In defense of considering pureblood preference racism

[arrowsmithbt]

No: HPFGUIDX 107016

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "sofdog_2000" <sofdog_2000 at y...> wrote:
> 
> 
> SOF: I couldn't disagree more with this assessment. The 
> Pureblood/Muggleborn conflict is clearly racism, not a caste
> system. If it were a caste system, both groups would be aware 
> that they were partcipating in it and know there places. 

Kneasy:
Better hit the biology and social anthropology books:

Race: ...a genetically or morphologically distinct variety of plant
or animal.

Caste: an hereditary class of socially equal persons....usually
following similar occupations and distinguished from other castes
in the hierarchy by its relative degree of purity or pollution.

Dig into past posts and there are lots of speculations about the
genetics of wizards and the possibility of a 'magic gene'. I think
that all agree that it must be a recessive of some kind, probably
not a single gene with a simple yes/no expression.  Since Muggles
can produce wizard children and wizards can produce non-magical
offspring they cannot be considered as separate races. It would be 
the Real World equivalent of considering children with genetically
determined differences as being of a different race. Aptitudes
for music (think Mozart - composing aged 6) or mathematics
(think Gauss - self taught by the age of 3) are well documented. 
And sometimes in runs in families. Magical aptitude could be a 
similar mechanism.

In the definition of 'caste' note that "purity and pollution" are the
determining factors - doesn't that mirror the WW exactly? It's
the purity of blood that young Malfoy siezes on, and the insult
refers to 'polluted' blood.


> 
> There is clearly a caste system within the magical world. 
> House-elves were created specifically to draw water and hew
>  wood. The laws that restrict them are strikingly similar to the 
> laws governing American slaves (ie. no possession of wands). 
> 

Kneasy:
Bad treatment of other beings *can* be considered as a form of
racism - they are genetically/morphologically distinct. 
The House  Elves are a puzzling bunch -  JKR  seems to have taken
the old 'Brownie' myth and given it a twist. For those who are  not
familiar with Brownies, they're Elves that *love* helping out around
 the home - voluntarily. If offered payment (in cash or in kind), they
vanish, never to return.

The real puzzle is why beings so obviously magical allow themselves
to be abused by such as Malfoy. They  don't need wands; they're
able to cast powerful spells without them. And Dobby could do so
even when still in servitude to the Malfoys ( Platform 9.75, the rogue
bludger, apparating around Hogwarts). Many suspect that we have 
much to learn about House Elves.

But House Elves apart, it's characters like Hagrid that are the target
of contempt from pureblooods and crazies like Umbridge. And it's
expressed by dear Dolly as a hatred of half-breeds - 'pollution' again.  


> The attack on the Roberts family was the equivalent of a lynching
> in the American segregation era. They were picked on because 
> they were isolated, outnumbered and unable to defend themselves. 
> 

Kneasy:
I  wasn't  referring to this episode but the earlier one when Roberts
was taking money for the camping site. "Obliviate!" - keep him
stupid, use him for our own purposes - and nobody thinks it wrong.


> The Dursleys definitely had a choice with Harry. If they rejected 
> him - gave him over to the state to be fostered - Harry would have
> been defenseless maybe, but it was an option available to them. 
> It is the only thing that speaks well of the Dursleys, that 
> they kept Harry for his own sake. 
> 

Kneasy:
I don't  agree. I don't think that they  were given a choice.
In PS/SS it's made clear that the  Dursleys hated and feared the Potters.
DD dumps Harry on the doorstep and there's no indication of a
fall-back plan if the Dursleys don't co-operate.
True, we don't know what was in the letter, but from the way they
treated Harry it's clear that he was a most unwelcome 'guest' who is
provided with the bare minimum of everything.


> It seems to me that the core reason Wizards work so hard to 
> stay under the Muggle radar is to keep themselves from being hunted
> down and killed off. Mass hysteria leads to ugly things. Ron's comment
> that Wizards needed to intermarry in order to keep from dying out 
> indicates that they are a significant minority of the human population.
> If sure if provoked, Muggles would find away to wipe them out.

Kneasy:
True at one time, but does is still apply?
Again in PS/SS Hagrid says that the main reason the Ministry tries to
keep wizards hidden is because "..everybody'd be wanting magic
solutions to their problems. Nah, we're best left alone." Fear doesn't
seem to be a significant factor these days.