Ton-tongue Dudley

[lealess]

No: HPFGUIDX 145344

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "festuco" <vuurdame at x...> wrote:
>
> --- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Magpie" <belviso at a...> wrote:
> 
> > Magpie:
> > 
> > Um, well, that would probably be the bully response, that it was 
> > the victim's fault--as if the twins' intentionally dropping the
> > candy there so 
> > that someone would pick it up and eat it means nothing in the face 
> > of someone falling for the trap--but it doesn't speak to Betsy's 
> > or Arthur's 
> > point which is that pranking Muggles/Muggle-baiting is bad news 
> > and something he tries to stop.  
> 
> But it was not Muggle-baiting. Like they said: they did not give it 
> to him because he was a Muggle, but because he was a bullying git. 
> It was a practical joke, nothing sadistic there and nothing in the 
> scene suggests that they realized just how much worse such a thing 
> would be for someone not used to magic.
> 
> Gerry
>

It was taking advantage of the weakness and inexperience of another to
make them the butt of a joke, to humiliate or ridicule, to frighten at
least, possibly to injure.  If this is not bullying, what is?  Dudley
not only has an obvious compulsion to eat sweets, as a Muggle he is
unfamiliar with the nature of wizard jokes.  The twins have a cultural
advantage, so I would count it as Muggle-baiting as well.

One of my off-the-wall and off-the-cuff analogies, that I hope makes
sense and doesn't offend anyone: Let's say I'm a white explorer and I
encounter indigenous Americans for the first time and give them
alcohol.  They drink it and fall down drunk or get sick and think they
are going to die.  Well, I know they aren't going to die.  I think
it's a great practical joke, all my friends laugh at it. Look at the
funny Indians.

What if later I know that one of these people has developed an
addiction to alcohol -- is it still funny when I place a bottle within
his reach?  If I am a wizard, I suppose I could justify it in some
way: Manifest Destiny.  That's how the Death Eaters justify their
actions, no doubt: it is their destiny to rule over the "lesser"
Muggles.  And they probably started out on a small scale, with
practical jokes on Muggles.

I just fail to see how terrorizing anyone is just desserts or
hilarious.  Ton-tongue candy is not like our joke candy which turns
the tongue blue -- which isn't very funny either.  It's a cheap joke
meant to make the joker feel superior.

lealess