[HPforGrownups] Re: Societal reactions to Voldemort(was First meetings)

[Kathryn Cawte]

No: HPFGUIDX 71468

--jenny from ravenclaw **************
 
I see the Slytherins in no way as a street gang. These are the upper 
crust, old money, pureblooded wizards who are so lost in their own 
traditions they are literally marrying their own cousins. They are 
not people who feel ostracized by society, but terrified of losing 
their place in it. They are the plantation owners of the South who 
opposed the liberation of the slaves. They are the Germans who needed 
someone to blame for the downfall of their economy post WWI. Gangs 
don't have a hell of a lot of power in society; these old money 
pureblooded wizards clearly have had a good deal of influence (just 
look at the hold Lucius Malfoy had on Fudge for five books). They are 
scary.
 
 
Me -

everyone keeps telling me that the Slytherins are all rich and influential
but then the only example they can come up with is Malfoy. I agree Lucius is
rich and influential (well he was he's no doubt currently sharing a cell
with a big butch convict called Crusher<g>). We know Sirius family has
wealth (although not how much since Sirius' affluence could be a consequence
of being the sole survivor and not having spent anything for 12 years -
wonder how much interest Gringotts pays ...) but we don't know about the
Lestranges. The Weasleys are purebloods and broke. Harry is rich but we don
t actually know whether James was a pureblood although most people seem to
assume he is. Crabbe and Goyle snr seem to simply to be simply toadies with
no power and we have no suggestion as to how wealthy they are. Depending on
exactly what rank and in what department the DEs that worked at the Ministry
were in (and I don't really remember other than MacNair) there could be a
degree of influence there. I am perfectly willing to re-evaluate my opinion
but can someone please put the case for wealthy influential Slytherins
without mentioning the word 'Malfoy'
 
Your plantation owners analogy seems flawed to me since their fears of
muggleborns don;t seem to revolve around a fear that they will take over the
WW or somehow remove the power of the purebloods (not that I totally agree
that they have much to start off with) so much as a feeling of superiority
combined with an historical fear of persecution.

I can see good reasons for why Voldemot could first come to prominence after
WWII. The wizarding community, especially those who lived in cities, must
have been effected to some extent by the conflict. Even the rural ones with
the sudden influx into the countryside of hoardes of muggles. It wouldn't
take much to point out the violence of the muggle nations and the fact that
if they can so easily persecute and kill sections of their own population
then why shouldn't they turn that violence on wizards if they were to be
discovered. And with modern technology it wouldn't be a case of burning them
at the stake (apparently easy to protect yourself from magically) but firing
squads and bombs. With muggle technology beginning to bound ahead, the
advent of the nuclear arms race, I can see a climate of fear and distrust
towards muggleborns being very easy to encourage.
 

K