Abusive Dursleys (was Innocent Alby?)

[xcpublishing]

No: HPFGUIDX 123109


Betsy writes:

>Harry is badly treated, yes.  And I think it may be 
>fear of the neighbors that keeps the Dursleys from sliding into more 
>reprehensible behavior, which says something about their character.  
>But, I think we should be careful about throwing the word "abuse" 
>around.  Of course, this is only my opinion.

Betsy has supplied a very American Legal System definition of "not 
abuse" which is one reason I see teenagers roaming my neighborhood in 
the middle of the night during the week.  Where are their parents?  
Oh right, the parents don't care about them and the people that do 
can't help them.  I can't argue with Betsy because she's absolutely 
correct and I've seen it in action.  Friends and neighbors can't even 
step in to help these "not abused" children because they have no 
legal recourse.  There may have been teachers in Harry's school that 
wanted to help him, but what could they do, short of bringing him 
treats now and again?  Reality sucks, which is why I read fantasy.  
At least I can pretend that good will triumph over evil.

Nicky Joe