[HPforGrownups] Re: Acceptable Abuses?

[Dolies]

No: HPFGUIDX 95742

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com,
"dumbledore11214" <dumbledore11214 at y...> wrote:
> It may have started as fairy-tale story and maybe I
would prefer the 
> return to fairytale myself, but to me OoP was  as
far from fairy-tale 
> as you can get. You may not like thinking about
social issues when 
> reading HP, I do and frankly see nothing wrong in
doing so. 
> After all, JKR must have had at least some real
world issues in mind 
> when she wrote the books. Caricatures or not, quite
a few posters 
> seemed to know some "Snapes" during their lifetime.
JKR must have 
> done something right.

errr...you know...I have MANY "Snapes" teachers all my
life but that certainly does not prevent me from
enjoying the character as he is meant to be. In fact
that very fact enhance my experience of reading these
books and appreciating Snape. I know it must be an
alien concept for some of you but to me Snape is
really FUN to read (and write I suppose). He's almost
like a Dostoevsky anti-hero who behave in a way that
fulfilled that fantasy wish onto a bad day or toward
someone but can't do so because of whatever boundary
they have. Similar goes for Umbridge and Dursley, I
LOVE reading their part, except Snape has a much
larger and more important role so he's more special.
Well that's just me.
 
But I've seen these discussion on why oh WHY
Dumbledore allow this and that (hence tons of
evil!manipulative!Dumbledore theories), and the dismal
status of wizard world's
educational/moral/child-raising issues. People feeling
genuinely upset at the issues like "this is just plain
wrong!?? this society is SICK! why aren't any parent
report Snape to child abuse service??"  It is one
thing to think about social issues when reading HP
books, but totally another thing to imposing issues
ONTO the books. I'm not sure where you fit in
here.Since you said you see nothing wrong, I say it is
problematic because: the wizard world will forever be
this mean-spirited, twisted, sick and wrong place if
you insist on taken it as seriously as if it's real.
It'd constrainted the imaginative, wild and
exaggerated world by applying real life contemporary
*muggle* social values and standard upon it. We are
talking about a world where it is a funny prank to
burn a kid's tongue with holes, kids turning other
kids into giant slug, hexes throwing casually at each
other on school hallway.

The first and foremost to remember is that: this is
not a real world and JKR has a story to tell. And the
*tone* of this children story is more like the
fairytale tradition/Dickens, and the wizard world is
supposedly meant to be comical. To demand something
like "child abuse service" not only do not  fit the
tone of the book, but stuffs like that'll just kill
the magic and all the mythological/Victorian litarary
charm that makes Harry Potter so appealing.  And I'll
be so sorry for anyone who really thought child abuse
service should appear in a story like this. When I'm
reading these book, I do not concern whether the way
Harry was treated met whatever child-protected social
service's guidelines there is. I concern if the book
gave me giggles and thrills as Harry got himself into
more and more trouble and conflicts, and how the kids
dealt with these *fantasy* situations. I ENJOY seeing
Harry suffer and conflicts=more gripping drama. Not
only that, JKR has already answer why Dumbledore allow
Snape on staff (that Dumbledore thinks there are all
sort of lesson in life and dealing with horrible
teacher like Snape is one. I very much agree!), so
take it or leave it. If you (to the original poster)
do not agree with JKR's answer for Dumbledore's
intention, then just disagree. I'm afraid there is no
other deeper understanding that'll "make sense." They
HAVE to happen because they are all exist and created
for one purpose: for the sake of the story and drama. 

Characters and situations in OOP are still more
fairy-tale/Dickens to me with a social satirical tone,
which is still FAR FAR FAR from being some social
issues book. Umbridge is still as caricature as you
can get. So no, I do not see much difference in OOP
from previous books. It is still a fun-to-read
children fantasy book....or maybe I just do not take
these book THAT seriously.

D.