clothing in the Potterverse

[Jim Ferer]

No: HPFGUIDX 90116

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Berit Jakobsen" 
<belijako at o...> wrote:
> Jim wrote:
> Fudge doesn't like to see wizard kids in jeans and tank tops, or 
> listening to U2 on the Walkmen their Muggle-born friends gave them 
> for Christmas. It's a CULTURE WAR!
> 
> Berit replies:

> A Muggle football will work nicely at Hogwarts (though, if the 
other 
> students are anything like Ron, they just think Muggle sports are 
> weird; after all the soccer teams on the posters don't even MOVE!), 
> but I doubt a walkman would work; according to Hermione electrical 
> appliances go hay-wire because of all the magical protection... :-) 
I 
> don't have canon evidence for this, but I suspect a walkman 
wouldn't 
> work very well at a wizard's house/property either, because most 
> wizarding families would use a lot of magic all the time, making 
> Muggle appliances dysfunctional. Mrs Weasley, for intance, uses 
magic 
> all the time to cook food, clean the dishes, you name it. The 
> Weasleys has an old radio in the kitchen playing wizard music, but 
my 
> guess is that a wizard radio works on magic and are not fitted with 
> plugs or batteries. Mr Weasley would be delighted if they were 
> though :-)

You're right, mostly, but magic can't be that powerful in interfering 
with Muggle devices, or it would give too much away - I suspect you 
need a big concentration of magic, like Hogwarts, to make 
interference. But my point wasn't about walkmen, it was about 
influence as a human phenomenon.

It's actually the simpler things, like clothes and Muggle 
rrecreation, that would be more likely influential.   Somebody must 
be interested in using their bodies in play, like football; only a 
select few get to compete at Quidditch in three games a year (that we 
know of).  If there's pickup Quidditch games, we don't hear about 
them, and we should.

> It's not at all in tune with Rowling's 
> magical world. I see no need of introducing more of the Muggle 
> world to the magical world; it's perfectly charming and wonderful 
> as it is! But I guess that makes me just like the "oldfashioned 
> wizards" who scoff at Muggle stuff :-))

I agree with the sentiment, actually (FWIW, I don't like the 
designated hitter rule either). It's just human nature that the kids 
will influence each other.

I like patrolling the fantasy/reality border. What if my kids got a 
Hogwarts letter? What if Hermione gave an interview to the Muggle 
press?