[HPforGrownups] Fear as a Crime --Long (Re: muggle baiting )

[Magpie]

No: HPFGUIDX 156184

Andrea:
> "If there aren't consequences for the good guys?"  Most of book five
> deals with Harry and his friends being punished even when they haven't
> done anything wrong.

Magpie:
Which is exactly why that isn't "consequences for the good guys."  Those are 
examples of the good guys being wrongly oppressed, so it doesn't teach them 
anything about their own actions.  Herimone's just the victim of racism (in 
fact, in the scene you mentioned Umbridge's response not only shows her as 
unwilling to listen to reason, but makes Hermione's non-sequitor response 
sound like a logical refutation of the quoted bit from the textbook), 
Harry's the victim of a smear campaign.  With the Quidditch banning, as with 
Snape's detentions in HBP, the villain doing the punishing completely 
obscures any impulse for the good guy to think about his own actions and 
feels even more self-righteous (which is how you're describing it).

Andrea:
If Dudley
> had not known Harry was forbidden to do magic, or if Harry were
> allowed to do magic, and Dudley still stood up to him, then I'd agree.
> I find needling someone you think cannot defend themselves is one of
> the most base forms of cowardice.

Magpie:
I think Betsy is referring to the way Dudley snarks back at Harry when Harry 
is needling him, which she likes just as she liked Harry snarking back when 
Dudley needled him in the past.  Dudley knows about the no-magic rule, but 
also knows not to trust that means he won't ever catch it, magically 
speaking.  He and Harry are both dancing around that in the beginning of 
OotP--it's why Harry's wishing Dudley would come over and "have a go."

-m