Re: Mudbloods

[Philip Nel]

No: HPFGUIDX 30597

Dear all:

Heather (uma) quotes me:

> > By definition, a prejudice is not justified.  The word means to
> judge beforehand, to judge without knowledge.
>

She then writes:

>   Ah ha, well, now we're teetering into the realms of value
> clarification and the sticky problem of connotation vs denotation. As
> such is off-topic, I'll merely point out that semantic definitions
> *don't,* IMO, dictate the relative social/moral value. "Justified" is
> a bit of a loaded term here.

Actually, no, we're not headed into these realms.  It's not about "connotation vs. denotation."  It's about the definition of the word "prejudice."  If the list will forgive me from quoting from _Webster's Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language_ (1989), the word "prejudice" (as a noun) is defined as follows: "1. an unfavorable opinion or feeling formed beforehand or without knowledge, thought, or reason.  2.
any preconceived opinion or feeling, either favorable or unfavorable.  3. unreasonable feelings, opinions, or attitudes, esp. of a hostile nature, directed against a racial, religious, or national group.  4. such attitudes considered collectively: 'The war against prejudice is never-ending.' 5. disadvantage resulting from some judgment or action of another: 'a law that operated to the prejudice of the majority.' 6. resulting
injury or detriment" (p. 1135).

In other words, to judge Hagrid solely on the fact of his giantess mother is to form an opinion "without knowledge, thought, or reason"; it is an "unreasonable feeling [...] or attitude."  Or, to judge Remus Lupin solely on his status as a werewolf is, I would argue, similarly unreasonable.  Rowling wishes us to see Hagrid as Hagrid (not as half-giant), and to view Lupin as Lupin (not as werewolf).  Of course, she wishes us to see
why people of the wizarding world would hold prejudices against Hagrid and Lupin, but she does not condone such prejudices -- precisely because they are opinions formed "without knowledge, thought, or reason."

Yours lexicographically,

Phil
--
Philip Nel
Assistant Professor
Department of English
Denison Hall
Kansas State University
Manhattan, KS 66506-0701
U.S.A.
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philnel at ksu.edu