[HPforGrownups] Why are some poor, some rich, some use teenage slang

[manawydan]

No: HPFGUIDX 67128

JDR (The Sergeant Majorette) says:
> I've wondered about that myself since Book I. And why do the kids
> wear regular teenage clothes, speak regular teenage slang, yet not
> know how to use a telephone? If Hogsmeade is the only entirely
> wizarding settlement in Britain, how come wizards don't know how to
> move in the muggle world? It's not like they can telecommute, after
> all.

The students at Hogwarts are 25% muggle born (JKR has said this somewhere) -
I assume that that means all those with at least one muggle parent so there
is a high proportion in the books who are familiar with muggle clothes,
language, and so on. Reading OoP strengthens my belief that the Hogwarts
students are only a small proportion of the WW children and that a very
large number don't come into contact with muggle borns of their own age. The
same is true of adults. Also, because they have a longer life span than
muggles, and because the opinion formers, educators, governors in most
societies tend to be the elders, "older" ideas live longer in the WW.

As far as transport goes, wizards have their own means (apparation, floo,
broomsticks, etc) which mean that they can go from place to place without
needing to worry about how muggles do it. Even where there is obvious
cultural crossover (the Hogwarts Express, the Knight Bus) they have a WW
slant on them.

Cheers

Ffred

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