Slytherins as jews WAS: Re: DH as Christian Allegory/I am...

[Sydney]

No: HPFGUIDX 173633


> > Alla:
> <snip>
> > The funniest argument fot Slytherin as persecuted jews symbolism
> > to me is of course Snape's hooked nose. Um, why?
...
> > Am I suppose to think of Jew the moment  I read about Snape's
> hooked nose? Well, I really do not.
> > <SNIP>
> 
Paula:
> I'm Jewish with all of my grandparents/relatives and those before
> them from Eastern Europe - I never thought of Snape of Jewish as I do
> not think of "hook noses" of being exclusively Jewish. 

Sydney:

Guh... I said I wouldn't continue with this but obviously I don't have
to clear up again what I meant in my initial post.  What was making me
uncomfortable with the Slytherin's portrayal-- the hooked noses and
greasy hair and oiliness and monkey-like founder and inbreeding and
cunning and greediness and having too much money and Eastern
Europeaness and mesmeric powers and puppet governments-- obviously has
NOTHING TO DO WITH ACTUAL PEOPLE WHO ARE JEWISH.  Jewish people also
do not eat babies as far as I'm aware. It has everything to do with
anti-semitic stereotypes that would have been much more recognizable,
I'm thankful to say, a hundred years ago.  

Anyone who has read much Victorian fiction stumbles across the 'Jewish
character' (Fagin would have been a bit of a cliche in that period)
and goes 'yikes!'.  I think it must be Rowling's immersion not only in
the fiction of this period but also from the 1930's, that put these
characteristics (for the benefit of people skimming this, I repeat,
*nothing to do with actual Jewish people*), I say again
*unconsciously*, into her brain and that she drew from to create the
classic Enemy Within-type Other (thanks Magpie), a role the Jew has
traditionally played for centuries. I am ecstatic that this stereotype
has evidently become so rare as to be unrecognizable-- though there
are parts of the world where it might be less so.

It's like the kerfuffle over Jar-Jar Binks that gave George Lucas so
much grief a few years ago.  When people said it was an outrageous
reference to sterotypes about Blacks, they obviously didn't mean
actual African-Americans were shuffling, amusing idiots.  They meant
that it was in poor taste to use a character that was so instantly
recognizable as the shiftless Step-n-Fetchit type from films of the
20's and 30's.  

I get that on the overt level that JKR was writing, the Sltytherins
are supposed to be the Nazis and the muggleborns are supposed to be
the Jews.  There are potted plants who get that.  

--Definitely retreating back behind the potted plant,
Sydney