Racism in the WW and MW

[ginnysthe1]

No: HPFGUIDX 119387


ericoppen <technomad at i...> wrote:
> One thing to keep in mind is that our modern notion that "racism" 
> (however defined) is unBigBrotherwise unIngsocful 
> doubledoubleplusungood (to borrow some Newspeak from _1984_) is 
very, 
> very recent.  When my parents were young, the "N word" was standard 
> speech in a lot of the US, and just before I was born, there was 
> still deep enough suspicion of Catholics that JF Kennedy had to 
> specifically promise not to be under the Pope's domination to win 
the 
> US Presidency. 

Kim here:
I disagree with most of what you wrote.  However, first off, maybe 
you ought to translate into regular English what "unBigBrotherwise 
unIngsocful doubledoubleplusungood" means.  Just to make your point a 
bit more clear to everyone.

As to past standard use of the "N word" and suspicion of Catholics in 
politics and other aspects of social life (as well as prejudice 
against other groups), then as now, those were both signs of 
insensitivity, narrowmindedness, irrational fears, etc. on the part 
of members of the group that held the reigns of political power in 
this country.  No more, no less, IMO.  I think the same holds true of 
the WW, and my sense is that real world racism is part of what 
inspires JKR when she writes about similar attitudes and behaviors in 
the WW.  Where do you think she got the idea for the slur "mudblood" 
in the first place?

ericoppen continued:
> The WW changes socially to match the MW, but much more slowly.  
> Hence, it's not surprising that old suspicions of Muggle-born magic 
> folk, as well as dodgier creatures like giants, is still very much 
> the norm.  Attitudes like the Malfoys', or their analogues, would 
> have been perfectly normal in Britain up till relatively very 
> recently.  
> 
> Also---I do think that it needs pointing out that wizards' feelings 
> toward Muggles are not quite analogous to racism.  Like it or not, 
by 
> their standards Muggles are, at best, crippled.

Kim:
Well, yes, IMO wizards' feelings towards Muggles are quite analogous 
to racism in the RW.  In fact those feelings in wizards *are* racism, 
in the broadest sense of the word -- I mean insofar as preconceived, 
negative, and often incorrect notions that one group holds about 
another are "racist".  And that's pretty much what most racists think 
of so-called "inferior" groups, that they are by their very 
nature "crippled" in some sense.  Remember too that there are wizards 
and witches that don't hold such negative attitudes towards Muggles --
I mean, how do you account for the enlightened attitudes of the 
pureblood Weasleys?  What I see is that some people (including 
wizards) choose to believe that different means inferior, whereas 
other people (and wizards) realize that different just means 
different.  Of course, conflicts may still result from differences 
between groups, but those conflicts don't have to lead to racism.

Kim