Why SPEW will never work

[tiger_queen429]

No: HPFGUIDX 90216

When I first started reading GoF, I really liked the idea of Hermione 
in SPEW, but as the book went on, I started to not like the idea as 
much anymore. Then, when I read OoP, I really started to dislike 
Hermione and where she was taking SPEW. This is when I began to 
realize that SPEW would never work out, at least not in the time 
frame of these books. 
As I read posts about Hermione and SPEW, most of the discussion 
centered around if it was right,or important for her to do so. I read 
nothing about the overall success of her movement. In any society, 
oppostion to reforms in that society will exist. But at the same time 
there would be support for those reforms. Yet in the wizarding world 
no such support exists even from one of the biggest magical creature 
lovers out there,Hagrid.
At first it really struck me that I would dislike an anti-slavery 
movement. Now I realize what I disliked about SPEW: the house elfs 
did not want to be free themselves. I think that for any movement 
giving powers to the underpriviladged needs the cooperation of the 
underprivilaged group. The history of slavery through out human 
history contains many tales of run away slaves and slave revolts. In 
Latin America, for example, African slaves formed independant 
communiities in opposition to slavery. In the United States, many 
slave revolts occured, at the same time as abolitionist helped slaves 
escape with the Underground Railroad. The point I'm trying to make is 
that there would have been no Underground Railroad without the slaves 
willing and wanting to travel on it.   
I see Hermione as the abolitionist trying to  free slaves, and the 
house-elfs as the slaves. But the clear difference is that house-elfs 
are not "traveling on the Underground Railroad". 
With Dobby's example this becomes a bit more clear in my mind. Dobby 
wanted freedom from the Malfoys which he could only get by getting 
his freedom. Now that he has his freedom, he still wants to work(like 
ever other house-elf). House-elves can become free in OoP by picking 
up the clothes left in Gryffindor tower, but instead of getting their 
freedom in a realitivley easy way, they choose to avoid the tower. 
I'm not condoning slavery in any way, but I think that it will never 
happen as long as the house-elf themselves are not demanding their 
own freedom. Hermione would be better off helping goblins or 
werewolves gain more rights because at least they show some desire to 
gain more freedoms.

Tigerqueen