[HPforGrownups] Stereotyping

[Iggy McSnurd]

No: HPFGUIDX 84653

> B Arrowsmith <arrowsmithbt at btconnect.com> said:
>
> >Stereotyping.
> >
> >By the posters.
> >

*the rest is snipped*

Iggy here:

I figgured that it would be easier here to simply do a more generalized
reply here than to try and address more specific commentary.

1:  Human beings are, by nature, at least moderately hypocritical.  This is
not intended as an insult, it is simply a statement.  We tend to see our own
set of guidelines for life as being the right ones, and judge others
accordingly.  (Though we truly have no right to instruct others to live
right until we can do it ourselves.)  Unfortunately, we also tend to be a
bit blind to our own failings and shortcomings when held up to the light of
our own standards. It is something that, at least IMHO, everyone in the
world is guilty about to some degree or another.  Also, IMHO, if we admit
this hypocrisy and try to work to improve ourselves and lessen it, then it's
ok.  When we are self-righteous in that hypocrisy... seeing all the flaws in
others but completely unable, or unwilling to see it in ourselves... that
it's unacceptable.

2: Regarding the "house elves slavery" issue.  IMHO, they are slaves... or
perhaps along the lines of indentured servants.  They have come to accept
this as a way of life, some are treated very well, some are ignored for the
most part, and some are abused.  Some are happy with their lot in life, some
want to change it and improve things, and some are just plain nuts.  When
you really look at this, it's not much different than the slavery of the
blacks in early America.  It's also a lot like the serfs in most European
cultures... or even just the peasants that lived on a lord or lady's land.
(Yeas, even in Britain.)  It can also be seen as very similar to the
conditions in which many people are willfully employed to this day in "first
world" cultures all the way down to the "third world."  Some people love
their jobs, some hate them, some simply accept it, and some are plain nuts.
I've worked for employers who have treated me very well, some who have
treated me as no more than an average employee, and some who have been
almost as bad as Lucius Malfoy.  It's a fact of life.  It's not right, but
it's life.

3:  General images of "slavery":  While slavery in the manner formalized and
recognized in the US didn't exist in the UK, per se, it still existed.
Serfdom, indentured servitude, and an "enforced lordship" all did.  None of
those are much different from slavery.  The lord of a demesnes, wealthy
merchants, court nobles, churchmen, and retainer knights were all pretty
much allowed to treat the lower class as they wished without fear or
retribution or reprisals.  If peasants tried to rise up and rebel, they were
maimed, imprisoned, or killed outright.  Not to mention that no rebellion
would last long, since the upper class had the weapons, armor, forts, and
training to beat down 99% of any uprising pretty easily, especially when you
consider that the closest things to weapons the peasants were allowed to
keep were farm implements and household utensils.  The lower class did not
own the land on which they lived, had no true rights, and the vast majority
of what they grew went to feed their lord and his retainers.  This was also
a method in which the lords kept their serfs hungry enough that they didn't
have the health or energy to form an uprising.  And this went on for quite
some time after the Romans left the UK.
  The only real difference between this and the slavery practiced in the
early years of the US, is in the name... not in the practice.

4:  On motherhood and sexism issues:  Yes, sexism exists.  No, it is not
right.  Yes, it has existed for thousands of years.  No, it's not likely to
change overnight.  Yes, many countries in the world have made great strides
in sexual equality.  No, not all countries accept the need to do so.  I
would also like to point out that sexism also works both ways, and many men
have been criticized and degraded by others because of their own views and
choices.  (I speak from repeated... and repeated... and repeated... personal
experience here.)  A woman does not have to be a CEO, a successful
businesswoman, or a political figure to be a solid role model.  But then,
I'd like to point out that neither does a man.  A stay at home parent can be
just as positive a role model for anyone as a professional.  A good parent
provides for their children, loves them, takes care of them, sees that their
needs are met, answers questions, kisses boo-boos, teaches wrong from right,
and disciplines their children when needed.  This does not exclude the
house-parent, or the professional.  Just because Molly chooses to be a
house-wife does not mean that she's not a strong role-model or a strong
woman.  It simply means that she chose the path in life that she feels is
best for her.
  A person's strength as a person is not determined by their job, their
earning potential, or their education... It's determined by their decisions,
their actions, and their character.

5:  Stereotyping:  Each person needs to be judged on their own merits (if
they are to be judged at all) and not as part of a collective.  This
includes members of a race, gender, sexual orientation, belief system,
occupation, or membership on a mailing list.  Not all posters set things
into stereotypes... unfortunately, it may seem that way at times since often
it's easier to speak in generalizations.  There is a difference between the
two... "Men have beards" is a generalization.  "Only manly men have beards"
is a stereotype.  Both talk about men having beards, but one sets an
expectation of a specific personality, social, or other non-physical trait
to the possession of a beard that is both unfounded and unrealistic.  It is
important to look at the written word with a reasonable level of objectivity
to determine whether or not someone is using a generalization, or a
stereotype.  This is not to say nobody uses stereotypes, a number of people
do.  It's just to say that one should be sure not to assume that all the
posters do... because that, in itself, is a stereotype.

6:  JKR and Religion:  Here's my simplest statement in this letter - While
many people of many faiths may say that her books are based on a hero of
their religion, the books themselves are based on their beliefs, or that the
tenets of a faith are located within her books... until she flat out says
"Yes, my books are designed to promote the <insert name here> faith," it's
pure speculation and not canon.


I think that should cover my views on this.


Iggy McSnurd
(the MLTA)