Marrietta's betrayal -Higher Moral Authority

[Steve]

No: HPFGUIDX 110862

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "delwynmarch" <delwynmarch at y...>
wrote:

> 
> Alla wrote :
> "She was obeying the law? Well, any law put into place by professor 
> Umbridge deserved to be sabotaged, IMO."


> Del replies :
> I understand the feeling, but I have to disagree with the statement.
> Anarchy lurks around the corner when we start choosing which laws
> we're going to obey.
> 
> Moreover, putting any morality over the law is terribly dangerous.
> After all, isn't it exactly what LV and the DEs are doing ? Their
> morality isn't ours, but if we claim the right to put our morality
> over the law, then we automatically grant them the same right.
> Dangerous, very dangerous.
> 
> Del

B_Boymn:

Equally, there is a problem with blindly following the law. The law is
a matter of opinion and is changing all the time. In addition,
Government, politicians, and therefore law can become corrupt as would
likely be the case if Voldemort wins and takes over.

We have discussed subject along this line before, and in that past
discussion I have used the example of a soldier during wartime. A
soldier is required by law to follow orders. His failure to do so can
be very harshly punished even to the extent of the death penalty.
However, international law has established the each soldier must
answer to a higher more universal moral authority. 

If a soldier is ordered by his superior to commit what he believes to
be a war crime or crimes against humanity, then he has both a moral
and legal obligation to refuse. If he does not refuse, he can later be
prosecuted for those war crimes or crimes against humanity. Of course,
Catch-22, if he does refuse, he can also be prosecuted for disobeying
orders and other assorted crimes. 

So, a common and reasonable morality does take precedence over common
law. Obeying the law is the 'easy' choice, just keep your head down,
hope for the best, and do what you are told; the choice of
non-thinkers and non-doers. Those who think and do, make their choice
based on a deeper and more universal sense of right and wrong. 

Harry is making his choices, or at least the really important ones,
based on this same 'higher authority'. Independant of what the rules
and the law says, Harry chooses to do what he knows to be right. The
'easy' way is to shrug his shoulders and say it's not his problem, let
the grownups worry about the Stone. That way, regardless of whether it
goes right or wrong, at least they can't blame it on him. The hard
way, the hard moral choice, is to say, I don't care what happens to
me, preventing Voldemort/Snape from getting the Stone is more
important than petty rules and a little trouble. 

In Marietta's case, I do have some sympathy for her, she was faced
with a difficult, if not impossible, moral dilemma. She was very much
like the soldier during wartime, torn between internal and external
forces. 

However, her betrayal came AFTER the Quibbler interview with Harry
came out. Prior to that, she had strong reason to doubt Harry, and was
in a position that was consistent with most of the students. Tempering
that, she also had direct contact with Harry in the DA Club lessons
which should of given her a strong sense of Harry as a person. She
should have been able to see that he wasn't some lying, bragging,
show-off. 

Once the Quibbler article came out, most of the students changed their
mind about Harry, and at least considered the possibility that he
might be right. However, it is at this time of general enlightenment,
that Marietta choose to betray Harry. I have to wonder why, other than
it was necessary for the story, at that time, did she decided to go to
Umbridge? I have a suspicion, as suggested by others, that outside
forces were putting a great deal of pressure on her, pressure to which
she eventually caved. 

In closing, in our previous discusssion, we examined the various
stages of moral enlightenment, and blindly following or ridgidly
adhering to the rules is one of the lowest stages.

In otherwords, to paraphrase Dumbledore, at some point in our life, we
must choose between that which is right, and that which is easy. 

Just passing it along.

Steve/b_boymn