Hate crimes (was Re: muggle baiting vs. muggle torture)

[Renee]

No: HPFGUIDX 155865

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, Magda Grantwich <mgrantwich at ...>
wrote:
>
> > OK next example: What about Dumbledore's behaviour at the
> > Dursley's.
> > Forcing entry, forcing them to sit on the couch, having the glasses
> > of
> > mead float around their heads. Was that teaching them a lesson? Was
> > that Muggle baiting? Because the Dursleys are Muggles and
> > Dumbledore has superiour powers. 
> > 
> > Gerry  
> 
> 
> Yes, it was muggle-baiting (and one of the reasons I didn't care for
> that scene since it seemed out of character for Dumbledore).  Yes, he
> was teaching them a lesson - although a lesson that was almost
> irrelevant as it came so late in the series.  
> 
> Magda
> 

Renee:
Ah, I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks this Dumbledore was OOC
here. 

The problem is, once JKR decided to have DD teaching the Dursleys a
lesson, muggle-baiting according to the broadest definition (the one
that defines the twins' Ton-tongue action as such) became unavoidable.
Whatever DD could have done, given the fact that he's a wizard, it
would always be a magical person's action against non-magical people. 

In other words, the imbalance of power would always have a magical
component: every adult wizard has an unfair advantage over every
muggle in a situation of non-peaceful interaction. The fact that the
Dursleys are afraid of magic only increases the imbalance; a mere
threat would have scared the hell out of them, and I don't see how
that would have been any better, morally speaking. It would have been
interesting to see DD solve this problem in a creative way that would
not include any form of muggle-baiting. 

As it is, we are having the epitome of goodness engaging in illegal
behaviour according to wizarding law - if the broadest definition of
Muggle-baiting is correct. Somehow, I doubt this was JKR's intention
with this scene; I have the nagging feeling we're merely supposed to
laugh at the Dursleys and think they're getting their just deserts. So
perhaps the definition of Muggle-baiting should be narrowed a bit. Is
it such a problem to call the twins' action wrong without labeling it
as Muggle-baiting? Isn't this exactly what Arthur does? 

The alternative, IMO, is that JKR would have created a law that she
doesn't take too seriously herself.

Renee