Wizard supremacy (was:Re: Nel Question #4: Class and Elitism)

[greatelderone]

No: HPFGUIDX 125924


--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Tim Regan" <timregan at m...> 
wrote:
> That said, for me it is obvious that the wizards would obliterate 
> the muggles. One clear advantage is military intelligence. There 
are 
> easy tests wizards can run to distinguish themselves from muggles, 
> but there is no test muggles can use. Actually that is not true, 
> there are tests, like the ducking stool or dropping muggles out of 
> windows a la Neville, but the tests result in the death of the 
> unfortunate muggle so would not work as a screening process 
muggles 
> could use to detect wizzards. 

GEO: Or they could try the very sure and old method of 
interrogations. I'm sure there are probably other ways to 
differentiate the two groups. Possibly placing the suspects under a 
great deal of stress could also do it

Wizards have a huge advantage over 
> muggles in that respect, any muggle war cabinet could be 
infiltrated 
> with wizards and the muggles would not know. 

GEO: What about background checks? I thought that any potential 
members of Cabinet at least in the USA underwent one just in case 
they were under the pay and employ of some foreign agent. I'm sure 
that would make it very difficult for someone to infiltrate the 
inner circle of the PM or at least the President.

> At key moments in any 
> conflict a few Avada Kedavras would remove all the muggle leaders 
> and all muggle key strategic planners. Without a good strategy and 
> without good leaders I do not think the muggles could win a 
> conflict. 

GEO: How exactly would they be able to get to these said leaders in 
the first place when they are probably surrounded by body guards and 
secret service people? Besides there's that whole line of succession 
here and that means you'll have to wipe out the whole cabinet or 
legislature. 

> And that's just assuming an all-out physical war. I think it's 
much 
> more likely that wizards would use magic to undermine muggle 
> technologies and muggle economies. If one morning the muggle world 
> bank awakes to find that its gold reserves are really chocolate, 
and 
> muggle power stations are running on bon-bons, and the food 
muggles 
> fed their children has no calorific value, then it would not take 
> long to move muggles back from their technologically advanced 
state 
> to that of subsistence farmers.

GEO: That would take a great deal of power something, which we 
haven't seen from the wizards. 

> But I do not buy that. 
> Hermione and McGonagall are presented as extremely good logicians.

GEO: That may be true, but the present Minister of Magic and his 
Undersecretary are wonderful studies in human incompetence and 
pettiness not to mention the total lack of effiency. Perhaps muggles 
can start fearing wizards when someone like Hermione or McGongall 
becomes minister of magic however I very much doubt that will ever 
happen in the wizard world.