House-Elf Justice (was Re: Kreacher - workable solutions?)

[Steve]

No: HPFGUIDX 129555

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

> Sophierom:
> 
> ...Dobby continues to serve, by choice; he serves Harry, and he 
> serves the larger Hogwarts community. Although servant has become a 
> word that connotes inferiority in our culture, to be a servant is 
> actually to be of help or of service to someone in need.  
> ...edited...
> 
> House-elf enslavement represents, in my opinion, one of the worst
> injustices of the wizarding world. ... Dobby ... wants freedom
> and he wants to serve. Unlike the pureblood bigots of the Wizarding
> World, who only understand the language of superiority and
> inferiority, master and slave, Dobby understands that there can be
> service among equals.  ...
> 
> All the best,
> Sophie, 

bboyminn:

I do agree with what you said, but I want to add an addition and
somewhat related point. I have said before that the comparison between
the elf 'situation' and true human slavery only has limited
application. The elves servitude is unlike human slavery in that it
REALLY is in elves' nature to serve humans. In their culture, that
service, and to do the service well, is the grandest, most fulfilling,
most satisfying thing an elf can do.

True, others will argue that human slave Masters have always claimed
that their slaves like being slaves, and that they likes having
something productive to do, and that the poor slaves would be helpless
and disfunctional without their kind Masters; and we know that with
regard to humans that is a load of self-serving horse manure. 

But elves are a very different case, all indications are that they
really do eagerly seek out humans to serve, both in this story and in
general lore and legend, and that they take a great deal of pride in
what they do. Because of this, the comparison to human slavery is very
limited in it's ability to illustrate the elves' situation.

Consequently, I have never seen the problem of elf servitude as a
problem of slavery or forced service, it's a problem of treatment.
Elves need to be treated with dignity and gratitude; the value of
their service needs to be reflected in the way they are treated.

Sadly, typical colonial Europeans, the wizards are very much operating
under and perpetuating a 'slave' mentality in themselves and among the
elves. I still take the stand that the only thing holding elves to
their service is a rigid fierce unwavering sense of honor, commitment,
tradition, and loyalty. Not force of law, not force of magic, but the
elves own rigid fierce unwavering sense of honor, commitment,
tradition, and loyalty. I can't say that magic plays NO role, but for
the most part, it is the elves unwavering commitment that binds them
to service.

If wizard could lose their colonial god-like all-superior attitudes
and approach the agreement with the same sense of honor and commitment
as the elves, there would be no problem. Everybody would truly be
happy. Once again, I say that there is really nothing that needs to be
fixed in the elves, they are fine. It's the wizards and their
self-superior, self-serving abusive colonial attitudes and actions
that need to be fixed. 

To help the plight of Elves, it's the wizards who truly need to be fixed.

Just saying it again.

Steve/bboyminn