[HPforGrownups] Democracy and prejudice

[manawydan]

No: HPFGUIDX 50615

>   Date: Sat, 25 Jan 2003 10:15:57 -0000
>   From: "Tom Wall <thomasmwall at yahoo.com>" <thomasmwall at yahoo.com>
>Subject: Democracy and  Prejudice in the WW (WAS: Why do 'purebloods' hate
Muggles?)

>Consider: The Ministry of Magic. From what we know, the MoM is the
>sole arbiter and source of ALL policies in the British WW. I mean,
>we've never heard of any kind of referendum to "the people" in order
>to determine any kind of policy. I don't have GoF handy, but

Indeed so. WW  has been quite accurately and consistently drawn as a perfect
bureaucracy.

>So, anyways, if people are "appointed" to these posts, who exactly
>does the appointing? Is there ever, ever, a mention in canon of
>wizarding elections? Not that I can recall.

Probably a Board or committee of the other senior officials - perhaps the
Heads of Department. The post wouldn't necessarily be limited to an existing
Head of Department - Arthur Weasley isn't Head of Dept but Dumbledore makes
the comment that he should have been chosen as Minister - but would
certainly be limited to Ministry wizards of considerable seniority. If the
MoM is anything like an English civil service department (and it certainly
seems to be like one of about 50 years ago) then the successful candidate
would be someone who had worked their way up the ranks and had unswerving
loyalty to the Ministry and its internal culture - which most Ministry
wizards seem to have anyway.

>Is the WW so far behind the muggle world that they actually have no
>democracy?

Possibly a wizard would find muggle concepts of democracy as sinister and
frightening as we would find the thought of being ruled by the Ministry. The
only "alternative" political philosophy we've seen is the Death Eater one
which certainly doesn't have any democratic element. I suspect that most
wizards would see  some sort of anarchy as the only _positive_ alternative
to the Ministry.

There _are_ references however to decisive fora that are over and above the
bureaucracy. Professor Binns has given us fascinating hints about Wizarding
Congresses - which would of course be the only possible method of making
major decisions. Similarly, the trial scene in "Goblet" was the logical
_judicial_ counterpart - a tribunal!

>But doesn't it strike anyone as odd that there aren't (so far) any
>mentions of ELECTED student posts? Certainly if the positions of

There is no tradition of elected student posts in the UK - that certainly
didn't strike me as odd.

>comes to bias. Sure, I will give credit where credit is due and
>concede that "race," or perhaps better referred to as "skin color"
>doesn't seem to be a major issue.

Nor any suggestion of "ethnic cleansing" or anything like that. I can
picture wizards in those times and places shaking their heads sadly over
"those dreadful things that muggles do to each other".

>That aside, consider:
>- the ongoing enslavement of the disenfranchised house elves.

What sort of franchise are they being denied though? And _are_ they
_enslaved_ as we (or Hermione) would understand the word? Isn't it just
their nature to be attached to a house or establishment and to do the
domestic work? They seem to be horrified by any alternative setup - see
comments above over democracy vs bureaucracy...

>- the "goblin rebellions." What were they rebelling against?

I wonder about goblins also. How does Goblin World operate?

> "At the end of GoF it's stated that Weasley hasn't been promoted up
>the Ministry because he's too sympathetic to Muggles, which rather
>implies that actual Muggles wouldn't stand a chance. We aren't

I don't think a muggle would be eligible to join the Ministry

>In fact, in some ways, aren't the Death Eaters the WW equivalent to
>the KKK?  They run around in secret attacking those who
>are "different" on the basis of quantifiable characteristics, like
>lineage?  Oh, and whether or not they pose a threat to the status quo.

I think the DEs are certainly trying to overthrow the status quo, but to
replace it with a Voldemortian one in which he would be top wizard, his
sidekicks would have some sort of fiefdoms each and in which muggles (and
possibly even other wizards) would be enslaved.

Cheers

Ffred

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