Realistic Resolutions - WAS: Slytherins come back

[pippin_999]

No: HPFGUIDX 180769

> 
> Montavilla47:
> Except Ron started out enlightened. 

Pippin:
Um, no. He started out spouting what he'd been taught to
believe, same as Hermione. Winky was clearly in distress
*before* she was freed, but Ron ignored that, as dismissive
of  House Elf misery under the current system as Hermione
was of House Elf contentment. Both of them conveniently
ignored any data that didn't fit their theories (gee, they'd
fit right in around here, ya think? <g>)

Ron's major response to Hermione's concerns  was to tell her to give 
it a rest. Elves were all right as they were and meddling in their
affairs might put them off their cooking. 

His revealing of the hats was a step towards enlightenment,
but only a step. Though he's generally very outspoken, he didn't
confront Hermione about what she was doing, perhaps because 
he'd have had to admit that House Elves were subject to abuse under 
the current system, if only by being freed against their will. 

Meanwhile, Hermione made progress in the other direction.
Although she pleaded for Kreacher's freedom, she didn't try
to take the matter into her own hands.

Ron's spontaneous realization that the Hogwarts Elves were in
peril not only from the attackers but from Hogwarts wizards
ordering them to fight is what earns him a kiss. He's finally had to
admit that wizards won't treat elves with kindness and respect
unless other wizards see to it.
 

Montavilla:
> And then the other weirdness comes from JKR's
> statement that the elves were about her take on 
> slavery itself.  Because, her takes appears to be 
> that slavery is okay, as long as you don't beat  or 
> yell at your slaves and give them the occasional gift.

Pippin:
I think her take on slavery is that treating it as a moral
issue is a wonderful deterrent but not much of a remedy.


It's to Hermione's credit that her moral circuitry lights up over
slavery, but unfortunately the WW hasn't been programmed
with the same triggers. She's reacting to eleven years of
conditioning that Ron and Harry haven't had. She doesn't
make any progress with the moral issue until she reframes
it as  fairness, something that Ron believes in already.

Dumbledore, meanwhile, frames the issue around community.
Even one wizard who mistreats others endangers the
whole. And since humans can't be trusted to treat even their
natural dependents with kindness and respect at all times,
wouldn't it  be folly to think they'd  treat  artificial dependents
any better?

That the wizarding world is at peace nineteen years after
the war would seem to indicate they've made some progress 
towards real magical brotherhood, IMO. 

Montavilla:
> And Harry actually goes backward.  Unless his journey is to
> go from a skewed perspective on elves (elves shouldn't have
> to serve wizards) to a proper one (its okay for elves to serve 
> wizards).

Pippin:
His take was that Elves who don't want to serve wizards shouldn't
have to, but Elves who do want to serve wizards are well off.  Hokey
changed his mind about that. Having a kind mistress didn't help
her. 

He also took the labor of the Hogwarts Elves completely for granted--
they've made him hundreds of sandwiches without praise or thanks.
I doubt that Harry was going to treat  Kreacher that way.


Pippin