Racist! Draco (was Fred and George: The bullies you know)

[darrin_burnett]

No: HPFGUIDX 43095

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., "Saitaina" <saitaina at w> wrote: 
> <3) Draco is racist. I cannot put in any plainer than that. To 
> apologize for Draco is to apologize for a stone-cold racist. 
> Therefore, to credibly compare anyone to Draco is to necessarily 
> prove that person or persons is also racist. Fred and George are 
not. 
> They do not tinge their humor at anyone group in particular.>
> 
> Okay,first of, I have seen NO cannon that points to Draco being a 
racist.  YES he strikes out against those different then him and some 
could classify Hagrid as being the target of such but you do need a 
different RACE to be a racist.  Mudbloods (or muggle-borns for those 
who prefer) are not a different race, their a genetic miracle.  


I wish to clarify what I mean by Wizard World racism.

I do not mean he is against blacks, Asians, Latinos or other 
ethnicities. That is real world racism.

Wizard World racism is the prejudice against Muggle-borns. Take the 
vilest insult, "mudblood." It literally means "dirty blood."

Those who are against Muggle borns -- I refuse to use mudblood except 
when quoting canon, because it has been set forward as an epithet -- 
are literally against their heritage. For no other reason that who 
their parents are, these people are discriminated against.

Draco wants them kicked out of Hogwarts. Later, we find he wants them 
killed.

Is it "racism" in the term we know? No, it isn't.

Muggle borns ARE a genetic miracle and if Draco felt that way, I'd 
certainly not call him a racist. But he doesn't believe they are a 
miracle. If he had his way, they'd not exist.

> 
> Draco strikes out against that which he fears like most humans do.  
He fears that something that should be below him (elitism not racism 
by the way is shown here)is doing better then he is.  Hermione AND 
Hagrid fall into this category.  
> 
> Hermione is top witch, the best of the scholarly best, and she is a 
mudblood.  In Draco's mind that shouldn't be possible, shouldn't 
happen.  It also pisses off Lucius and frankly, Lucius doesn't seem 
the type of father you should piss off. So why not strike out against 
a mere girl who does things she shouldn't.  In his mind, she needs to 
be reminded of her place in wizzarding society.  This is elitism at 
it's worst, not racism.


In this world, people choose how they react to obstacles. Draco's 
solution, when threatened by his entire belief system being turned 
upside down when a Muggle-born beats him out, is to call her what is 
apparently the most vile epithet and openly wish for her death.

Perhaps you are right and he is trying to hurt Hermione for being 
better than him and is doing it any way possible.  But how does he 
choose to do this?

He doesn't say: "Well, if I spent 14 hours a day studying with no 
life, I could do that too."

OR: "If she didn't suck up to the teachers, she'd not have won."

OR: "God, look at those teeth!"

He chooses to insult the blood flowing through her veins. He wishes 
to drag her down because of her heritage, something she couldn't 
control. 

He chose to make racist comments.

This actually is not the case for Hagrid at first. There is, I 
believe, the difference between racism and elitism. Draco attacks 
Hermione because of her heritage. He attacks Hagrid because he held 
a "common" job such as groundskeeper. Later, when he finds Hagrid is 
half-giant, the racial taunts became more prevalent.
 
> 
> Cannon does NOT show his racism.  It shows his elitism and the fact 
that he's not creative enough to come up with his own insults.  
Mudblood may be up there with n- but that doesn't justify Mudbloods 
as their own race, which they're not.  They're still British (or what 
have you) wizzards who happen to have won the genetic lottery.  If he 
called Dean a certain word or called Seamus the Irish equivalent then 
that would be racism, but mudblood, nice insult but not quite up 
there yet.   The hatred of that word stems not from it being the 
insult of n- proportions but because I'm quite sure Mr. Half-Blood 
himself, Voldemort used it quite often and that gave it it's 
history.  
> 

Actually, I believe Salazar Slytherin started it, but it can be 
argued Voldemort took it to another level, perhaps one Salazar would 
be horrified to see now, but there is no way to know that.

Again, in the context of the Wizard world, muggle-borns are a "race." 
They are an oppressed group of people. 

It is the Wizard equivalent of "darkie", literally insulting 
something that person cannot control. Again, if Draco viewed this 
as "genetic lottery" then I think the point is moot.

I think he views them more as genetic freaks.


> I have been called quite a few words I would consider horrible 
things to say yet they weren't racist remarks.  Just because a word 
ignites such anger in others doesn't mean it's racist.
> 

I find I'm repeating myself. It is racist because it is attacking a 
person's heritage. A person cannot control who their parents are. I 
am making a leap, but it is not a long one here. I feel like I'm 
playing a semantic game here, so I will put it this way.

If you need to call Draco something else besides a racist, then do 
so. But please, let us not pretend that removing him from the burden 
of such a negatively connotated word -- one I've not chosen 
carelessly -- somehow lightens his sins.

If you need elitism instead of racism, fair enough, but please 
remember, Draco openly advocates the murder of those he feels 
inferior to them. 


Darrin
- Normally loves semantic games, but I'm tired.