Slytherin as villains / Ender vs. Harry SPOILERS for Ender's Game/Fascism

[lizzyben04]

No: HPFGUIDX 179021

> > >>zgirnius:
> > It's not an anti-feminist view at all; it would be only if we 
> > insisted this is the role and responsibility of women, 
exclusively, 
> > in society.
> > <snip>
> 
> Betsy Hp:
> My thinking on JKR and her views on woman have to do with the 
utter 
> fear with which female sensuality is dealt with in the text, the 
> disdain expressed towards girls acting like girls, the way making 
a 
> boy seem girly was the ultimate put-down, and the rather old-
> fashioned way various tasks were assigned. <snip>

lizzyben:

And connecting this w/the disdain the wizarding world in general has 
for "girly-girl" traits like crying & empathy, and the total 
valuation of "masculine" traits like courage, strength, & power. 
This also reminds me of a fascist society. Historians disagree on 
their definitions of fascism, but almost all include "disdain for 
femininity" as a common element.  

The 14 points of fascism lists "rampant sexism" as a feature of 
fascist societies ("The governments of fascist nations tend to be 
almost exclusively male-dominated. Under fascist regimes, 
traditional gender roles are made more rigid.") Historian Roger 
Griffin wrote that the fascist reality is "a radical misogyny or 
flight from the feminine, manifesting itself in a pathological fear 
of being engulfed by anything in external reality associated with 
softness, with dissolution, or the uncontrollable." Dissolution, 
uncontrollable - like water? 

Encyclopedia Brittanica:

"Common characteristics of fascist movements > Sexism and misogyny 

Under fascist regimes women were urged to perform their traditional 
gender role as wives and mothers and to bear many children for the 
nation. Mussolini instituted policies severely restricting women's 
access to jobs outside the home (policies that later had to be 
revised to meet wartime exigencies), and he distributed gold medals 
to mothers who produced the most children."

In the epilogue, we don't find out what Hermione or Ginny do for a 
living, we just find out how many children they have. And I actually 
don't think it's a coincidence that the Trio all have more children 
than Draco does. Gold medal to Ginny.

Reading Umberto Eco's essay on facism, I'm just amazed at how many 
elements he mentions are reflected in the wizarding world. 
OK, there's machismo, disdain for the feminine, traditionalism, 
rejection of modernity, distrust of intellectualism, value of 
instinct, a belief in "action for action's sake", contempt for the 
weak, elitism, & permenant warfare. But Eco mentioned one other 
element that just made my jaw drop: in fascist societies, people are 
trained to become "heroes", and choosing death is seen as the most 
heroic act of all.

"11. In such a perspective everybody is educated to become a hero.

In every mythology the hero is an exceptional being, but in Ur-
Fascist ideology heroism is the norm. This cult of heroism is 
strictly linked with the cult of death. It is not by chance that a 
motto of the Spanish Falangists was Viva la Muerte ("Long Live 
Death!"). In nonfascist societies, the lay public is told that death 
is unpleasant but must be faced with dignity; believers are told 
that it is the painful way to reach a supernatural happiness. By 
contrast, the Ur-Fascist hero craves heroic death, advertised as the 
best reward for a heroic life. The Ur-Fascist hero is impatient to 
die. In his impatience, he more frequently sends other people to 
death."

http://www.themodernword.com/eco/eco_blackshirt.html
Umberto Eco: Eternal Fascism

This so reminds me of the Gryffindor ideology - these kids are 
trained to become heroes. They are told over & over again that they 
must show valiant courage in the face of death. This shades over 
into total recklessness, in Sirius, for example. And in the end, 
Harry himself chooses death to the general accolade of the author 
and the other characters. Choosing death is portrayed as the 
ultimate heroic act in the wizarding world, just as in a fascist 
society.

In reading the Italian Facist mottos, I could totally see these 
slogans & themes reflected in Deathly Hallows.

- Viva la Morte, "Long live death (sacrifice)." 
- Tutto nello Stato, niente al di fuori dello Stato, nulla contro lo 
Stato, "Everything in the State, nothing outside the State, nothing 
against the State." 
- Credere, Obbedire, Combattere ("Believe, Obey, Fight") 

It's creepy.


lizzyben