Hermione's Hypocrisy?(long)

[pippin_999]

No: HPFGUIDX 129148

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "a_svirn" <a_svirn at y...> wrote:
 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. 

Pippin:
You're saying she should have sacrificed her place at Hogwarts as a 
matter of principle?  But how would that have helped the Elves?


And I certainly don't see that her campaign to help the Elves is a
plot to help her break into wizarding world politics. She could 
hardly have picked a less popular cause -- not what I'd expect 
from a budding demagogue. 

I do agree that Hermione is condescending. Her need to see the Elves
as innocent and helpless is demeaning to them. In her anxiety to 
prove them worthy of better choices, she's invalidating the choices 
they have. 

But I'm not as convinced as you are that Hermione deliberately chose
not to research the history. She says that House Elf enslavement
goes back centuries, and my guess is that's all she was able to find
out. Probably there are no historical records about the enslavement
any more than there are records of the domestication of dogs. 
Whatever is known about the enchantments themselves is doubtless 
in the Restricted Section. Perhaps now that Hermione is taking NEWT 
level classes, she'll have access.

Pippin