On the nature of theories/MAGIC DISHWASHER

[Grey Wolf]

No: HPFGUIDX 47723

clicketykeys wrote:
> I find it curious that we're not supposed to use metathinking in 
> dealing with Pip's MD theory, when waaay back in post 39662 the first 
> point made after the claim that the Voldemort-Potter war is a modern 
> war fought undercover style:
> 
> > Non-British readers may be largely unaware that the 'United'  
> > Kingdom was embroiled in a low-scale civil war for over 20 years of > > my and  JKR's life (1970's to 1990's). It's not surprising that her 
> > fictional  civil war resembles the one she will have seen on the 
> > news every day.
> 
> Now, unless someone is going to claim that Voldemort has been keeping 
> an eye on mundane politics for the past however long and is basing 
> his actions on what he learned there, this is an example of outside 
> information being used to support MD, back at the very beginning. I 
> am not claiming that this is a central pillar of support or anything, 
> merely citing it as an example.
> 
> CK
> clicketykeys

Interestingly, your example is just that: *an* example. Pip used it to 
help the readers get into position. She does not claim that Voldemort 
is involved with the IRA, nor that their goals are similar, nor any 
other similarity. Only that JKR might have drawn from her own 
experience to create that war, instead of the traditional armies style 
warfare. IIRC, no other mention is made of that similarity, and the 
theory is in no way based upon that fact, except that most of our 
propositions on how to fight that kind of war probably come from the 
same place, or very similar ones.

Also, I'd like to make clear that it is not metathinking. Metathinking 
would involve introducing the idea of a terrorist war with a purpose 
above the reality of the characters in the book - that is, if JKR was 
trying to make a point with it, for example, that IRA methods are 
wrong. Which we have never stated in any way, because it has nothing to 
do with the theory: our reality does not influence what is going on 
inside the books - or at least it shouldn't.

And before someone jumps at us using our own weapons and says "But if 
MD is rigth, that is exactly what is happening", I have to make two 
points 1) Maybe it is what is in JKR's mind, but as long as she makes a 
coherent reality that can be explained without taking into account that 
that reality exist within a book, MD won't pronounce itself one way or 
the other - it is irrelevant one way or the other. 2) It is not true, 
anyway. So far, there is very little indication of how the war was 
carried out, and the information we have fits *all* terrorism wars in 
history, not just the latest one in the UK. 

[For those interested, the first recorded terrorist war I know of can 
be traced back to Roman times, where the Roman invasion/colonization of 
the Iberian peninsula stopped when they reached the Vasque mountains. 
It seems that the people there, instead of facing the armies, just 
scurried around, breaking into their camps and killing soldiers and 
officials, and setting ambushes to the food transports. The Romans 
decided not to invade for several centuries (mainly because they didn't 
find any advantage). That method of fighting (known as guerrilla 
warfare) can quickly degenerate into terrorism, and normally does (in 
fact, the difference between them is blurred).]

Hope that helps,

Grey Wolf