On the other hand (was Re: Disliked Uncle Vernon)

[cubfanbudwoman]

No: HPFGUIDX 93051

Susan:
> > Playing devil's advocate a bit here....  You have no right to 
> > force moral standards on the Dursleys?  Why not?  Are there no 
> > universal moral standards for treatment of others?  I find that 
> > unpalatable.  Civilization depends upon certain mores and 
> > legalized moralities, does it not?  
> > 
 
Kneasy:
> People often talk about having 'a' moral code. They never say they 
> have 'the' moral code - because there isn't one. There are 
> thousands. 
> 
> Generally speaking any prevailing moral code reflects the society
> where it is practised and for the most part is a standard of 
> behaviour that is intended to allow that society to function with 
> a minimum of friction. So, different societies, different codes.
 
Susan:
Kneasy, I suspected you'd ring in on this one, and I'm glad you 
did.  There isn't a *whole* lot I'd actually argue with you here in 
your first two paragraphs.  A universal entire moral codebook?  
You're right, of course.  We could look at typical treatment of 
children, the roles of women, the importance of/rights of animals, 
etc., and they would vary from culture to culture.  But I do think 
subsumed w/in those various codebooks there are *some* fairly 
universal morals [mores and/or laws against murder and theft are 
typically ones, are they not?].   

Kneasy:
> "Ah," you say, "but that means that the Dursleys should treat 
> Harry by the code prevailing."
> "Ah," says I, "why didn't DD and the WW stick to *their* moral code
> instead of stuffing Harry into the equivalent of Dotheboys Hall?" 
> 
> If anyone's morals are  at fault it's DD's. He *knew* how the 
> Dursleys felt about the Magical World, James and Lily and the 
> treatment that would be meted out to Harry and did bugger all 
> about it; and if he didn't know beforehand, he should damn well 
> have known from Mrs Figg in a very few years. Did he do anything? 
> No. 
> 
> What reason did DD give to Minerva that night in Privet Drive? He 
> didn't want Harry growing up spoilt and thinking he was somebody
> special. What better place to avoid that than with kindly, 
> solicitous Uncle Vernon. 
> 
> The Dursleys acted in an entirely predictable fashion - one that I
> suspect DD anticipated. How else could he be sure  that Harry
> would leap at the chance to go to Hogwarts? But if Harry was
> unhappy, then how much easier does it become to slot him into
> his pre-ordained role in DD's plan?  

Susan:
Interesting thought, that--that DD violated his own world's moral 
code in depositing Harry w/ the Dursleys.  I will enjoy reading 
others' responses to that....

You brought up that some would be sure to argue the Dursleys should 
abide by the prevailing code of British society.  I personally think 
they *should* be held to that code, yes, but even if one goes along 
with your argument--that DD & the WW did not stick to *their* own 
moral code--I still think this doesn't address the question I was 
hoping to get at:  If the Dursleys objected that much to having 
Harry dropped on their doorstep, if they where determined that to 
take him in would mean they would mistreat & abuse him, then why did 
they not pass on the "offer"?  Why *not* enroll him in an orphanage 
or turn him over to foster care?  As I stated in my original post, 
if they were frightened of DD--if they feared he was watching them 
closely & evaluating their "parenting" skills--they'd never have 
treated Harry as they did.  So why didn't they just say, "No way, 
Jose?"  Whose moral code to abide by would not even have been an 
issue in that, would it?

Kneasy:
> It's been a while since I last dipped into my collection of 
> quotations, but this seems an apposite time, so I'll give you two:
> 
> "Morality is a private and costly luxury" - Henry Brooks Adams
> 
> "You can't learn too soon that the most useful thing about a 
> principle is that it can always be sacrificed to expediency."
>  W. Somerset Maugham

Susan:
I just flat-out disagree with these, as absolute statements.  You 
love being a cynic; I find it goes against my nature more times than 
not.

Siriusly Snapey Susan