What sort of society and why ( was Re: Inaugural address....)

[scoutmom21113]

No: HPFGUIDX 97914

Kneasy:
Who, on merit is best fitted to 'lead' the WW? Probably Dumbledore. 
But he's refused once already, condemning the WW to a weak, 
vacillating government. A government cannot be strong if the most 
powerful person in society is outside it, no matter how benevolent 
that person may be. (Message 97853)

Nora:
I'm a big admirer of Pip!Squeak's MDDT revised defense, posted a 
while ago; in it, she speculates that DD stayed at Hogwarts because 
it was the place where he could functionally affect the most change. 
Note Fudge's litany of complaints, among which is 'not using 
Ministry approved curricula'--DD has been deciding what to teach the 
students, in large part. I think he's been thinking and plotting for 
some time on how to change the WW, but hey, mass societal change is 
never a fast process. (Message 97863)

PiP!Squeak:
And suddenly the question of `why would Dumbledore lead his attack 
on Voldemort from a *school*' makes perfect sense. If Dumbledore 
wants to change the very ethos of the WW, he has to start with the 
children. Children whose views have yet to be formed. Children who 
can then grow up in a place where muggleborns are treated as equal; 
where a werewolf or half-giant can be your friend. (Message 81010)

Bookworm:
Independent commissions to review things get formed when things go 
wrong. Not when everyone is singing "The Wicked Witch is dead." 
Immediately after Voldemort's vaporization, the WW's attitude would 
have been "life is good", not "we need to fix these problems."

Dumbledore is more a coach than a political leader; making him the 
Minister would not have been the best use of his talents. Blaming 
the problems of the WW on one person's refusal to become Minister of 
Magic totally ignores the culpability of everyone else who accepts 
the status quo. (Think of Ron's first reaction to learning about 
Lupin and Hagrid, and the attitude of most people toward house 
elves.) Using Kneasy's own comments against him <g>: "But most are 
probably like Regulus Black; their own prejudices have blinded them 
to the reality until too late." That applies to the "good guys" as 
well as the bad. And saying that the government is dependent on "the 
most powerful person in society" being in charge – well, that just 
opens the door for people like Voldemort.

Ravenclaw Bookworm