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

[a_svirn]

No: HPFGUIDX 129598

 
> Sophierom:
> 
> I think you're giving "slaves" far too little credit. According to 
the
> American Heritage Dictionary, justice is "a. The principle of moral
> rightness; equity. b. Conformity to moral rightness in action or
> attitude; righteousness." Slavery is most definitely unjust; but to
> argue that slaves can't understand justice because they suffer
> injustice is not supportable by human history. Obviously house-
elves
> are not completely analogous to human slave societies, but there 
are
> parallels worth considering.  Consider enslaved African Americans;
> they most definitely had a sense of justice in their communities. 
Many
> of the oral histories, spirituals, and folk tales from the 
Antebellum
> period are rife with calls for justice. One of the most famous
> spirituals, "Go Down Moses," is perhaps one of the most powerful 
calls
> for justice in United States history. While a spiritual may not be 
a
> formal "law" or "treatise" on the subject of justice, it is as 
clear
> (if not clearer) understanding of justice as anything written into 
the
> laws of this or any other country.  
> 
> We don't know enough about house-elf culture to say if they have a
> "formal" understanding for justice, but to dismiss the possibility
> that they understand the concept simply because they are slaves 
is, I
> think, rather unjust. ;-D 


a_svirn:

I do not give too little credit to slaves. I give too little credit 
to slavery. For someone whose existence unjust and unequal there is 
no such thing as "principle of moral rightness". There is no place 
of righteousness and justice in their "culture" because the only 
justice that is allowed is that of their master and owner. They can 
carry out executions and punishment, but they do not judge. (I 
wouldn't be surprised is members of the Black family ordered their 
elves to perform beheadings, in which case the would butcher their 
own close kin). 

Slaves have feelings but they are not taken into consideration, they 
are not allowed opinions (of course they have them anyway, but they 
are obliged to keep them to themselves). As for spirituals they do 
not convey any "sense of justice". (Since when justice is a "sense" 
anyway? You yourself said it is a principle).  What they do convey 
is a sense of INjustice, the heart-wrenching sorrow of enslavement. 

And since we are on the subject on justice, why do you propose that 
justice should catch up with Kreacher? Was it moral or right for 
Sirius to own, use and abuse him, just because he wasn't human? Was 
it OK for him to use Kreacher as a convenient outlet for his pent-up 
frustration? I think not. And I'd say that justice was done already –
 in the Department of Mysteries. I wouldn't call it sweet, but it 
wasn't without a certain poetic quality. 


 
> Sophierom:
> 
<snip> A servant does not have to be a slave.
>  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.  Dobby's acts of service 
to
> Harry are quite honorable because he chooses, of his own free 
will, to
> be a servant.  For those who choose to see Christian elements in 
the
> series, Dobby's choice to serve is reminiscent of the Christian 
call
> to service. 

<snip>

a_svirn:

I'm sorry, but he does NOT serve Harry. He is making him favours as 
a friend and social equal. Big difference. And I must say I cannot 
agree with your unconventional construction of the word "servant". 
Neither would Dobby, by the way – he calls himself an "employee". 

a_svirn