Identifying with Muggles - The Dursley and 'Terrifying' Abuse

[horridporrid03]

No: HPFGUIDX 158222

> >>Betsy HP:
> > But I don't think she'd be all that pleased with Dumbledore      
> > either. If we're talking simple rules of etiquette, Dumbledore   
> > may have been pleasant, but he wasn't polite.  

> >>Pippin:
> This is not a social situation.
> <snip>
> In other words, DD is not there as a social equal, he is there to
> negotiate and he knows the Dursleys respect only strength. He is
> not obligated to be polite, IMO, and he acknowledges that he isn't.
> <snip>

Betsy Hp:
I agree.  I guess I was more responding to the suggestion that 
Dumbledore was behaving politely.  He wasn't.  And I agree with you 
that he knew he wasn't.

> >>Pippin:
> He admits he is tresspassing on the Dursley's hospitality and he 
> apologizes for the wineglass thing. 

Betsy Hp:
I'm not sure that his apology was sincere.  Generally an apology 
that ends with a "but you should have..." isn't a true apology.

Of course, with the tresspassing thing I don't think Dumbledore 
should have felt it necessary to apologize.  He had to do what he 
had to do and it was the Dursleys who set themselves up as the 
enemy...  (...huh. Why am I hesitant about saying that?  I think 
I've reached a place where I just don't trust wizards.  Strange.)  

But, IMO, the wineglass thing was over the line.  And it does 
nothing to further Dumbledore's cause that I could see.  (Unless he 
was trying to drive home the point that wizards are scary and the 
wise Muggle bows his head and says "yes, sir; no, sir" whenever a 
wizard enters the room.)

> >>Pippin:
> He is, perhaps, being hostile and threatening for the same reason
> that, IMO, he allows Snape to be hostile and threatening -- because
> there are threatening wizards out there and the Dursleys,
> like the children at Hogwarts, need to be reminded that outside
> their fortress, it's going to be getting dark. 

Betsy Hp:
Something the Dursleys don't really need reminding of though, yes?  
I mean, have they ever met a wizard that *didn't* bring darkness 
into their home?

> >>Pippin:
> I believe Dumbledore thinks Dudley has been abused in that, among 
> other things,  Dudley has never been taught that there are more    
> important things than his personal comfort. Harry, in that         
> situation, would be thinking of how he could protect those he     
> loves. Dudley thinks only of himself. 

Betsy Hp:
Are you suggesting that Dumbledore was trying out a form of therapy 
for Dudley by further demonstrating the power of wizards over 
Muggles?  

> >>Pippin:
> I can't really judge whether this was a weak moment, equivalent
> to when he kicked Barty Jr over on his back, because until we know
> what Dumbledore was doing during the ten minutes he and the
> Dursleys were alone, we don't really know the purpose of his visit.

Betsy Hp:
Hm, I don't really see the Barty Jr. moment as equivalent to the 
mead thing.  Barty was an equal.  Dumbledore was aggressive, yes, 
but I didn't see any pettiness in his actions.  He came across as 
petty, IMO, with the Dursleys.  I mean, sure book 7 might shine a 
different light on this scene, but as of right now Dumbledore seemed 
a bit lesser than his usual.

Betsy Hp