Sophie Lufkin (sophielufkin) wrote in thebreach, @ 2010-09-16 12:27:00 |
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Sophie Lufkin: Sophie Lufkin here with Ezra Goldstein, Deputy Head of the Muggle Liaison Office at the Ministry of Magic. Good afternoon, Mr Goldstein. Ezra Goldstein: Good afternoon, Mrs. Lufkin. It’s a pleasure to be here. SL: The pleasure is shared, Mr Goldstein. Now, a look at the situation that called for this interview: there’s been a marked increase in the number of ‘No Muggleborn’ signs recently, as well as a controversy regarding the blood status of the director of the last play at the Warbeck Community Theatre. You and your colleagues at the Muggle Liaison Office must be concerned, aren’t you? EG: Naturally, we’re concerned. The situation has capacity to become very volatile. A large segment of the wizarding population is being painted with a rather broad brush. For no other reason than an accident of their birth. But make no mistake. Muggleborns are wizards, first and foremost. This is where they’ve chosen to make their lives. SL: Is it really a choice, though? Could a Muggleborn really return to the Muggle world? After seven years of magical education, with no Muggle diploma of any sort? EG: No, I suppose for someone who’s been educated at Hogwarts, it would be difficult to return to the Muggle world. And I don’t think that most have even considered going to that extreme. A wizard...or a witch...is who they are. And for those who would disagree, who would like to see Muggleborns exiled from the wizarding world, my question is how ‘pure’ is pure? Once the Muggleborns are eradicated, who’s next? What if you have a Muggleborn parent? Or grandparent? Or even great grandparent? How far back do you have to go to be allowed to stay in the wizarding world? SL: That’s a good question, and it’s something that would extend further than Muggleborns and worry Squibs as well, if ran to its extreme. What is the Ministry planning to do on this issue, though? EG: The Muggle Liaison Office is continuing to do what it has been doing: appealing to reason. I spend a lot of time in Diagon Alley and now Hogsmeade talking to shopowners about their hiring practices, fielding questions from Muggleborns about their situations, doing what we can. I would, however, encourage anyone who cares about this issue, cares about ensuring equal rights, to speak up. This isn’t a Muggleborn issue, it’s a wizarding issue. If you believe that all wizards are equal, regardless of their parentage, don’t patronize shops with ‘No Muggleborn’ signs. SL: Do you really believe it’s enough, given the situation? EG: [A long pause] Well, in the Muggle world, there are anti-discrimination laws. However, the wizarding world prides itself on being different than the Muggle one. Which is why it’s rather ironic that our world has chosen to emulate some of the worst qualities of the Muggle one. SL: Some of the worst qualities of the Muggle world? What are you referring to? EG: Basing decisions about people based on their blood and not on their character. In the 1860s, there was a civil war in America and one of the issues revolved around the status of blacks. The south enslaved people who were black. And if you had even one drop of African blood, you were considered inferior. More recently, while the wizarding world was fighting Grindelwald, the Muggle world was embroiled in a world war. The Germans, led by a madman named Adolf Hitler, were obsessed with blood purity. In his case, those with Jewish ancestry were unclean and he sought to wipe them from the face of the Earth. Millions of Jews were slaughtered and many more - although they survived - were...changed. The wizarding world claims to be more enlightened than the Muggle one. But this business about purebloods versus Muggleborns and who can properly lay claim to wizarding heritage belies that. SL: You’re not going to make many friends with talk like this, Mr Goldstein. Do you believe that telling witches and wizards that they are worse than Muggles will endear them to Muggleborns? Aren’t you worried it’ll rather do the exact opposite? EG: I’m not saying that we’re worse. At all. I’m merely pointing out that in our quest to separate ourselves from Muggles, we’re going down a slippery slope to some of their worst qualities. But we haven’t gotten there as of yet. There’s still time to reconsider what is important. And that is who a witch or wizard is. Not who their parents are. I’m proud to be a wizard. And I am confident that the wizarding world will rise to the occasion and show how enlightened we are. SL: For something like this to happen, there usually needs to be a strong leader at the helm. Do you think that the loss of Albus Dumbledore, last month, could hinder that? He wasn’t Minister for Magic, but he was a powerful and influential wizard and the hero of the last war, and he was labeled as a Muggleborn lover. EG: Albus Dumbledore was a great wizard and is sorely missed by wizards and witches of all blood status. However, the wizarding world is more than one wizard. There are others who believe as the Headmaster did and they will speak out. SL: You helped the former Headmaster with the curriculum for the required Muggle Studies class, didn’t you? Would you consider this class a success, in your opinion? Do you believe that more initiatives such as this one would be beneficial? EG: Yes, the Headmaster and I worked on that curriculum together. I’d call it a success. It’s important for us to understand the Muggle world even if our world is separate. It’s there after all just beyond the walls of the Leaky Cauldron for example. And those that feel that the wizarding world is superior to the Muggle one should have enough background to make that judgment. SL: Do you think that they do, though? There was a lot of protest, when the class became mandatory, and there were fears that many would resist. EG: There was more than just protest. But the curriculum was put into place at Hogwarts. The information is being presented. The next generation of leaders is being exposed to Muggle culture and ideas. No one can say that they’re not informed. SL: Being exposed to Muggle culture and ideas is exactly what some are protesting so vehemently about, as something that endangers wizarding culture and our way of life. Is the class really helping, or only fueling the fire? EG: Wizarding culture is strong. Learning a bit about Muggle culture and history - which up until 1642 and the Statute of Secrecy was more intimately entwined with wizarding culture - won’t diminish our accomplishments or our way of life. Of that, I am certain. SL: Such faith in the wizarding world and the strength of its culture will probably surprise some of our listeners, coming from a Muggleborn. EG: Just because I didn’t learn about the wizarding world until I was eleven doesn’t mean that I’m not proud of its traditions and history. Or that I haven’t educated myself about those things. SL: And it is to your credit. This is, sadly, all the time we had this afternoon. In my name and in that of all our listeners, thank you, Mr Goldstein. EG: Thank you, Mrs. Lufkin, for the opportunity to speak about these important issues. It’s been a pleasure. SL: A pleasure shared, Mr Goldstein. This is Sophie Lufkin for the WWN. Have a good afternoon. |