On Children and the "Other" (was:Re: On the perfection of moral virtues)

[horridporrid03]

No: HPFGUIDX 169476

> >>lizzyben04:
> <snip>
> To me, it seems like the books give lip-service to "tolerance"
> and "unity" while actually embodying the opposite.
> <snip>

Betsy Hp:
I've had the very same worries, lizzyben04.  And I usually look to 
Pippin to pull me back from the depths of despair. (Though she may 
not realize I do so. <g>)  In another thread, Pippin pointed out this 
quote of JKR's:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/169384
> >>Pippin:
> Here's what Jo has to say about Hermione:

"Hermione, with the best of intentions, becomes quite
self-righteous. My heart is entirely with her as she
goes through this. She develops her political conscience.
My heart is completely with her. But my brain tells me,
which is a growing-up thing, that in fact she blunders
towards the very people she's trying to help. She
offends them."

Betsy Hp:
To which Pippin commented:

> >>Pippin:
> I'm not trying to villify Hermione, just agreeing with the
> author that some of her actions are offensive.
> Many of the characters seem to go through a dangerous
> phase where they have the powers of an adult but the
> shortsighted vision of a child, and some of them do
> ruthless and unjust things.
> <snip>

Betsy Hp:
The combination of which got me thinking.  (Those who want to run for 
the hills: now's the time. <g>)

Children can be very intolerent of anything or anyone different or 
outside themselves; the "other" for want of a better word.  I believe 
(and this is not my field of study by any stretch, total lay person 
here) that it's fairly understood that up to a certain age the 
ability to empathize, to place oneself into the role of "other" isn't 
hardwired into a child's brain.  Which is part of the reason children 
aren't tried as adults in courts of law.  They may inflict pain (or 
even death) on someone else without realizing what they have done, 
because they have a hard time understanding that "other's" can feel 
pain.

The comedian, Eddy Izzard has a funny bit where he talks about being 
an "executive transvestite" since birth but not telling the other 
little children because he didn't want to be "beaten with sticks".  I 
think most of us can remember how damaging being "different" can be 
in the school yard.  I've started to think that perhaps JKR is 
exploring this phenomenon and using the Potter series (not in a 
preachy way) to say something about it. Because, IMO, she's got a lot 
of odd juxtapositions in the books. And I can't help but think JKR 
knows that they're there.  

For example, Harry is the epitome of the "outsider" within his muggle 
family, so excessively different they hide him away in a closet.  
Then Harry gets the wonderful news that he's not really weird, 
there's a whole world with people just like him.  Then he gets the 
not so wonderful news (from Draco) that he may possibily still be an 
oddity, an "other" within that new world.  And this is where things 
get a bit strange, IMO.

Hagrid doesn't tell Harry that it's okay to be a bit odd, that it's 
okay to be "other".  Instead, Hagrid assures Harry that he's just as 
much an insider as Draco.  In fact more of one because in actuality, 
Draco's family comes from an "other" grouping within the WW: 
Slytherin, where all the "bad wizards" come from.

Another juxtaposition is Hermione, a defined "other" by her muggle 
blood, cutting herself off from her family more and more until she 
barely spends any holiday time with them.  While Ron, with his 
worries about not being "good enough" for his world ("other" by 
virtue of his weaknesses), is very quick to point out the "otherness" 
of others, physical (Eloise Midgen) or political (various members of 
Hufflepuff in CoS; Seamus in OotP).

And of course, there's the juxtaposition of the WW.  On the one hand 
you've got the uber-obvious Voldemort and the Death Eaters, models of 
the extremes fear of "other" can lead to.  On the other, the rest of 
the WW, whose fear of Voldemort and the Death Eaters leads to the 
premature judging of anyone acting "other" according to their 
definition. (ie Lee Jordan's certainty the Heir was a Slytherin in 
CoS; Scrimgoer locking up Shunpike in HBP; Umbridge in general.) 

> >>lizzyben04:
> What's worse, because Slytherin = evil, behavior by Gryffindors
> towards Slytherins is automatically excused because they're "the bad
> guys." Draco's ferret bouncing, Montague's vanishing, etc. I find
> this actually disturbing. Gryffindor apparantly = good, no matter
> what one of them does.
> <snip>

Betsy Hp:
It disturbs me as well.  But I wonder if it's maybe *supposed* to be 
disturbing on some level?

It's very convenient, IMO, that Draco is turned into an animal before 
he's thrown repeatedly to the ground.  One of the first things 
propagandists try to do is remove the humanity of the other side.  
That Draco has his humanity removed in *actuality* suggests, to me, 
that perhaps JKR knows what she is doing.

And with both Montague and Marietta, none of the trio know those 
students.  Not really.  It's easy to deprecate the pain of someone 
you never really see or interact with.  (The same could be said about 
the trio's view of Crabbe, Goyle, and Malfoy.) The childish 
shortsightedness of the trio allow them to be as ruthless and unjust 
(to paraphrase Pippin's quote above) as they want to be because 
they're not hurting actual people, they're just hurting the "other".  

> >>lizzyben04:
> What's the lesson here - It's OK when "we do it"? That's total     
> moral relativism. It teaches that you can instantly label someone   
> based on their background or party, and feel justified by any      
> immoral actions you take against that person.

Betsy Hp:
I'm holding out hope that DH will show the "moral relativism" the 
trio engages in as the problem that I think it is.  Dumbledore spent 
all of HBP teaching Harry to look at Tom Riddle in a new way; to see 
the man behind the monster.  At least, it seemed to me that he was 
pleased that Harry was able to dredge up some sympathy for young!
Tom.  And we also have Harry facing the fact that Draco feels pain, 
both physical and emotional.  By the end of HBP Harry seems to be 
holding on to that lesson.

Hopefully, Hermione and Ron will learn that lesson as well, and DH 
will end by showing children that just because someone is different 
or "other", it's really not okay to beat them with sticks.

Or you know, there's always the woodchipper. <bg>

Betsy Hp