Harry Potter and the Privileges of Birth

[Cindy C.]

No: HPFGUIDX 29125

David wrote:

Getting round ministry rules is a big game, with 
> Mundungus and others on one side, and Arthur and his colleagues on 
> the other.  <snip> Percy's rule keeping is 
> mercilessly mocked.  Cheating is a time-honoured part of the 
> Triwizard tournament.  <snip> 
> I think many fans are uneasy with this aspect of Harry Potter, and 
> with perhaps more justice than the religious right.  

In the abstract, I have difficulty with characters who break the law 
to achieve their goals.  I'd much prefer that characters seek out and 
find clever loopholes and interpretations rather than outright rule-
breaking.  I'd also prefer them to give evasive answers than outright 
lies, as when Snape catches Harry returning from Hogsmeade and Harry 
lies about it.

But then again, what could be more dull and boring than watching 
fictional characters trudge along, obeying every law and restriction 
placed upon them?  As Amy mentioned, there are all sorts of examples 
in fiction of characters disobeying authority to solve problems their 
own way (starship captains who conveniently do not receive their 
orders to do the opposite of what they want to do).  I could bore you 
all senseless with summaries of Disney movies in which the hero or 
heroine disobeys orders or restrictions.  After all, Cinderella had 
no business even being at the ball, did she?  So why do people 
tolerate this flouting of rules, laws and restrictions so readily in 
other fiction, but have such a problem with it in HP?

Cindy