HG-HBP/LegalSystems/Co-Creator(3)/Sandwich/Bed(2)/CHAPDISC(2)/Free HE/Regulus

[sistermagpie]

No: HPFGUIDX 178841

> Geoff wrote in
> <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/178632>:
> 
> << Supposing Harry had wondered whether Molly Weasley or Hermione 
or
> even... Draco(!) might bring him a sandwich in Gryffindor Tower. 
What
> would you read into that? >>

Catlady:
 
> If he had wondered if Molly, or Hermione, or Ginny, or any female
> Gryffindor, might bring him a sandwich, that would be read as 
Rowling
> approves of men believing that women are automatically their 
servants.
> Altho' it wouldn't be out of character for Hermione -- in which 
book
> did she bring him a stack of toast when he ran away from breakfast?
> 
> One of the replies reminded me that Molly had just lost her son, 
Fred.
> At some point things will be tidied up enough that the adrenaline 
of
> the battle will wear off and she will go into deep grief, probably
> clinging to Arthur (or to Arthur and George and whichever other of 
her
> surviving children she can grab) and weeping big tears. It would be
> strange for a grown-up to interrupt that to ask her to fetch a
> sandwich, and stranger to think she might think of it herself while
> thusly distracted.
> 
> If Harry had wondered if Draco might bring him a sandwich, some 
would
> believe he had gone crazy as shown by forgetting that Draco doesn't
> know the Gryffindor Tower password, some (such as me) would claim 
it
> proved the Harry/Draco ship, some would said it was Rowling's 
approval
> of forcing the defeated enemy to work for you without pay, and some
> would say it was one more proof that Rowling believes that anyone
> sorted into Slytherin is an unworthy being regardless of what they 
do
> after that.

Magpie:
Maybe I'm misreading your tone in this reply, but I hear people 
argue in this way all the time . Meaning that when someone has a 
criticism of something or didn't like it, the reply is that if JKR 
had done it differently she'd be lambasted for that even more so one 
thing is as bad as any other. The implication  that anything the 
person said is meaningless because they were just throwing a 
tantrum. I'm not objecting to any jokes about fandom and how 
somebody is always going to object to something if that was your 
only point here, but I often hear it as an actual argument against 
whatever somebody is bringing up.

Harry didn't ask any of these people to make him a sandwich so it 
does matter what we imagine somebody might have said if he did. If 
he had expected Molly to bring him one it would have pretty 
ridiculous, imo, as would him wondering if Draco would. It's not 
ridiculous for him to think of having Kreacher do it, which is why 
Kreacher is the one he's thinking of--because he's his slave, and 
that's apparently just fine. 

> Carol wrote in
> <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/178754>:
> 
> << has twice requested a description of the life of a free House-
Elf,
> this supposedly ideal state that certain readers thought would be
> achieved through Harry's victory, and is still puzzled as to what 
they
> mean by "freedom" >>

Catlady: 
> I can define it even tho' I don't expect it to come about for 
decades
> after Hermione leaves school and starts working full-time on it. 

Magpie:
Hermione is not, canonically, doing any such thing, so I don't see 
why you're speaking as this is a given. There's not a hint in canon 
of how any of the things you're talking about could even come about. 
Hermione talks about taking SPEW further in fifth year when she's 
obsessed with SPEW, but her interest in it disappears in the last 
two books where she never brings it up even with regards to 
Kreacher. When dealing with the individual Elf Kreacher she more 
just gives lessons on the proper way to deal with them as a master.

Catlady:
> As for the bad effects on my morals of having someone else to do 
all
> this miserable scut-work, I don't mind.

Magpie:
Nobody's said anything of there being a bad effect of having other 
people do your scut work. That's not what slavery is.

-m