[HPforGrownups] Re: muggle baiting vs. muggle torture

[Magda Grantwich]

No: HPFGUIDX 155335

--- Jennifer Choi <jenniferkchoi at gmail.com> wrote:

> I don't have the books infront of me, but it seems pretty obvious
> that the Twins thought that what happened to Dudley was a great 
> joke, or at least they were amused rather than horrified (like 
> Petunia) or indifferent. While this is certainly not the same as 
> sexual enjoyment, I would feel fairly confident in making the 
> statement that, for most people, laughing brings
> pleasure - or being amused brings more pleasure than not being
> amused. I don't think this makes them sadists on the level of 
> Voldemort, but it certainly precludes this from being innocent 
> fun, IMO, since someone suffers. 


I quite agree with Jennifer and everyone else who thinks the twins'
treatment of Dudley was beyond the line.  

I would also add that since the twins didn't inform Dudley that he
was being punished for his treatment of Harry that it was highly
unlikely that Dudley would learn the proper lesson from it.  In fact,
by the start of GOF it's been years since Dudley has taken a poke at
Harry or tried to dominate him (Petunia and Vernon are another
story).  

Arthur's anger is, I think, the key to how we're supposed to
understand this scene.  He's livid - and this is the first time we've
seen that kind of reaction from Arthur.  It's the foreshadowing to
the later abuse we see the DE's give to the muggles at the
campgrounds - and we can see for ourselves how helpless muggles are
at the hands of wizards.

And how attractive it might be to bad people to have that kind of
power over others.

Magda

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