Stereotyping - Point of Exception

[Steve]

No: HPFGUIDX 84678

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Kathryn Cawte" <kcawte at n...> wrote:

> Kathryn:
>
> I'm all for women following nurturing professions or being stay at 
> home mums if they want but that was the *only* image that we were 
> getting and that was wrong, especially I feel in a childrens book. 

bboy_mn:

To this point, I must take exception, and I think it illustrates
nicely the point that the original poster was trying to make. 

JKR is under no obligation to as a writer to construct a well balanced
politically correct world. She has no mandate to to make sure all
point of view are represented and that no one is offended. 

She has one and only one mandate, and that is to tell her story as she
see it. If we like it, fine; and if we don't, also fine. But an artist
of any form has one obligation and objective, and that is to stay true
to his/her artistic vision, and political correctness be damned.

Book that are constructed with the intent to not offend, create
controversy, mirror all currently correct attitudes and beliefs, with
out fail are bland, pointless, inane, and trite, and they serve
neither to entertain, enlighten, nor inform.

House-elves are what they are, and we are certainly free to debate the
merits and demerits of the circumstance and fiction reality, but we
are in no position to tell the writer what she should or should not
have done. 

Would you demand that they paint a more pleasant smile on the Mona Liza?


> Kathryn:
> 
> I don't think JKR did it deliberately I think it just happened but 
> the book needed some strong female role-models.

bboy_mn:

Personally, I think that Molly is one of the strongest characters in
the book. There are few men or beasts who would not cower in the face
of Molly Weasley in a towering rage. There is no question who rules
the Weasley 'empire'. She is a fierce, take-charge, no-nonsense person
who is unafraid to speak her mind; not to mention a generous, kind,
compassionate, and loving person.  That doesn't sound like such a bad
role model to me.

Also, we don't know what Molly does all day long while the kids are
away at school. We assume she sits at home all day sipping coffee,
eating bon-bons, and listening to the latest witch's soap operas on
the Wizard's Wireless. Maybe she works. Maybe she is active in charity
or social organizations. Maybe they raise animals on their farm and
her job is to tend to them all day. Maybe lots of things, just because
we (and Harry) don't see it, doesn't mean it doesn't happen.


On a more general note, let's remember that every stereotype is based
on a grain of truth, but like all generalizations, they only hold up
under the broadest strokes of the brush. All generalization and
stereotypes break down when it comes to specifics.

Just a thought.

bboy_mn