House-Elves again (Was: Realistic Resolutions - WAS: Slytherins come back)

[Carol]

No: HPFGUIDX 180758

a_svirn:
>  What I say is that wizards are less than ready to conform to their
nature and culture (for whatever reasons). They are, however perfectly
happy to accommodate elves' nature. Which means that in their dealing
with the magical creatures their natures, cultures, and wellbeing
aren't wizards' real concern. They are only concerned of their own, so
that argument of the natures of magical creatures is really not that 
relevant. Wizards own elves because they want slaves, not because
elves want to serve.
> 
> Magpie:
> I agree.

Carol responds:

It works both ways, doesn't it? If House-Elves didn't want to serve,
they'd never have started working for wizards in the first place. As
far as we know, the first wizard elf-owner didn't go out and capture
one in the wild or steal him from his own house. Folklore tells us
that the elves (or hobgoblins or whatever name we put on them)
voluntairly came to work for humans without pay (except food?) and
left when they were given clothes. That's the tradition that JKR is
working with and has altered slightly for her own purposes. Elves, at
least those who are working for humans, have what they want and need:
work, food, shelter, and tea towels in place of clothing. They can
apparently magically keep themselves clean. And they don't need money.
Dobby spends his for socks, but he doesn't *need* all those socks. (We
humans probably don't need all the possessions we acquire, either, but
that's beside the point.)

If House-Elves don't work for humans, cleaning and cooking and doing
the other things they're naturally good at (domestic skills), what,
exactly, are they supposed to do? Go and work for goblin families,
where they're likely to be despised and abused and very unlikely to be
paid? Go and work for a nonexistant House-Elf family? Set up their own
society, which they're wholly unprepared, unwilling, and perhaps
constitutionally unable to do?

They're not human. They don't think or act like humans. They don't
want to *be* human. They don't need wands to do magic. They can join a
common cause and fight for the good wizards if they decide to. Surely,
they could have simply left Hogwarts en masse when it was temporarily
without a headmaster had they so chosen. But what would they do? Where
would they go? They're happy at Hogwarts, and the only alternative
would be to go wandering the WW, homeless and jobless, looking for
wizarding families to take them in, in which case they'd probably be
less well off than they are now.

The only thing House-Elves need is a lifting of the enchantment that
makes them punish themselves when they disobey an order or speak ill
of their masters. They doesn't want paying, miss. Or "freedom," either.

*Of course* wizards are perfectly happy to accommodate the House-Elves
nature. (Note the name: House-Elves. They belong in houses. Wizard's
houses, as they don't seem to build their own.) And House-Elves are
perfectly happy to accomodate the Wizards. It's a mutually beneficial
relationship unless the House-Elves are abused. And that's where
Hermione's focus is now that she finally understands House-Elf
psychology. 

Carol, noting that a rebellious House-Elf can do a pretty good job of
making a psychologically abusive master unhappy, if Kreacher is any
indication