[HPforGrownups] Wizards and muggles

[manawydan]

No: HPFGUIDX 56590

Serena wrote:

>I think that the wizard world is constantly surrounded in magic and
>it becomes harder and harder for them to understand all the
>contraptions and stuff that muggles use(need).  The best comparison I
>can make is when Europeans began exploring the world and came accross
>what they called "primitive" cultures.  These cultures weren't really
>primative, but different.   It was just a different way of life and
>the explores couldn't wrap they're minds around that anyone would
>want to live that way.

A recent posting compared the WW to "Chinatown" in our world. Because
wizards can get around to other WW locations without having to go through
the muggles in between, they certainly can live their lives completely
ignorant of how muggles live. Also, if someone comes from the muggle to the
wizard world at a young age, they could easily lose touch if they chose to.
And because wizards' life spans are much longer, the muggle world would have
changed quite dramatically while they were out of it.

But I think it goes further than this.

Muggle world runs on technology. Wizard world runs on magic. There's not
really any common territory. Arthur Weasley is fascinated by technology the
way some muggles are fascinated by magic, and for the same reasons: neither
can be easily described or understood in terms of the other. If you're an
ordinary wizard in the street, not very curious about muggles, I can quite
understand the incomprehension at a world run on technology.

Cheers

Ffred

O Benryn wleth hyd Luch Reon
Cymru yn unfryd gerhyd Wrion
Gwret dy Cymry yghymeiri