[HPforGrownups] The Statute of Secrecy

[elfundeb]

No: HPFGUIDX 158913

Carol:
My point is that, as Mike stated, Dumbledore is trapped by the Statute
of Secrecy. He can't straight out tell Mrs. Cole what kind of school
he's recruiting Tom for. She wouldn't believe him, for one thing, and
would probably call the police. The Obliviators who modify Marge
Dursley's and Mr. Roberts's memories (along with many others) are more
extreme examples of wizards forced to act as they do to maintain or
enforce that statute.

Debbie:
 Even if Mrs Cole didn't go to the police (and I'm not sure she would),
given the current state of affairs, for Dumbledore to practice civil
disobedience in order to avoid deception would work a cruel disservice to
Mrs. Cole.  If she were to begin confiding to others that Tom had been
spirited away by an oddly dressed man to attend a school of magic, well,
there are secure institutions standing ready to incarcerate persons with odd
stories such as that.  Indeed, Fudge played on those fears to ensure that
the Muggle prime minister would willingly comply with the statute.

Carol:
Both she
and her characters have to keep on following or enforcing the Statute
of Secrecy, and they have to believe that it's right and necessary to
do so. Otherwise, the knowledge of magic would leak into the RW, which
would interfere with the credibility of the books, which require a
*secret* WW in our very midst.


Debbie:
In my view the biggest problem with the Statute of Secrecy is not that good
wizards feel obligated to follow it (I don't believe they all agree that
secrecy is necessary), but that it is impossible *not* to let Muggles in on
the secret.  The Muggle prime minister knows.  The parents of muggleborns
know, or Mr. and Mrs. Granger could not have gotten into Diagon Alley in
CoS.  And what's to prevent one of them from revealing the secret, perhaps
after having downed one too many glasses of wine. . . .?  I find this a bit
incredible, much more so than the fact that a character like Dumbledore,
supposedly the 'epitome of goodness,' willingly follows the Statute.  In
fact, why did Vernon Dursley need to know that his wife's sister was a
witch?  I've always assumed that Petunia revealed something she should not
have.  (Of course, that made things a lot easier to explain when Harry was
dropped on the doorstep, but still . . .)

Carol:
And, of course, the Statute has other unfortunate consequences, such
as reinforcing the Wizards' perception of themselves as superior to
Muggles, so that they think nothing of altering Muggles' memories.
(The Statute does, however, protect Muggles from having magic
practiced on them, at least in theory. Morfin is punished for hexing a
Muggle, and the Twins could have been in serious trouble if they'd
given a ton-tongue toffee to a Muggle who wasn't already aware of the
existence of magic. The same goes for the pig's tail Hagrid gave to
Dudley.)

Debbie:
OTOH, it is precisely the Wizards' condescending attitude toward Muggles --
and Muggleborn witches and wizards (which long preceded the Statute of
Secrecy) that give the Statute itself some believability.  Granted, Muggle
persecution of wizards is presented as the primary factor, but it wasn't
just persecution, or people wouldn't find Flame-Freezing Charms so amusing.
The Statute is all about protecting wizards from having to use their powers
to help the ordinary folk, as Hagrid tells us (sometimes he's not so
simpleminded after all).  And it all becomes quite ludicrous when Office of
Misinformation agents overrun the West Country to modify memories of those
who saw the giants uprooting trees rather than telling the authorities what
really happened.

Carol:
(Whether it was wise or necessary to institute
it in the first place is another matter, as is what would happen if
the statute were breached and no memories modified. Would the WW cease
to exist if Muggles knew of its existence? That's what wizards, other
than the simple-minded Hagrid, seem to think.)

Debbie:
I suspect that Dumbledore doesn't believe any such thing.  And I'm sure
Dumbledore is aware that in a perfect world there would be no need for a
Statute of Secrecy, or for the deception that necessarily accompanies
compliance with such legislation (though they'd still need a Muggle
Protection Act).  However, a great deal of groundwork would have to be laid
before the Statute of Secrecy could be lifted.  The attitudes of wizardfolk
and muggles alike would have to undergo a sea change, and substantial
political cooperation would be required between the two groups (although the
fact that we Muggles aren't executing suspected witches anymore is a
substantial step in the right direction).  As neither the present nor the
former occupant of the Minister of Magic position seems inclined to change
the status quo (Fudge spoke rather enthusiastically of modifying memories
after Sirius' arrest), and Dumbledore isn't inclined toward politics, the
time for change has not yet come.  Accordingly, the Campaign to Free Muggles
of Memory Loss will probably have to wait for another series of books.

Hagrid's explanation that secrecy was necessary because otherwise Muggles
would want magical solutions to their problems, as you suggest, doesn't hold
weight if you dig beneath the surface.  If magical solutions are so
problematic, why are there schools of magic that teach how to use magic
rather than to control the impulse to use it?

Carol:
 Despite all of Dumbledore's statements about freedom of choice (and
I'm not questioning the importance of the concept to the books), at
least some of the characters' actions are determined by the world they
live in and its peculiar laws and worldview.

Debbie:
But this is true of all societies, including our own.  Our actions *are*
constrained by the prevailing worldview, in spite of our supposed freedom.
Change is a slow process, but it can happen.  The first step toward change
is changing attitudes.  And as adults too easily become too set in their
ways to learn  new tricks, the best way to begin changing attitudes is to
get control of the youth.  Dumbledore chose to be Headmaster of Hogwarts
rather than Minister of Magic.  Thus, he seems to be doing his part.

Carol, wondering whether JKR knew what she was getting into when she
invented the Statute of Secrecy

Debbie, wondering if, having gotten into the Statute of Secrecy quagmire,
JKR wishes she had time in her narrative to get the WW out of it


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