newbie intro/Snape vs THE NAME/Muggle detecting

[Noelle]

No: HPFGUIDX 109073

Hullo all - I'd jump on the Voldy-ism/Fascism argument wagon, but I'm
inclined to just agree with and dismiss it :) Anyway - the things I do have
opinions on:

Snape vs. THE NAME:
>Potioncat:
> Also, Snape isn't the only adult to tell Harry not to say Voldemort.
>
> I'm not saying Harry should't say Voldemort...just that I can see
> why Snape doesn't want him to.

>Alla:
>
>But that is exactly the point. All other adults who don't want Harry
>to say Voldemort are afraid of him. Is Snape?

I'd say that Snape is afraid of Voldemort in a much more rational panic-less
way than those who flutter around and try to make Harry say 'You-Know-Who'.
First of all, 'YKW' seems like a superstitious 'speak of the devil' kind of
thing, that may/may not have been encouraged by the DE's/VM to promote fear
and hysteria. Snape doesn't say YKW because it's _childish_, the kind of
thing one does when giving someone the 'silent treatment'.

DD encourages Harry and others to say 'Voldemort' in an attempt to eradicate
the irrational YKW panic. It probably seems irresponsible to Snape - as if
DD is minimalizing the threat that VM really is. Like the fan appellations
'Voldie' 'Voldie-Pants' etc. "Dark Lord" is a decent compromise - suitably
respectful/fearful (hence 'Lord') also putting VM on the bad side (Dark) but
just Snapeishly ambiguous enough (Dark Lord, not Evil Lord or Really Bad
Mean Lord)

And on Muggle Detection:
>sssusan
 >That's interesting--IS there any kind
>of "wizard detecting" or "muggle detecting" ability inherent in
>witches & wizards?  Not that I'm aware of.  But did I miss something
>i the books?  Is this something Aurors are capable of?
>
>Anybody have thoughts on this?

I really subscribe to this
http://www.redhen-publications.com/WizChildren.html view of WW childhood
(summarized: children are such a tiny part of WW population and childhood
such a tiny part of wizard life, that not nearly so much
time/money/attention is spent on children, childhood is a necessary not
particularily pleasant phase one must go through before starting their
'real' adult life)

So the idea of a "big-brother-y" watch system which appears to be in place
to catch/protect underage wizards from doing magic unsupervised or around
muggles doesn't really bother me, in the context of the WW.(As a muggle, it
does, a bit, but I don't have to deal with Wizard social systems IRL, now do
I?)

The thing is, unless Arthur (who seems to be the resident Muggle Expert) has
his eye on the 'security cameras' keeping track of where all wizards are, he
probably couldn't tell a wizard from a non-wizard on sight. Even the wizard
prejudices rely on a bit of reasearch - put Hermione in Muggle clothes next
to Dudley in Hogwarts robes, who could tell which was which, if they didn't
know either? I frankly don't think this 'spider sense' exists.

~ Jenny Greenteeth