[HPforGrownups] Paranoia and Flying Hedgehogs

[Edblanning at aol.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 36261

Elkins quotes me:

> Eloise wrote:
> 
> > That's OK, Cindy. It was precisely for people like you ( and me) 
> > that I proposed the Order of the Flying Hedgehog. As I've said 
> > before, I think paranoia at this point of the game is a reasonable 
> > response. Seriously. I do. If JKR's doing her job, then we should 
> > feel as paranoid as the wizarding community in the face of the next 
> > Voldy War.
> 
> Hmmmm.  Do you think that JKR wants us to be paranoid because we 
> *ought* to be, or because she wants to lure us into error, only to 
> then chastise us for it later?  
> 
> 

Now that you put it that way, I think my answer is 'both'.
*I* certainly think that she ought to convey to us the type of uncertainty 
that canon tells us was prevalent during the first Voldy war. On the other 
hand, she does like to mislead us. So there are literary reasons for inducing 
reader paranoia, as well as reasons for the characters themselves to be 
paranoid. I like your gloss, Elkins.

>I find it interesting, for 
>example, that the text seems to place a very strong emphasis on the 
>*perils* of paranoia...while simultaneously encouraging us to view 
>this paranoia as justified.  There's a tension there, an uneasy 
>ambivalence.  It makes me wonder if we might not start seeing 
>paranoia itself emerging in Book Five to take its place alongside 
>prejudice and envy as one of the Big Spiritual Perils of the
>Potterverse.

You also take me up on 'constant vigilance':

>Oh, constant vigilance indeed!  But let us not forget from whose 
>mouth that sentiment was *really* coming all the way through GoF, 
>shall we?  ;->

Obviously, I realise that it was *really* Crouch Jr who was *saying* it, but 
I also presume that the sentiment is authentically Moody's, given that 
Crouch's portrayal of Moody was accurate enough to fool Dumbledore.

Elkins again:
>Eloise, I hereby nominate Meglet for membership in the Order of the 
>Flying Hedgehog.  She has not only confessed to secret thoughts 
>of "Albus Dumbledore Is Ever So Evil;" she even found a nice bit of 
>canon to back it up!  

>Give the lady a...er...well, what precisely *does* one get when one 
>joins the ranks of the OFH, anyway?  (Other than a nervous tic, that 
is.) 

Meglet, your certificate of honorary membership is winging its way to you via 
Owl Post as I write.
As for the benefits, well, judging from our great mentor, Mad Eye himself, 
these chiefly include disfiguring injuries, but also feature a neat range of 
spare parts.

It was just a bit of fun on my part, born out of the  Ludo Bagman is Ever so 
Evil thread, a recognition of the fact that some of us who like to play 
armchair aurors are also aware that even though we may have good, nay, 
canon-based,  even irrefutable(?!) evidence for our accusations of 
evil-doing, some of the things we say might just be a little bit, 
well...subversive. For instance I can, in fact I have, made out a pretty good 
case (I think) for Fudge being evil, all backed up by canon. On the other 
hand, I can see the literary objections made by other people and if I'm 
completely honest, I think they have as much weight as my arguments. But 
playing aurors when one is not in danger of having half one's face blasted 
off is rather fun and I don't want to give up just because there are 
reasonable people out there with sound literary objections. I'm not sure if 
I'm actually interpreting the text subversively or not and to be frank, I'm 
not too worried if I'm proved right or wrong. I shall gloat quietly if I'm 
right, but if I'm not, well I've already admitted that the idea was just a 
Flying Hedgehog in the first place.
In other words, one of the benefits of membership of the OFH is the 
protection of a very complicated charm, which I would explain if I were Prof 
Flitwick, which protects one from howlers, hexes and curses sent by the 
defenders of the upright citizens who get accused along the way (especially 
in the event of being proved wrong!)

This was part of my original post:

>Inspired by Alexander and his lovely quote,

>>> One must be a complete paranoic to search for the
>>> hedgehog at the top of a fir tree.
>>>     Pavel Shumilov.

>I would like to propose the founding of the Order of the Flying Hedgehog (an 
>oranisation for sensitive and thoughtful vigilantes) and make the following >
preliminary suggestions:
>Motto: 'Constant Vigilance'.
>Proposed Honorary President: Alastor Moody (to be approached).
>Aim: the discovery of all possible associates and sympathisers of Lord 
Voldemort, >past, present and future.
>Principles:  the dual assumptions that all are guilty until proved innocent 
and all >innocent until proved guilty. 
>Benefits: the justification of otherwise slanderous/libellous attacks on 
characters >who may be blameless (see Principles, above) thus avoiding 
embarassing climb- >downs when proved wrong.

And since I wrote this, Tabouli has come up with another splendid acronym, so 
that the obligotary badge can finally go into production:

>Weeeell, we could always stick with tradition and design a badge bearing a 
flying >hedgehog with the following legend encircling it:

>F.L.Y.I.N.G.H.E.D.G.E.H.O.G. (Fearful League Yabbering "Innocent Narratives >
Generally Harbour Enemies, Death-eaters, Grim Henchmen Or Gangsters")

First rate, Tabouli, you've got the point *exactly*!

On an entirely unrelated topic (other than an idle speculation as to whether 
we should take a line on the, as I see it,  rather unnecessary 
transfiguration of hedgehogs into pincushions), Elkins signed off the other 
day,

>Elkins, who simply cannot *bear* the thought of murdered pets.

Err...would this be the same Elkins who sports featherboas made from murdered 
owls? Or am I confusing you with someone else?

Eloise
(who was rather amused to find in the Daily Telegraph today, that the front 
of the gardening section sported large colour pictures of lupins ( headline, 
'Falling in love again'), and then turned over to find the next feature to be 
on 'Plants with edge'!)



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]