[HPforGrownups] Re: muggle baiting vs. muggle torture/Sorting Hat

[Magpie]

No: HPFGUIDX 155439


> PJ:
> And see, this is exactly where I feel this arguement falls flat....  We're
> told outright that Purebred Wizards are dying out which means that the
> Muggleborn and mixed wizards are the *majority*.  So what you seem to be
> saying is that they're all predjudiced against themselves?  Against the
> world they know, the families who raised them and their old friends?   I
> don't see it that way at all.

Magpie:
You can think that it's more logical for Muggle-related Wizards to be 
incapable of anti-Muggle prejudice, and that they will eventually raise 
generations not prejudiced against them, but that's not what gets dramatized 
in canon any more than Snape being a Half-blood means he must really dislike 
Slytherin and always have been against Voldemort's Pureblood ideology. 
Muggleborns and Half-bloods have always been part of Wizarding society. 
Imo, realistically Muggleborn Wizards and Witches would have special 
connections to each other and would provide a different perspective, one 
obviously more Muggle-centric.  But they don't that we see.  The author also 
says that the Wizard population is 2/4 Half-blood, 1/4 Muggleborn and 1/4 
Pureblood.  Not all Purebloods are Voldemort-friendly. Discussion of Muggles 
as equally worthy of respect is almost nonexistant--it's not a subject that 
comes up often.

Prejudice is a big theme throughout the books--it doesn't seem to be taking 
care of itself through the death of a few Purebloods.  The Wizarding World 
is set against the Muggle one, obsessed with secrecy.  That seems like it's 
by far the greatest influence on young Wizards. The grandchild of four 
Muggleborns isn't necessarily going to identify himself as Muggle or be all 
that familiar with the Muggle World.

> PJ:
> It's a parent's job to teach their children and even though this isn't a
> case of muggle baiting (as per Canon) it is Arthur's job as their father 
> to
> explain what they did wrong.  To me it's a matter of "No, you didn't mean 
> to
> hurt the child next door but be more careful in the future because next 
> time
> you might do some serious harm."

Magpie:
Arthur seems to be furious that his children are undermining the specific 
thing he's fighting against.  He's not saying, "Well, this isn't really 
Muggle-baiting and you didn't mean to hurt him but next time be more 
careful." If I were the Twins I'd hear approval in that.

-m