Re: Which actually brings things back to Terri's post
(Anonymous)
the fact that there are half-bloods and Muggle-borns will remain.
Yes, I thought I had acknowledged that fact. But the families involved will change, and that does affect things, as I discussed.
This I agree with and it is a good point and works just as well (if not even better) if you recognize blood prejudice in terms of racism. In fact, denying the racism inherent in blood prejudice does this point no favors. That effect on group identity is not that different than someone of mixed race who can “pass” and has married a person of the majority race or another mixed race person who can “pass” and figures that racism isn’t their problem, because it won’t effect their family forever as long as they don’t bring attention to the fact that their offspring have recent racial purity taint.
Except that in the WW, one's descendants eventually being able to "pass" is nearly *inevitable*, regardless of who marries whom. It isn't remotely inevitable with race. That inevitability amplifies the effects.
I would also add that 25% is still a very well outnumbered minority group, and even minority groups that actually comprise over 50% of a population can be kept down by institutional racism (or any institutional prejudice/bigotry) due in part to issues of complacency.
Quite true, although in a series of books where this prejudice is an important theme, you'd expect that if there were *any* organized political organization, we'd see it. Or hear it mentioned, at least. Heck, the house elves get a one-woman political organization, and they don't even want one! (grin)
Lynn
Yes, I thought I had acknowledged that fact. But the families involved will change, and that does affect things, as I discussed.
This I agree with and it is a good point and works just as well (if not even better) if you recognize blood prejudice in terms of racism. In fact, denying the racism inherent in blood prejudice does this point no favors. That effect on group identity is not that different than someone of mixed race who can “pass” and has married a person of the majority race or another mixed race person who can “pass” and figures that racism isn’t their problem, because it won’t effect their family forever as long as they don’t bring attention to the fact that their offspring have recent racial purity taint.
Except that in the WW, one's descendants eventually being able to "pass" is nearly *inevitable*, regardless of who marries whom. It isn't remotely inevitable with race. That inevitability amplifies the effects.
I would also add that 25% is still a very well outnumbered minority group, and even minority groups that actually comprise over 50% of a population can be kept down by institutional racism (or any institutional prejudice/bigotry) due in part to issues of complacency.
Quite true, although in a series of books where this prejudice is an important theme, you'd expect that if there were *any* organized political organization, we'd see it. Or hear it mentioned, at least. Heck, the house elves get a one-woman political organization, and they don't even want one! (grin)
Lynn