OoP thoughts and re: house-elves

[arrowsmithbt]

No: HPFGUIDX 61412

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Kia" <kiatrier at y...> wrote:
> Thoughts, opinions, sunk theories? Anyone?
> 
> Am I the only one who got the distinctive impression that OotP is 
> the most political of the books so far?
> 
> The fountain and the lie it told. The never-mentioned-before fact 
> that the goblins do not have full rights in the Wizarding World, the 
> ignorant, bureaucratic and therefore consequently evil 
> government, the bought media... at least some of these things 
> have contemporary relevance. 
> 
> Jenny wrote:
> 
> >>>1. What do you all think of House Elves now, especially with 
> the awful Kreacher being introduced? Do they really choose their 
> lot or are they completely "trained" by their owners (as 
> Dumbledore implied)?<<<<<
> 
> 
> I believe more than ever, especially with the house-elves treated 
> exactly as centaurs and goblins (who are fighting for more rights 
> for centuries), that house-elf enslavement is wrong. Kreacher 
> works as pro-argument because his "conditioning" is what turns 
> him evil. (Hermione is right, the elves are brainwashed.) The 
> problem is that they *cannot* choose their fate even if they 
> wanted to. They have no choice, because they have no rights and 
> are enslaved. And as long as they don't have a choice, no on can 
> argue that they *choose* to be enslaved.
> 
> Me:
The Gryffindor house  elves chose not to accept Hermiones' clothing offer - even felt 
insulted by it
 
Kneasy