Hermione's Hypocrisy?(long)

[a_svirn]

No: HPFGUIDX 129140


> >>a_svirn:
> >Yes, I think, we have. First of all the way she goes about the 
> business of defending Elves. After an all too brief hunger strike 
> she spends extra hours in the library. One would have thought she 
is 
> doing what she usually does best – researching, but no! She is  
> making the SPEW badges. She draws up a list of members and makes 
> Harry and Ron treasurer and secretary. Strange, isn't it?<
> 
> Betsy:
> Not really.  Looking at every other human and/or animal rights 
> organization in the world, a large list of memembers is a prime 
way 
> of getting some sort of power.  No one was going to listen to a 
> little twelve years-old Muggle-born witch, but if the entire 
student 
> body of Hogwarts started marching for house-elf rights (and 
perhaps 
> brought about the freedom of the Hogwarts elves) the WW would be 
> forced to sit up and take notice.  
> 

a_svirn now:

Um, I didn't marvel at the way human rights organisation work. I 
merely pointed out that Hermione does indeed see herself as 
liberator of house-elves. Not just any liberator but the founder and 
the head of the liberation front. And I think it was strange and 
even uncharacteristic of her, that she didn't research the problem 
first. Her normal attitude is "when in doubt go to the library". In 
this instance she goes to the library but for all the wrong reasons. 

 
> Betsy:
> Actually, I think Hermione sees herself more as a budding 
political 
> activist.  And I think she's genuinely interested in her cause.  I 
> don't think she sees this as merely a way to break into 
government, 
> but I think she does think (or hope) that she'll be capable of 
> bringing some major changes to the WW.  (Which is unfriendly 
enough 
> to her kind that I don't blame her eagerness to change things one 
> bit.)

a_svirn:
I never claimed that she is UNinterested. No did I say that she is a 
hardened cynic. She is actually quite decent sort of person on most 
occasions. But is it really such a big difference between a 
political activist and a politician? I'd say a politician is a 
political activist who succeeded. And Hermione is clearly determined 
to succeed. 

> 
> Betsy:
> Ooh, I'm going to have to strongly disagree with you here.  I 
don't 
> think Ron sees house-elves as people at all.  I think he ranks 
them 
> up there with garden gnomes - a bit more useful, but not capable 
of 
> too much thought.  

a_svirn:
Yes, you are probably right about Ron. 
 
>> Betsy:
> I thought Sophierom was quite clear in saying that Hermione was 
> learn*ING* to empathise.  (I think she had Hermione on step one of 
a 
> three step process.)  Yes, Hermione treats all house elves as one 
> indistinguishable mass (though that might change with the closing 
> events of OotP) and she will make no headway until she learns to 
see 
> them as individuals and starts taking their view point into 
> consideration.  But I think Hermione is trying, and I also think 
> that empathy is the thing that comes very hard to her.  

a_svirn:
Is it though? I seem to remember a number of occasions when she 
experienced no difficulty empathizing. She is able empathize with 
Hagrid – better even than Harry sometimes. Her complete silence on 
account of Remus throughout the PoA is more eloquent than any stand 
for werewolves' rights she could have ever taken; and she was even 
younger at the time! And when she leapt to Winky's defence in the 
face of the incriminating evidence and stood bravely up to the top 
Ministry officials on her behalf – what is it, if not empathy? And 
on those occasions she was not at the squire one on her progress. In 
Sophierom's  estimation it would be at least step two, I believe. 
BUT THAT WAS BEFORE SPEW. 

Because you see, SPEW is not about elves it is about Hermione's self-
justification. In itself her need to justify herself is not such a 
bad thing. She was struck by realisation that she with her fine 
principles had actually benefited from the slaves' labour for three 
years and there were another four to come! Naturally she was 
appalled. Her first instinctive reaction was to refuse the food, but 
she realized soon enough that this is not a solution. Because if she 
were consistent about it (and Hermione is nothing if not consistent) 
she would have to forfeit her place in Hogwarts altogether. 
Certainly she wasn't prepared for such a sacrifice. Nor could she 
really meekly accept the reality. (Again, not a bad thing in 
itself). She needed something, anything to reconcile her 
consciousness with the continuing use of slaves. So she devised 
SPEW. 

As motivations go, alleviating one's guilty consciousness is 
actually not a bad one. I suspect lots of charities were called into 
existence precisely for this reason. But it's OK only if you are 
conscious what you are about. Hermione is not, really. She needs to 
justify herself so badly, that she – unconsciously, I am sure – 
substitute her real motivation for another one, much more grand. 
Instead of a student, forced by circumstances to overlook her 
principles she reinvents herself as an avenging angel of all elves. 
>From self-justification to self-righteousness is a very small step, 
and she took it. She is even now walking down this path towards 
glittering "worthwhile causes". But this is not a road towards 
empathy. Rather the opposite. 



> >>a_svirn:
> >It is a breathtaking arrogance on her part to suppose that she 
can 
> make up for his pain and humiliation by paltry gifts or sooth his 
> frustration by her oppressive friendliness.<
> <snip>
> 
> Betsy:
> "Oppressive friendliness"?  You make it sound like Hermione's been 
> smothering Kreacher with attention.  Hermione is polite to 
Kreacher 
> and she tries to stop others from bad-mouthing him.  And she gives 
> him a Christmas quilt (without her name attached, IIRC) as a 
> present.  I don't think Hermione thought the present would soothe 
> all of Kreacher's troubles.  It was a token, an outreaching.  
> There's nothing wrong, nothing even condescending, in her 
gesture.  
> I see nothing arrogant about it.

a_svirn:

A token of what? Friendship? To give a token of friendship to 
someone who ostensibly despises you and has expressed more than once 
his cherished wish – to see you gone – IS condescending. Good will? 
Having methodically destroyed everything that matters for Kreacher 
she then "reaches out" with a blanket? Well, it is at the very least 
arrogant. 

a_svirn