Comparing "house-elfment" to slavery (Part 1)

[c_voth312]

No: HPFGUIDX 39126

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., "naamagatus" <naama_gat at h...> wrote:
> It seems to me that you are begging the central question here, 
which 
> is - IS the house elves connection to humans innate (i.e., natural) 
> or is it psychological (i.e., the result of "brainwashing"). You 
seem 
> to already assume the latter. 

I think you've hit upon the crux of the issue here.  Frankly, I 
admire JKR for creating this moral dilemma.  It's a given in our 
society that the enslavement of another race, culture, etc. is 
downright wrong.  But if there was a culture built around servitude, 
whose members willingly and conciously embraced that position of 
being subservient to others, would it really be right to work for 
their freedom?  I'm not saying that this is certainly the case of the 
house-elves; it is possible their mindset is due to some form of 
psychological and cultural conditioning or brainwashing.  But I don't 
think we can rule out the chance that the desire is innate.

(snip) 
> My main point, however, is that the problem with human enslavement, 
> like I said, is simply that it is enslavement. Once you posit human 
> slavery, you cannot meaningfuly speak of fair treatment. Fair 
> treatment becomes an issue, IMO, only if the basic structure of the 
> relationship is deemed legitimate. For instance, child abuse arises 
> (logically, I mean) out of the natural dependency of children on 
> their parents (or adults in general). The same goes for dogs. We 
> accept that dogs have an innate connection and need of that 
> connection with their owners. Otherwise, we would be protesting 
> against the very concept of dog ownership, wouldn't we? Since we 
> accept it, however, we try to provide for rules that protect the 
dog 
> from abuse by his owner. 
> 
> So, first we have to decide whether the bond of servitude between 
> house elves and humans is morally right, and only then (if we 
decide 
> it is) can we debate what constitutes fair treatment of elves.

Agreed.  I think this falls into the "wait-and-see" category.

~Christi