Harry's remark about Kreacher WAS: Re: JKR messed up........ no.

[pippin_999]

No: HPFGUIDX 178565


> va32h:
> 
> This makes no sense to me. Nothing in the text says (or even suggests
> IMO)  that Harry ever intended to make his own sandwich and only
> wanted to give Kreacher the option of doing it for him to make
> Kreacher feel better.  

Pippin:
We learn in OOP that the House Elves are insulted by Hermione's
attempts to free them and are refusing to clean Gryffindor Tower. 
Harry knows that refusing to let a House Elf perform its normal
duties is considered an insult.

> va32h:
> 
> The problem is that elves cannot be entirely analogous to slavery
> because elves - according to canon - are biologically and inherently
> happy as slaves. 

Pippin:
Huh?
Canon never says anything about biology. It says that House Elves
are enchanted. Until the enchantments are lifted it's impossible to
say whether House Elves are naturally and inherently happy as 
slaves. But probably not, or it wouldn't have been necessary to
enchant them. As far as we know, the enchantments are 
permanent, and we see that the effect of having lived under them can't
easily be reversed even if the Elf is freed. 

 But since  magic cannot make one love, those House Elves
who love their masters must do so genuinely and not because
of magic. Harry knows that Kreacher loves him, and so, IMO,
thinking of asking Kreacher for a sandwich would be less exploitive than 
asking another Elf, because Kreacher would be happy to do it 
anyway, out of love.  If he'd been at the Burrow, he might have
wondered whether Molly would make him a sandwich -- that
wouldn't be because he thinks it's only a woman's job to cook.


Harry doesn't need to think all this,  because JKR has already explained 
all of it. 

vah32 
> How does one transport a thread from one list to another?  Because
> yes, I would argue with some of the things you suggested regarding the
> Civil War.


Pippin:
I see you are already a member, for those who aren't join here:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPFGU-OTChatter/

Then start a new thread, with "from HPFGU" in the subject line 
and paste in the text you'd like to reply to.

Pippin