[HPforGrownups] Lessons in the book WAS:Points awarded to Trio in PS/SS

[Magpie]

No: HPFGUIDX 146043

I can't stop myself from jumping in there again.:-)

> Sherry now:
  So, the company takes that into consideration, and gives
> me a little special treatment, because of my technology.  That doesn't 
> mean
> they expect less of me, in terms of skill or performance, but just that 
> they
> acknowledge, that i have to do the job differently.  yet, there are people
> who resent that and complain about special treatment.  should the employer
> fire all disabled people, so the rest of the company won't feel bad?

Magpie:

That's a great example--I had previously been thinking of a similar one 
which was children who are sick.  I believe it's commonly accepted that one 
issue that should be dealt with when you have a very sick child is jealousy 
in siblings.  As ridiculous as it seems to be jealous of a sibling who might 
be dying, it can happen.  It's not really the sibling wants to die, it's 
that they probably have other anxieties that come out that way.

It's human nature--not just to see only what we don't have, because that 
maybe makes it too petty.  Sometimes it's petty--some people in your office 
are probably just complainers who see "the blind technology makes it easier" 
is an excuse for doing less work.  But I think beyond that it's human nature 
to see in other people the things for which we are searching or we lack and 
want.

So it's certainly true to point out that "being Harry" would mean losing 
your parents etc., but I don't think that really would make an impression on 
a kid who was jealous of him.  It just says those feelings are not 
respected.  Similarly, I think the idea that Harry would love to be normal 
with parents and a sibling or two is based on *Harry* seeing in others what 
he wants and not really seeing the drawbacks.  Ron has all those things and 
sometimes they're difficult (Harry's experience with the Weasleys is 
different than Ron's).  It's not as dramatic as having someone tying you to 
a tombstone and forcing you to duel, but families can have a big effect over 
time.  When it's your life you care even if your problems aren't as bad as 
someone else's.

It seems to me that the three characters in canon who tend to be the most 
focused on Harry getting special treatment are all characters who have some 
issue about *themselves* not being special that makes them sensitive to 
this.  It's not really about Harry, because even if Harry was carried to 
meals on a gold litter it wouldn't bother them if they were happy with 
themselves--and Harry is high-profile person. Explaining why Harry needs the 
treatment he gets or didn't ask for it etc. doesn't address the problem 
because it isn't really about Harry at all, it's about the person in 
question.

With all three of the people I'm thinking of they definitely have issues 
related to this--things that are often being shown in the text at the same 
time only we don't think of them that way because Harry doesn't see it that 
way.

-m