The Dursleys:

[sistermagpie]

No: HPFGUIDX 167404

> From: aceworker <aceworker at ...>
> >I always thought that JKR was always just trying to portray the 
> >Dursley's as fearful and materialisitic people. JKR finds this 
> >contemptable as 'courage' she has said is her highest value.  
 
> Bart:
Because the way they are portrayed, especially in the earlier books, 
they actually seem to believe that keeping Harry away from magic is 
good for HIM. Combine this with their obvious greed, and you get a 
situation that does not make sense. 

Magpie:
But it does make sense. It doesn't have to be the most practical for 
them to make sense according to human nature. People don't always make 
decisions that way or feel things that way. You said you had a friend 
whose family didn't consider being an artist respectable. The Dursleys 
don't think having magic is respectable. They don't like magic no 
matter who has it. Therefore it's both better for themselves if Harry 
is normal, and better for Harry. What is good for them is good for the 
world in general because it is the way things should be.

Bart:
They clearly don't want "normal"; they want to be better than 
everybody else, their neighbors in particular. Look at what Dursley 
puts his family through to impress a potential client (and note that 
none of the efforts shown are an attempt to show the good points of 
his drills). 

Magpie:
Of course they want normal. Their ambitions regarding their neighbors 
have nothing to do with not being normal--they're trying to be the 
very best at normal. The Dursleys aspire to a very specific kind 
of "better than everyone else" that sometimes means not being better 
than everyone else. Wanting a prize for having the nicest garden in 
England is a form of ambition, but not one that's tied to wanting to 
be different from everyone else. The efforts Vernon goes to to impress 
his clients are all tied to being normal as well.
 
> Bart:
Can you picture such a man to be unwilling to use magic if it will 
make him an extra quid or two?

Magpie:
I can, yes. Easily. He's shown doing exactly that in canon so I rather 
have to.:-) But I'm still not sure what the premise is that you're 
getting at underneath. You started out talking about Fundamentalist 
Christians and I'm not sure of the connection. Are you saying that 
because you don't expect the canonical explanation about the Dursleys 
and magic they must really be worried that Harry's magic is demonic? 

-m