Slytherin Ideology, in context

[Eric Oppen]

No: HPFGUIDX 100194

I know that we mostly believe that the "Slytherin" dislike of "m*dbloods"
and contempt for Muggles is a Bad Thing.  However, I would like to try to
put this sort of attitude into the context of the Wizarding World.

I think, myself, that the prejudice against muggle-born magical folk could
easily be explained by the real danger of having to deal with people whose
inner values are _different._  Particularly someone like Hermione (dearly
though I love her) who cannot seem to understand that Things Are Different
in the WW---house-elves may well be "enslaved" for good and sufficient
reasons, forex.  The prejudice might be against those _raised outside the
WW_...which would include one Harry James Potter, as well as our Hermione.

If there ever comes a time when Wizard and Muggle values clash---can
Hermione be trusted, even if the wizards are in the right?  She's gone on
with her house-elves'-rights campaign in the face of repeated evidence that
the house elves, themselves, do not _want_ to be free.  I'd think seeing how
crushed Winky was would have gotten through to her, but our Hermione is not
one to let a little thing like evidence get in the way.  House-elves are not
humans.  Neither, for that matter, are giants, and if Hagrid's a normal
half-giant, his lack of common sense and tropism for dangerous creatures
makes suspicion of half-giants not terribly difficult to understand.

Also, thanks to _someone_ who sleeps through his History of Magic classes,
depending on copying his studious friend's notes to save his sorry hide at
exam time, we don't know just what sort of dodgy rep Muggle-born magical
folk might have earned, back in the day.  What if, for example, the majority
of would-be Dark Overlord types were Muggle-born?  (Heck, if you include
"Muggle-raised" in this category, that would definitely include one Thomas
Marvolo Riddle, aka Lord Voldemort, now wouldn't it?)

As for their apparent contempt for Muggles, we think that is a Bad Thing
because we're Muggles ourselves, and because we tend to associate it with
racism, which is a Bad Bad Bad Thing---doubleplusungood Goldsteinful
unIngSocful crimethink, to use a bit of Newspeak.  But, unlike racism among
different races of Muggles, there are perfectly good reasons for a lot of
it.  If I were living in the Wizard World, I'd be terribly handicapped---I
couldn't ride a broom, summon the Knight Bus, use the Floo, get onto
Platform 9 3/4, or even into Diagon Alley without someone there to help me.
Once the novelty and wonder had worn off, I'd probably start to hate it.
(This, BTW, goes a long way toward explaining Filch, who is one of the
characters in the books I feel sorriest for---poor guy).  Seeing us unable
to do things they can do without effort, and not having had the benefit of
our sort of education, they naturally feel superior and rather contemptuous
of us---even Arthur Weasley, who is about as pro-Muggle as a lifelong
resident of the WW can be, tends to think of us as rather inferior.

Of course, this does not for a second excuse Muggle-baiting, much less
setting basilisks on other magical people, but the basic attitude is, IMO,
more understandable than not.

*donning fireproof armor in anticipation of a blizzard of Howlers*