[HPforGrownups] Re: Hermione's a liberal

[theotokos]

No: HPFGUIDX 125485

Kathryn wrote:
Hermione should concentrate on making sure the
house elves have a choice about whether they follow the particular 'rules' of their culture or whether they choose to live outside of them like Dobby. Rather than trying to take that choice from them. Hermione is no more allowing the Elves free will than the rest of the wizarding world. Whether all cultures deserve respect or not is another matter for a more lengthy discussion I fear but I wonder what gives someone the right to decide which cultures are worthy of respect and which are not.
 
Me:  I keep going back to the civil war and more specifically the book Gone With the Wind.  The forced end of slavery was seen mainly as an evil by the black slaves of the southern families.  Granted this is a novel by a while southern lady BUT it has a basis in truth.  The truth is, many black people were "freed" to starve on the street and get put in jail for loitering.  Some black people took pride in their white families and were torn to have to leave them.  Does that mean overall emancipation was wrong and unjust for the slaves?  I don't think so.  There was much horror in that culture.  Also, the slaves had a hierarchy among themselves.  House slaves didn't mix with field hands etc.  The "lower-class" slaves were probably treated worse than the house slaves and probably were more apt to favor freedom.  The house-elves of Hogwarts have it good.  They don't want anything to jeopardize how good they have it in case their resulting condition becomes worse or akin to other
 house-elves.  The books have shown us that Dumbledore, although greatly respected, is much more worldly and just than anyone else in the wizarding world.  The two examples of house-elves living in private homes has shown pretty poor conditions.  We shouldn't assume the Hogwarts elves are prime examples for the rest.  
 
I agree with KEMPER who said "Hermione is placing her value
system onto a different species and a different culture that is not
ready to hear what an outsider has to say about their lifestyle."  Change must come from within.  Our governments make this mistake all the time--at least America and Britain does--in going to "help" other countries and our means makes their means worse.  Of course, the true motives of our gov'ts may be debated.  In some places in the world little girls have their private areas mutilated as part of a coming of age ceremony.  Their mothers and grandmothers perform the rite.  Is this okay?  Should be look at this practice as valid and good because they don't want to change--or some don't want to change?  Hermione CARES about the house-elves because they are at the mercy of their owners.  I agree with Kemper in that Hermione's cause may be more successfully if Dobby acted as ambassador and went out into the community and visited homes where house-elves may live in conditions akin the ones he lived in while at the Malfoys.
 
Theotokos
who is at work but that is my quick two-cents--its been soooo long since I've contributed.





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