Muggles v wizards redux

[horridporrid03]

No: HPFGUIDX 183265

> >>Alla:
> <snip>
> Thinking about James and Sirius communicating with muggle police in 
> the story made me think about muggles and wizards relationships, in 
> particularly about why one would want to identify with muggles of   
> the potterverse.
> <snip>
> No, I am not talking about wizards treating muggles badly; I fully 
> understand the logic of this argument and to extent even agree with 
> it.
> <snip>
> So I guess the question is what are the reasons for you to identify 
> with muggles in Potterverse?
> <massive snip>

Betsy Hp:
Another fascinating question! <g>  I'm very pro-Muggle and very anti-
Wizard, but I didn't start out that way. PS/SS seemed to paint the 
Muggle world as very bland and grey; sort of like that 
movie, "Pleasantville", before color seeped in.  In contrast, the WW, 
as others have pointed out, seemed to be the world of creativity, of 
color if you will, where what you imagined would come true if you 
believed it hard enough.

But as the series progressed, and we learned more and more of the WW, 
witnessed the state of education at Hogwarts, and met more and more 
Wizards, I came to realize the reverse was actually true.  The WW was 
very much "Pleasantville" without the color, and they seemed willing 
to do anything to keep it that way. (Wizards would *so* have met up 
at the bowling alley. <bg>)  No Cubism movement for them, thank you 
*very* much: Art should reflect reality or it shouldn't exist at 
all.  And *certainly* it's not worth teaching the children about.

Magic was reduced to a form of technology: handy for getting stuff 
done, but without much actual *magic* to it.  And frankly, we 
(Muggles) created better technology.  Note that the Weasleys needed 
Muggle technology to get their brood to the train station (heck, note 
that Hogwarts needed Muggle technology to get the students to the 
castle).

The WW has no *numinous* whereas I know first hand that the Muggle 
world is *brimming* with it, if you know where to look.  The highest 
creative use we saw the WW put itself to was a joke shop.  Much as I 
dislike the twins, I'll fully admit that they were the probably the 
most free-thinking and creative characters we met.  And how did they 
express their creativity?  A joke shop.  The Muggle world gives us 
Brahms, Miles Davis, Chaucer, Van Gogh, Ella Fitzgerald, Einstein.  
The WW gives us fart jokes.  I know which world *I'd* rather be in.

Also, if it came down to it?  Muggles would kick Wizard *ass*.  Go 
Muggles!! <rbg>

Betsy Hp