Ron, Hermione and the Elves was Re: SHIP: Harry and Hermione

[pippin_999]

No: HPFGUIDX 92464

I said:
 > > She's been trying for two books now to convince him  that 
> > they would get used to freedom if they had it. Muggle thinking, 
> > of course.  

Greatelderone:
> >Which in the five books is proving to be more advanced than 
the  wizard's unless slavery, institutionalized torture, lack of due 
process and legalized discrimination is your cup of tea. :)<<


More advanced? Erm, maybe in the five books. The existence of 
slavery in contemporary America was on the cover of the Sunday 
New York Times magazine just a few weeks ago. Whether it's 
due process to hold terror suspects in a remote island prison 
without benefit of trial or counsel is not an issue for fictional 
characters alone, more's the pity.  Neither is legalized 
discrimination.   But that's *not * what I meant by Muggle thinking.

I believe that Ron and Hermione both have the wrong end of the 
stick. It's narrow wizard thinking for Ron not to realize that House 
Elf submission isn't natural. But it's narrow Muggle thinking for 
Hermione to treat it as if it were the result of Muggle 
brainwashing. 

The House Elves, IMO, are *enchanted* into 
happiness with their dependent state. Hermione thinks that if 
they could only understand or  experience the rewards of 
freedom they would enjoy being free. But if their cravings for 
dependence are fed by magic, then  rewards conditioning can't 
cure them any more than it could lift the Imperius curse. 

Pippin