[HPforGrownups] Re: Hermione's AND Hagrid's rude comments

[EnsTren at aol.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 75224

In a message dated 8/4/2003 7:04:12 AM Eastern Daylight Time, 
wsherratt3338 at rogers.com writes:

> --- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "loonyloopyrjl" 
> <loonyloopyrjl at y...> wrote:
> >I don't think Hermione was being racist or prejudiced when she 
> >referred to centaurs as "horses" to Parvati and Lavender [OoP, 
> >Chapter 27].  Rude, yes, but not necessarily racist or "speciest."
> >
> >Hagrid himself (although not known for his tact) referred to the 
> >centaurs as "mules" IN FRONT of the centaurs themselves:
> >"I won' be kept outta the fores' by a bunch of mules like you!" 
> said 
> >Hagrid. [OoP, Chapter 30]
> >
> >And walking away from them, Hagrid says to Harry and Hermione:
> >"Ruddy old nags though, eh?" [OoP, Chapter 30]
> >
> >And back in PS/SS Chapter 15, Bane says of Firenze:
> >"Have you no shame? Are you a common mule? . . . . It is not our 
> >business to run around like donkeys after stray humans in our 
> forest!"
> >
> >I would expect Hagrid, more than anyone else, to be not racist or 
> >prejudiced against other species.  He is half-human and imperfect, 
> as 
> >is Hermione, so he will say stupid things. The centaurs, on the 
> other 
> >hand, have no problem insulting their own as mules or donkeys, so 
> I 
> >think it's understood that this is an "acceptable" insult.
> >
> >
> I don't think it's acceptable at all - callling the centaurs "mules" 
> was clearly a serious insult, and intended to be one.  "Mules" 
> and "donkeys" - brute animals that serve man, these are considered 
> degrading terms to the centaurs, and I don't think they'd think it 
> was cute that a human girl called them "horses".  The fact that 
> Hagrid said what he did seemed to me an indication of how well he 
> knew the "lingo".  He picked the term he knew would be the most 
> offensive to his audience, but he at least had the excuse of being 
> insulted first, and he was standing up to his opponents. 

I most heartiedly agree.

Centaurs calling eachother mules is very diffrent than a human calling them 
as such.

Why?  Well we have a muggle equivlent here in real life!

Black people calling each other niggers.  Yes!  It happens!  I've heard it!  
And they use it both negativly, neutrally, and positivly!

If I did the same thing I'd get popped one, with a gun most likely.


Nemi
       --Black Dragon
       --Slasher and Yaoist
       --Utterly Psycotic


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