GoF CH 4-6 post DH look/ Cauldrons' thickness

[montavilla47]

No: HPFGUIDX 181761

> Alla:
> 
> Eh, I was pretty sure that your first reply was a joke; I was even 
> surer that Pippin's reply was a joke as well. Now I am starting to 
> think that your reply was not a joke (please tell me if it was after 
> all), while I am still thinking that Pippin was kidding.


Montavilla47:
To be perfectly honest, it was a bit of a joke.  But I still think
that Percy's cauldron-bottom report, while not exactly an 
exciting project, is one of the more important, unsung 
aspects of the Ministry.

What do you think is the function of government?  It's not
only to raise armies.  A lot of it is to create silly little 
bits of regulation that collectively make the world run 
easier, provide for the general welfare, and secure the blessings
of liberty.

Alla:
> Is it Ministry business to make their employees to write report on 
> cauldron's thickness? Not in my opinion. I am trying to find a 
> suitable comparison – say that Ministry was making Percy to write a 
> report on whether the ice cream that Fortesque makes is tasty enough 
> or whether it has enough calories.

Montavilla47:
Or whether or not Fortesque is secretly adding doxy-dust to 
enhance the flavor?  

Before we had legal standards for food preparation, there was
no way to know what you were getting the supermarket.  It wasn't
the manufacturers who decided to list the ingrediants on their 
packages.  That's due to government regulation.

Before regulations on car manufacturers, there was no great
incentive to provide safety belts.  Most cars didn't have them.
The interior of cars were designed for style, rather than safety,
and consequently, there were lots of sharp, stylish edges that
became dangerous--even deadly--during an accident.  

Before regulations on paint, lead was regularly used as part
of the mix, leading to deaths and serious illness among children.

I really could go on, but I'll spare you. 

Alla: 
> Does it make sense? I do not think that cauldron thickness is 
> something that government employee should be concerned about, sounds 
> as if it is cauldron manufacturers' business to me.

> I am rereading my initial post and I am realizing that when I wrote 
> what does it matter at all, it may have given an impression that I do 
> not think that this is important at all. So I am sorry about that, I 
> think it can be important just for appropriate people IMO.

Montavilla47:
But what incentive is there for manufacturers to keep a 
safe thickness?  The Wizarding World doesn't seem to have 
a very strong system of civil litigation. Why should the 
manufacturers care if x number of people are harmed or 
killed in cauldron accidents?  

Moreover, a thin-bottomed cauldron is advantageous for the 
cauldron-makers, since it means that wizards will need to 
replace their cauldrons more often, thus expanding the 
market.

Actually, I heard a report a few months ago that lax standards
on medicine and make-up in the U.S. is allowing European 
companies (who face greater regulation) to dump lead-filled
lipsticks and shoddy pills in our market.  It's quite possible that
the foreign cauldron manufacturers were doing the same thing
in GoF--dumping their shoddy irregular cauldrons in England,
while keeping their more quality products at home.

I don't know why, but I have always associated Luna's 
mother's  death with a cauldron accident.  Am I just imagining 
that?  I know that she died from magical experimentation.  Am I 
simply assuming she was experimenting with potion-brewing?