Hermione's a liberal

[greatelderone]

No: HPFGUIDX 125593


--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Kathryn" <kcawte at n...> wrote:
 It is Hermione's right to believe that the culture of the House
> Elves is not worthy od respect but it is their right to expect her 
to
> respect it by her actions.

GEO: Their culture is a violation of the rights of sentient beings 
and the condemnation of the majority of humanity towards slavery. I 
think that trumps everything including their culture.

> No one has the right to impose their culture or
> system of beliefs on someone else,

GEO: Says who? 

 by doing so, and make no mistake that is
> what Hermione is doing, unconsciously as it may be and absolutely 
with the
> best of intentions, she is implying that they are somehow 'less' 
than she is

GEO: I really don't see your reasoning. The elves know no other way 
of life. They have never been given any other choice but slavery and 
servitude. If they are fully aware of all their choices and still 
continue to serve wizards then what Hermione is doing is wrong, but 
the elves haven't experienced or known freedom so Hermione can only 
be right.

>  Hermione is a perfect example of the type of person who in the 
nineteenth
> century would travel to Africa or the Pacific Islands and try 
and 'civilize'
> the natives by insisting they conform to the person in question's 
ideas of
> morality and, usually, Christianity. 

GEO: Better example would be the present situation of America and 
the UK in the Middle East and especially Iraq. They're trying to 
rewrite a wrong and bring their ideals to a place that has long been 
ignored and exploited using less than noble methods in a world that 
no longer cares. I for one believe that what both are doing is right 
though others can see that it's wrong because of the methods and 
that the exploited seem relatively happy in their minds. However 
consider this: slavery is something that the majority of humanity 
has condemned, should wizards be allowed to practice this on a group 
of clearly sentient beings just because they are isolated and 
different from Humanity?