The Future of SPEW

Thu Mar 17 23:40:28 UTC 2005

No: HPFGUIDX 126263

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "lupinlore" <bob.oliver at c...> wrote:
> 
> ... regarding Hermione and SPEW .... It seems that most people feel
> that SPEW represents Hermione going overboard, and will provide her
> at least some comeuppance with regard to always thinking her 
> opinion's are right and not realizing that other people/creatures 
> see the world differently.
> 

bboyminn:

Oh joy... oh joy... a house-elf discussion, one of my favorites.

Hermione's problem is that she has taken a very typically British
colonialist attitude toward the house-elves. My metaphorical vision of
how Hermione relates to the house-elves is very mush the image of how
the British related to the East and West Indians (east=India, Burma,
etc..., west=Americas). 

The British came to these places and saw these people and thought 'Oh
these poor primitive people. What they really need is to be more
British; that will fix them up'. Of course, the fact the both these
places had cultures, religion, traditions, and civilizations dating
back 10,000 years, long before Britian or any form of it ever existed,
was completely irrelevant. Nothing is valid that doesn't validate
/us/; colonialism at it's finest.

In her typical colonialist attitude, Hermione naturally thinks it's
the house-elves that need to change. When in reality, the house-elves
are just fine, it's wizards that need to change.

> Lupinlore continues:
> 
> If we look at what we have been seen/told about the House Elves 
> ... it would seem that JKR is very firmly in Hermione's camp. We 
> have never yet seen an in-depth discussion with a happy house-elf, 
> although ... implied that they exist. ... Add to this Dumbledore's 
> remarks at the end of OOTP and JKR is definitely on the side of the 
> abolitionists.
> 
> ... if Hermione gets a comeuppance with SPEW ..., it will be a 
> purely tactical humiliation having to do with ... leaving clothes
> lying around ....  I doubt she is going to face any kind of 
> re-evaluation of her values or her overall strategy of working to 
> free the elves.  
>
> In other words, I very, very much expect that her opinions will be 
> vindicated. I really can't imagine that Hermione is ever going to 
> face some kind of lesson in cultural relativism in which she is 
> expected to accept the house-elf value system or come to think that 
> applying standards from the Muggle World is a bad policy.  ...
> 
> In any case, what are other people's opinions/expectations in this 
> regard?
> 
> 
> Lupinlore

bboyminn:

With out a doubt, Hermione was incredibly shortsighted in her latest
SPEW venture. Logic; house-elves are freed by giving them clothes, so
she will free Hogwarts elves by giving them clothes...'nuff said, end
of story, one bit of completely self-contained logic. 

Just one small piece she forgot, she doesn't have the authority. She
can no more free someone else's house-elves, than she can walking to a
ramdom business and start firing people.

Teens are not noted for the great depth of their foresight, nor are
the especially prone to attention to detail. 

What Hermione fails to see is that Elves are volunteers. The volunteer
to serve the families they serve. (see my essays note below from more
detail) They serve dilligently, faithfully, and loyally, and that
service truly is at the core of their nature. House-elves are not
people, they don't relate to life like people. House-elves are very
special magical creatures whose very core nature is to serve, and that
service brings them their greatest happiness and fulfillment.

The problem is that wizards don't enter into that same agreement with
the same dilligents, faithfullness, and loyalty. They take advantage
of the good nature of the house-elves. They know that no matter how
poorly they treat the house-elves, the elves are bound by a fierce
elfin honor to their commitment. 

I firmly believe there is no force of magic or law holding house-elves
to their commitment of a bond of servitude. Nothing holds them but, as
I said, fierce elfin honor and centuries of history. 

What Hermione needs to realize is that elves do want freedom, but it's
not freedom of self-determination, they already have that. They
happily choose to be bonded by servitude. However, as intelligent
sentient beings, they want and deserve freedom from oppression. Which
means that it's wizards who are the flawed partners in this contract
of servitude. 

So, what Hermione needs to realize first is that it truly is in the
nature of house-elves to serve humans. That is the thing that fulfills
them and makes them happiest. I know others will say the people said
the same thing about human slaves, that they were happy being slaves,
but this is different. House-elves are magical creatures who truly
have an natural ingrained desire to serve others. But they do not have
a natural ingrained desire to be abused, exploited, and mistreated.

Although I don't know to what extent it will play out, as a minor
point, I think Hermione will eventually get this. She will come to
understand that there is no corruption in the Elves agreement to
serve, but that the true corruption is in the wizard's abuse and
exploitation of the good nature of the elves. From this understanding
she will realize that, probably through the political process, it's
wizards that need to be fixed and not house-elves. 

This end result fits with Dumbledore's many statement about wizards'
interactions with all magical creatures. An interaction that very much
models the "we are superior, we know what's best" colonialist attitude
which is based in corruption and exploitation.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

For old hands this is all old news, but for any newcomers who might
want more insight into the nature of House-elves, here are some links...

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/71752
Date:  Sat Jul 19, 2003  9:01 pm
Subject:  House-Elves & the Tie That Binds. (long)

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/88208
Date:  Wed Jan 7, 2004  6:19 pm
Subject:  Re: house elves and laundry (house elves and goblins)

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/74080
Date:  Wed Jul 30, 2003  1:16 am
Subject:  Re: Goblins and House-Elves? Wild and Domesticated?

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/82881
Date:  Tue Oct 14, 2003  1:11 pm
Subject:  Re: Dumbledore's Army = House Elves

(Note: in a Different Group)
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Hogs_Head/message/2309
Date:  Thu Jul 15, 2004  1:47 am
Subject:  How to Free a House-elf in One Easy Lesson

These links will usually take you to the middle of a discussion, so
remember to move up and down the thread to read everyone's opinions on
the matter.

Just a thought.

Steve/bboyminn