It’s not just comedic bits. It’s all over the place, just hitting the reader over the head that slavery is good because actually they like it and it’s good for them.
It’s really annoying because Hermione does say something like they only like it because that’s the system they’ve been forced into and it’s all they know, but then everyone just rolls their eyes and says that she’s stupid for thinking this. It’s almost like Rowling knows that it should be seen as bad and why, but then can’t actually bring herself to write that because it blames systems, not people.
Her fight was still presented as a joke, bet half the readers just went “haha silly Hermione, who dosen’t wants free servants??”
Edit: on top of that, Rowling uses the trope of the natural state of the slave is being slaved and is actually good for them, with the other freed house elves that is depressed because she dosen’t have a family to work for.
well I could make a (thin) case that it’s part of the world she built and the entire population except for a cohort of a small few children and some odd adults are against it.
so the world at large is ok with that shite behavior; and judging by how many kids grew up to “be slytherin” we can see they just didn’t grok the actual story.
Even the kids in the story are mostly fine with it though. It’s good and proper to have slaves, and even the idea of free elves is something to be mocked by everyone.
Other than the bankers, the other two are clearly painted in an unfavorable light, which is fine. You have to have conflict in order to have a story, of course.
Ironically when I was a kid, Harry Potter was written by the devil and to read it would be practicing demonic witchcraft. My upbringing was definitely not unique in that regard.
it’s a very British conservatism. it’s about blood. the story has people constantly accusing Harry of having bad parentage; as his aunt says “bad blood will out”. a left leaning story would have shown that blood had nothing to do with it. Harry was not raised by his dead parents regardless of how good or bad they are. Harry knew trauma and abuse, then was given his values by Dumbledore and hagrid and lupin and his friends.
but that’s not what happened. in the end it’s not that blood and lineage doesn’t matter. it’s just that his parents were actually high class and wealthy. so Harry won because he had good blood and was the chosen one. he won because of the innate quality he was born with.
Blood is magical. It allows Voldemort to touch Harry.
Harry was never the chosen one except for the fact that Voldemort chose him. It is explained that Longbottom could have fit the prophecy. And prophecies don’t always come true.
They even have a term, mudblood.
Harry has a piece of Voldemort living inside him. That’s why it is always mentioned. He does have an evil piece inside him.
His parents being “high class or wealthy” didn’t matter. His mother’s sacrifice protected Harry, her love.
Harry was an average wizard at best. He won because of friendship and everyone helping out.
Can you explain the “conservatism good” message you see?
the bankers in book one are literally a bigoted analog for jews.
an entire swath of story is about “mudbloods” and race mixing and some characters railing against it.
there is actual slavery.
stuff american conservatives are all pushing as ideas in our current world.
The goblins, no argument here. But the rest, it seems like the entire point of the book is fighting against those things?
Against the slavery of the elfs that was a Hermione thing that everyone else laughed about and it was used on the book for comedic bits.
It’s not just comedic bits. It’s all over the place, just hitting the reader over the head that slavery is good because actually they like it and it’s good for them.
It’s really annoying because Hermione does say something like they only like it because that’s the system they’ve been forced into and it’s all they know, but then everyone just rolls their eyes and says that she’s stupid for thinking this. It’s almost like Rowling knows that it should be seen as bad and why, but then can’t actually bring herself to write that because it blames systems, not people.
So, the smartest character in the book fights for their freedom. I’m sure a lot of readers shared the opinion that the slavery was wrong.
Her fight was still presented as a joke, bet half the readers just went “haha silly Hermione, who dosen’t wants free servants??”
Edit: on top of that, Rowling uses the trope of the natural state of the slave is being slaved and is actually good for them, with the other freed house elves that is depressed because she dosen’t have a family to work for.
Yes that edit is a good point that I’d forgotten.
Moved on to Terry Pratchett early on, so much better in every way.
And then she just stopped doing it, I guess, because in the last book’s epilogue literally nothing changed with the system
By then she was one of the “Haves.” Turns out she was selfish all along.
Edit: I mean the author, not Hermione
it is indeed - they are antagonists. I’m just saying these themes are part of the built world.
So no stories can ever have those topics or themes? Shit take.
A big issue is that they still exist in the “happily ever after” situation.
When the horribly flawed government is now horribly flawed with good dictators, there is still massive racism and slavery that everyone approves of.
probably. i was shitting when I posted my take.
But how does that equal “conservativism good”?
well I could make a (thin) case that it’s part of the world she built and the entire population except for a cohort of a small few children and some odd adults are against it.
so the world at large is ok with that shite behavior; and judging by how many kids grew up to “be slytherin” we can see they just didn’t grok the actual story.
Even the kids in the story are mostly fine with it though. It’s good and proper to have slaves, and even the idea of free elves is something to be mocked by everyone.
And they were all antagonists, they werent being portrayed in a good light, they were all portrayed as evil.
At least in the movies I never actually read the books
Other than the bankers, the other two are clearly painted in an unfavorable light, which is fine. You have to have conflict in order to have a story, of course.
See Seamus Finnegan, Pavarti ? Cho Chang, fleur de’lacour. If the character isn’t British British they are a full caricature.
Ironically when I was a kid, Harry Potter was written by the devil and to read it would be practicing demonic witchcraft. My upbringing was definitely not unique in that regard.
it’s a very British conservatism. it’s about blood. the story has people constantly accusing Harry of having bad parentage; as his aunt says “bad blood will out”. a left leaning story would have shown that blood had nothing to do with it. Harry was not raised by his dead parents regardless of how good or bad they are. Harry knew trauma and abuse, then was given his values by Dumbledore and hagrid and lupin and his friends.
but that’s not what happened. in the end it’s not that blood and lineage doesn’t matter. it’s just that his parents were actually high class and wealthy. so Harry won because he had good blood and was the chosen one. he won because of the innate quality he was born with.
Blood is magical. It allows Voldemort to touch Harry.
Harry was never the chosen one except for the fact that Voldemort chose him. It is explained that Longbottom could have fit the prophecy. And prophecies don’t always come true.
They even have a term, mudblood.
Harry has a piece of Voldemort living inside him. That’s why it is always mentioned. He does have an evil piece inside him.
His parents being “high class or wealthy” didn’t matter. His mother’s sacrifice protected Harry, her love.
Harry was an average wizard at best. He won because of friendship and everyone helping out.