Hermione's Hypocrisy?(long)

[horridporrid03]

No: HPFGUIDX 129179

>> a_svirn:
>Can't agree with you here. She certainly tries (and succeeds) to 
understand how do Hagrid and Remus actually feel. What does it mean 
for them to be a half-giant and a werewolf. This is step two: "I 
step back and try to understand how YOU actually feel in this 
situation".<

Betsy:
But don't you see that as a Muggleborn Hermione faces some of the 
exact same prejudices?  And that Lupin and Hagrid are hurt by 
prejudice and react to that prejudice in the exact same way Hermione 
would?  If Hermione were a werewolf or a half-giant she would 
probably keep that fact a secret and work to achieve whatever goals 
she set for herself, just as she helps Hagrid and Lupin to do.  
Hermione treats Hagrid and Lupin exactly how *she* would want to be 
treated if *she* was in that situation.  So it's still step one: "I 
try to step into your shoes, as it were; I ask myself how *I* would 
feel if *I* were in your position."  (IMO, of course. <g>)

And while we're on empathy, I want to go back to where Susanne 
replied to my statement 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."

>>Susanne (message #129144)
>Hm, I'm not so sure of that assessment.
>If you compare Ron's and Harry's reactions to Dobby at Christmas 
time in GoF and his actions in OotP, when Hermione tries to trick 
them, I don't see Ron treating them as not capable of too much 
thought.<

Betsy:
I'm not sure that Ron even gets onto the empathy steps at all, when 
it comes to house-elves (or most others, for that matter).  Not 
because he's cruel or psychotic or anything, but because he's a 
somewhat typical self-absorbed teenager.  If brought face to face 
with an issue, Ron will stretch his empathy muscles a bit to try and 
figure out what's bothering someone.  But generally, I think he 
doesn't bother.  House-elves seem happy, so they must be happy.  
Kreacher seems crazy, so he's crazy. Hermione's acting mental, well, 
she's a bit mental.  But when Ron *does* try to empathize, I think 
he does a pretty good job (the hidden hats thing in OotP), and may 
be more natural at it than Hermione.

>>Betsy:
>This strikes me as too cynical.  I think Hermione came to the 
conclusion that her refusal to eat, or her leaving Hogwarts would 
change nothing. (Which is correct.  She's a no-name muggleborn; 
who'd care if she starved or left?)< 

>>a_svirn:
>So you think that if a pureblood, say, Ginny started SPEW she would 
be more successful? Somehow I doubt it.<

Betsy:
Not with SPEW, necessarily, but with a hunger strike?  Yeah, I think 
Ginny would be more successful.  Think about it, the daughter of a 
Ministry Official starving herself over the plight of the house-
elves?  I smell a front page.  And if it were someone like Draco, 
with roots in two very powerful pureblood families and with such a 
well-known father, who started a hunger strike?  The news would fly 
all over the WW.

>>Pippin (message #129148)
>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.<

Betsy:
Aha! A light has been switched on!  Yes, in this manner, Hermione is 
*very* condesending.  All house-elves must be innocent by virtue of 
their victimization.  The funny thing is, Hermione's view of house-
elves parallels exactly the WW view: powerless, useful, not too 
bright creatures that need instruction.  Harry, by seeing the power 
a house-elf actually has, is one of the few people in the books to 
actually see house-elves as they actually are.

And really, house-elves are *quite* powerful.  We've seen two 
disgruntled house-elves, and both of them are able to completely 
screw over their "masters".  And even Winky appeared to have a lot 
more say in the Crouch household than most credit.  Barty Jr. went 
to the Quidditch final because Winky wanted him to.  I think it's 
also telling that we've seen three households lose their house-elves 
(or lose control of them anyway) and two of the wizards are dead and 
the other is in Azkaban.  Maybe it's a coincidence or maybe house-
elves aren't to be trifled with.

Betsy