[HPforGrownups] Social change in the WW

[manawydan]

No: HPFGUIDX 131462

alice_loves_cats (and so do I) wrote:
> In many ways, the Wizarding World is old-fashioned, conservative,
> something from past centuries. Maybe one reason for this is that
> wizards and witches seem to live longer. Therefore it takes longer for
> the older generation to "die off" and for the new generation to get
> its voice heard.

There's no direct canon to say that the WW is a gerontocracy (but none to
say that it isn't, either...) but long lives (and the probable lack of
anything like retirement pensions) could easily mean that wizarding folk
would look to have working lives of perhaps 150-180 years (scary, no?)

Someone in our own world of that age would certainly be way out of synch
with the way the world is today, so it's fair to suggest that the WW would
change far more slowly than our own.

But on top of this, the WW is set up in a way which makes it far harder to
change anyway.

First of all, there's the Statute of Secrecy, and the fact that the Ministry
are likely to take a dim view of anything that hasn't been completely Muggle
proofed _before_ it's introduced.

But more importantly, the WW is a bureaucracy with no distinction between
the government and the administration. The only way of introducing change is
by suitably bureaucratic bodies such as International Wizarding Congresses
or the Wizenagemot.

But any wizard who's interested in politics (such as Percy) does so by
joining the bureaucracy. Therefore all of the "politically active" wizarding
folk are already going to be members (or perhaps retired members) of the
bureaucracy. Therefore congresses and committees will start off with a
preponderance of bureaucrats among their members, making them less likely to
introduce changes.

Dumbledore is an exception, but note the pressure that he faced to become
Minister when the post last fell vacant.

Maybe literally the _only_ route for someone who wants dramatic social
change in the WW is to go the Voldemort route and start a conspiracy.

hwyl

Ffred

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Cymru yn unfryd gerhyd Wrion
Gwret dy Cymry yghymeiri