No Sex, Please, We're British

[grannybat84112]

No: HPFGUIDX 83422

Shaun Hately wrote:
>>> I watch American TV shows supposedly about teenagers... and the
>>> common depiction of how young people date...seems very 
>>> alien to me. That's because my experiences growing up are 
>>> different - and I think  the same is true of the kids at 
>>> Hogwarts. What they experience seems very realistic to me.
 
And Gorda wrote:
>>I think we may be having a cultural difference here, either between 
>>Britain and the US, or between those of us
>>who have been to high school recently and those who, er, have not.
 
Then Susan wrote:
> Perhaps it's also a boarding vs. public school difference?  ...
> I taught high school...but I can tell you, there's a **whole lotta 
> sex goin' on** in America...even as young as ages 13 and 14.  
> .... perhaps there really is a difference between U.S. & U.K. mores?

This is why I requested information specifically from people who 
experienced the British private/public school system. My own 
perceptions are filtered through an education in American public 
(taxpayer-funded, nonexclusive, general curriculum, local, day 
attendance) schools. My understanding of British culture is defined 
by 'Net contact with British friends, reading English literature, and 
watching British films and TV programs. 

It's hard to know what the true cultural norm is when your reference 
points are limited to Shakespeare, Masterpiece Theatre, and Benny 
Hill.

Be that as it may--I think its quite revealing that JKR never 
attended a boarding school herself. (And now I can't find the post 
that volunteered that piece of information, so I can't quote it. 
Blast.) So the **conventions** of the British Boarding School as a 
literary genre (as opposed to the reality) are even more influential 
on her writing than I thought.

So, then.

The impression I get from People Who Have Experience With This Sort 
of Thing is that Hogwarts culture 'feels' right in terms of sexual 
mores; the only thing missing is the bragadoccio, which turns out to 
be a lot of hot air in most cases. I suppose that means Rowling will 
never give us a scene in which Snape catches Ron with a copy of 
Playwizard Magazine. (Centerfolds that move...nnnnno, let's not go 
there.)

Tacky as that last line may sound--I'm really not interested in who's 
bedding whom, how often they're 'doing it,' and how varied their 
tastes may be. Really. I'm interested in what kind of social/ethical 
preparation Magicals give their children in regard to The Big Life 
Issues, and whether the apparent lack of formal instruction strays 
that far from the norms of British Muggle society. 

Sadly, it appears that silence, shame, and learning by trial-and-
error is the norm on both sides of the genetic divide.

Grannybat