House elves and some spoilers for Swordspoint WAS: realistic solutions

[horridporrid03]

No: HPFGUIDX 180932

> >>Goddlefrood, offering a reasonable alternative word to use and
> > anticipating none would use it ;-)
 
> >>Bex:
> > I hope it catches on. Vasself? feudelf? Or perhaps we need a name 
> > for this idea. EVANS, maybe? (Elves: Vassals Are Not Slaves?) I'm 
> > all a-quiver with excitement....

> >>Magpie: (Slaves)

Betsy Hp:
I vote to keep "slaves" too.  If Goddlefrood (or Bex) could give me 
an example of how house-elves are *not* slaves (and no, being 
a "happy" slave doesn't count: Jim was happy with the widow), then 
I'll entertain the idea that house-elves aren't, well, slaves.

This trying to come up with a less loaded word strikes me as ducking 
the question.  It's philisophically lazy, IMO.  We have canon proof 
that Kreacher has *no choice* but to obey Harry.  This was 
established when Harry was first gifted with Kreacher.  That complete 
and utter lack of choice, combined with the slave gaining *nothing* 
(and I'd love for Carol or SSSusan to explain to me how Harry forcing 
Kreacher to betray a family he loved met some deep need of 
Kreacher's) leaves me with no choice but to call a spade a spade.  
Kreacher is a slave; Harry is his owner. 

> >>Alla:
> <snip>
> I do not feel a need to look for additional word because I feel a   
> need to not think of Harry as slave owner. I feel a need to look   
> for that word, because to me there are enough differences to wish  
> such word should exist no matter how many similarities are there as 
> well( Thank you SSSusan).

Betsy Hp:
Then why are those arguing in support of house-elf slavery using the 
exact same arguments those in support of African-slavery used back in 
the day?  They're happier as slaves, they're not at all like us and 
so have different needs, they're really more like animals than 
anything.  (I believe Fredrick Douglas was equated with a dog trained 
to walk on its hind-legs.)

If the situation of house-elves was so different from RL slavery, I'd 
think the arguments in favor of the institution wouldn't sound so 
creepily familiar.

Betsy Hp