Cruel, Mean, and Nasty - Is this the way of the WW?

[Ken Hutchinson]

No: HPFGUIDX 158844

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Tesha" <Jan at ...> wrote:
>
> 
> > > Tesha wrote:
> 
> > >    My questions is--- While we analyze the story, should we try
to set
> > > aside out our experiences and prejudices to fully enjoy the
story, or
> > > is feeling the injustice personally an important part of JKR's
> stories?
> > > 
> > > btw: I think DD is great, tho' flawed and imperfect like all of us,
> > > still pretty terrific.
> > > 
> > 
> > Ken:
> > 
>  Our species is red in tooth and
> > claw too, we just had to augment our teeth and manufacture claws.
> 
> 
> Tesha:
>    Right, I agree that people are capable of the worst as well as the
> best - we see it daily on both fringes of our society - but let me
> refer directly to Hogwarts when I speak of "Unfair". Take Quidditch as
> an example, beaters? bludgers? tales abound of broken limbs and
> bloddied heads. Scheech! even American Hockey will give a time out for
> excessive violence. Slytherin players can be downright nasty - and
> have we ever seen any recourse? It seems right somehow for the WW -
> but in RL? Yeah, right - the lawyers would have a ball!
> 
> So I ask, should we simply view the WW in in't own context? or cringe
> when we know Harry's going to get it yet again?
>


I think that Hogwarts is a bit extreme compared to the experience most
of us had in school at this age. If you haven't played American
football you can't appreciate how close it is to Quidditch there on
the line where the referees can't see everything that is going on.
However people will quibble with me about that, I'm sure. Compare
Hogwarts to the plight of children of this age in the early industrial
revolution and before. Hogwarts isn't that radical. The discord is
that affluent people in 1990 would accept the risks Hogwarts exposes
their children to. However in my experience of two decades ago the
British are less adverse to these kinds of risk than Americans are.

Ken