Hermione's rude comment

[jenny_ravenclaw]

No: HPFGUIDX 74537

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Wanda Sherratt" wrote, of 
Hermione's strangely insensitive comment about centaurs:
  
>My difficulty is not with how offensive the remark is, nor even 
solely with the fact that Hermione is the one saying it.  It's that 
Rowling has written 5 books dealing with the theme of racial prejudice 
and how bad it is. I've followed this theme all through the books, and 
it's been impressed upon me that this is IMPORTANT, even though I've 
found Rowling's treatment of it to be a bit unimaginative and 
occasionally tiresome.  So now I find it rather disorienting that 
Hermione just casually tosses off what in the wizarding world is 
basically a racial insult, and nothing comes of it. Nobody speaks to 
her, nobody comments on it, nobody even raises an eyebrow or looks 
troubled or surprised.  I feel like Rowling is ditching one of her 
central themes just to provide a little comic relief, and I don't 
think that is allowed.  She is the one in control of her material, and 
she could have selected any theme she wanted to build her story 
around.  She picked this one, and I can't figure out where this 
inconsistency has suddenly come from.  If in the next book, Hermione 
confronts this flaw in herself and learns from it, then it will turn 
out to have been an intelligent move; but I'm troubled by the way the  
remark just seems to drop into a black hole and causes no reaction at 
all.>

Wanda, you made an excellent point.  I agree with you that Hermione's 
comments, though coolly said, were insensitive and prejudiced.  I 
think Hermione is also rather insensitive and prejudiced about House 
Elves as well and David Frankis not too long ago explained that 
perfectly.  Bossy or not, Hermione has a problem insisting that she is 
right, to the point where she can be downright offensive, not to 
mention annoying.  Perhaps she was simply being defensive about the 
fact that she'd be missing out on some very interesting Divination 
lessons, perhaps she really doesn't care for horses.  Her comment was 
inappropriate either way.

As far as JKR's intentions go, it is hard to tell what they are here.  
I think she is making a point about Hermione and the House Elves and 
how, even with her good wishes for the Elves, she is doing them a 
disservice by trying to force freedom on them when they may not be 
able to handle it.  Maybe it isn't racism JKR is exploring here, but 
how people's ignorances or stubborness cause just as much trouble as 
outright "You Mudblood!" comments.  We do see some consequences of 
Hermione's lack of understanding of centaurs later when she nearly 
causes disaster for Harry and for herself when she opens her big mouth 
and makes the centaurs very angry.

When Hermione is wrong, she is soooo wrong.  I wish someone would 
point that out to her once in a while.  

--jenny from ravenclaw *****