The secrecy motif

[lizzyben04]

No: HPFGUIDX 179952

> Montavilla47:
<snip>
> It is interesting that (almost) everyone keeps secrets in the 
series.  It's
> quite true and one of the most important things about the WW is 
that
> it be kept secret from the Muggles.  The defining document of the 
WW 
> is the "Statute of Secrecy" and the whole purpose of the Ministry 
is to
> enforce it.

lizzyben:

Yeah, the whole wizarding world is based on "secrets and lies", so 
it shouldn't be so surprising that everyone in it tells lies to 
others and themselves. I think alot of the wizarding world's 
dsyfunction is a result of that founding "statute of secrecy." The 
wizards basically hide themselves out of sight & ran away from the 
wider world. And in order to keep their society a secret, they've 
got to employ tons of "Oblivators" to erase the memories of all non-
wizarding people who happen to see something they shouldn't. When 
you think of it, Memory Charms are really a horrible thing to do to 
anyone - it erases your memory, your experiences, a part of your 
identity. It can even cause real brain damage if done incorrectly. 
(Jorkins). It's an awful thing to do to another human being; which 
is why it becomes easier for wizards to think of non-wizards 
as "Muggles", an inferior species. EVERYONE agrees that Muggles are 
inferior, & wizards superior; even Arthur Weasley takes a 
patronizing attitude towards those silly Muggles. 

And if they think of Muggles as inferior, they can also lie to 
themselves about something else. Wizards didn't *hide* from the 
Muggles, they didn't *run away*, oh no. They are just superior 
beings who chose not to associate with an inferior race. Wizards 
would never, ever run away! They are courageous, brave, noble, 
warriors! And so the obsession with courage & manliness arises as a 
kind of reaction formation to the fact that they basically ran 
screaming from the real world. So the WW as a whole begins operating 
on these fundamental neurotic bases - "We are superior, we are 
better, we are courageous". And then they start turning that 
viewpoint against each other. The whole Gryf/Slyth thing reads to me 
like Slytherin/pure-bloods saying "We're superior to YOU!" and 
Gryffindors saying, "no, WE'RE superior to YOU!" And so they get 
into this death match for superiority, on the Quidditch field or the 
battlefield. The idea of equality doesn't seem to occur to anyone. 

And I know that Gryffs are the good guys because they're not 
prejudiced against Muggle-borns, but that always seemed a bit 
bizarre to me, because they ARE prejudiced against Muggles. It's 
like someone telling an immigrant that they accept him, even though 
they think his foreign parents & family are a totally inferior 
species. Ugh. Prejudice against Muggles won't go away because the 
wizards have this deep-seated need to believe that they are superior 
to & stronger than Muggles; so the prejudice against Muggle-borns 
will remain as well. IMO the prejudice against Muggle-borns is a 
natural result of the way this society has been set up. It's 
inevitable & it won't go away. Because this is a society that is 
rotten at its core, created and based upon a foundation of secrecy & 
lies. 


lizzyben