Humanity, Kant, Caricatures, and Draco - Perspective

[Steve]

No: HPFGUIDX 146237

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "horridporrid03"
<horridporrid03 at y...> wrote:
> ...edited...
> Betsy Hp:
> ...
> 
> But in the world of fiction there are times where a bouncing
> child *is* hilarious.  Bugs Bunny cartoons, for example, ... 
> In Draco's case JKR tells us straight out that he is in pain.
> And  not an exaggerated form either.  Draco is hurt and he's
> trying to hide it. There's not a lot of cartoon humor in that.  
> 
> So we move on to the next criteria: Draco is so inhuman he 
> deserves to be brutalized.  IOW, the situation calls for it.
> ...
>  


bboyminn:

Let's not lose perspective here. First, if anyone provoked the
situation, it was Draco. He started it by insulting, first, Ron's
father, then Ron's mother, then Ron's home, then Ron's Mother again,
and in the process, managed a mild insult toward Harry and an implied
insult toward Ron with a clear and conscious intent to humilate Ron.

Harry response with an insult directed at Draco's mother that is
really an insult to Draco. Then turned to walked away, ready to let
the situation end with an exchange of insults, an exchange in which
Draco is still three (or more) points ahead. When Harry turned his
back, Draco tried to curse him. 
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Malfoy's pale face went slightly pink.

"Don't you dare insult my mother, Potter."

"Keep your fat mouth shut, then," said Harry, turning away.

BANG!

...Harry felt something white-hot graze the side of his face...
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Something 'white-hot' grazed the side of Harry's face. That sounds
pretty serious. I doubt that Draco tried to hit Harry with a fluffy
bunny or a handfull of marshmallows. 

Then fake!Moody steps in, and does something that is clearly wrong and
 against the rules. McGonagall makes that clear. 

But here is the key point, while Draco was hurt, he wasn't harmed.
That is, he did feel pain, but he wasn't injured. No bones were broken
nor was any skin. At best he might have had some physical discomfort
and some minor bruising. He walked away feeling, I suspect, more
humiliated than in physical pain, though I don't doubt the presents of
phsyical pain. The main point is, he walked away under his own power,
and didn't appear to need any medical attention. He hurt, but he was
not harmed.

Next let us put that physical pain in prespective. This is a fictional
world in which children play a game in which two cast iron cannon
balls rocket around the pitch trying very much to cause both hurt and
harm. This is also a world in which broken bones are fixed in seconds,
as are cuts, scrapes, scratches, bruises, and assorted other minor
injuries. This is also a world in which students deal with dangerous
magical creatures, though certainly more dangerous than they should.
It is also a world in which children deal this an assortment of
dangerous and deadly plants. Not to mention Charms and Transfiguation
classroom accidents. 

I really don't think you can take the sensibilities of our normal
modern world and project them onto the wizard world. Danger is a
normal part of every day life in this fictional world, and the kids
seem to take this danger and the resulting injuries in stride. 

Also, keep in mind that soccer and American football are not exactly
'fluffy bunny' sports; they are rough, demanding, aggressive, and
extremely physical. You can't really say that you don't want to
experience pain, then go out for American or British football or
rugby. My point here is that no life is devoid of pain. Bumps and
bruises and scrapes are a part of every kids life, and just like the
Hogwarts kids, most normal kids just take it in stride.

So, from an adult perspective, Moody's action were wrong on every
front. They were cruel, harsh, and against the rules. However, from a
kids perspective, Draco was asking for it. He instigated and provoked
the situation, then when he couldn't take even a fraction of what he
was dishing out, Draco escalated the situation into an act of cowardly
violence. 

Moody's response was certainly harsh, but sometimes harsh people only
understand harsh punishment. Though, again, Moody's action were
against school rules as McGonagall clearly points out to Moody. But
Moody, even though he was a fake, is still a no nonsense kind of guy,
and he certainly isn't the type to mollycoddle students. A 'good sharp
shock' really is sometimes what a student needs to establish some
perspective on their behavior. Moody's action certainly made a bigger
impression on Draco than having him write lines.

So while we can feel some sympathy for Draco, let's not go so far as
to paint Draco as an innocent victim of Harry or a harsh no nonsense
teacher. Let us also not confuse the perspective of teachers and other
adults in the wizard world with the prespective of the kids in the
wizard world. From a kids perspective, Draco got exactly what he
deserved and exactly what he asked for (figuratively). 

And from either perspective, Draco really doesn't have anyone to blame
but himself. If he had obeyed the rules and behaved himself, he
wouldn't have suffered any consequences.

Yes, Moody's actions were wrong, but on every front, Draco instigated,
provoke, and escalated the stituation, and then paid a price for his
ill behavior. 

Again, just trying to establish some perspective.

Steve/bboyminn