Oh yes, on the Sirius-Dumbledore cruelty issue. Sorry for going even more OT, but I think we can have a whole discussion on how Dumbledore mistreated Sirius for his own benefits for basically his whole life (since for an educator to not punish a boy for his murderous action is also a sin towards *him*) for his own personal agenda and benefit, if only there were a forum called Siriusdom.
Your point about Dumbledore not being serious about proving Sirius' innocence is spot on. And it began the moment the Potters died. There's *plenty* of ways to prove his innocence beyond a cloud of doubt -- like, oh, say, how about testing that damned Fidelius?? Unless Peter deactivated it instead of just ratting out the location to their enemy (as Voldemort would order him to do unless he *wants* a whole army of Aurors to be free to come and interrupt him) it takes only three seconds to prove or disprove Sirius' culpability: make him tell the address of the Potter residence to someone in front of witnesses, sidealong-apparate with that person to that house, and ask them to attempt to get in. Three seconds! But Dumbledore decided not to do this for him when Sirius was brought in with the report that he had blasted Pettigrew into pieces. These guys were all working for Dumbledore in the Order. Surely even a social-empathy squib like him would have picked up on how much Sirius adored James and how little Peter truly felt for James in comparison? But he didn't lift a finger for Sirius and allowed them to take him straight to Azkaban without the customary (even in the WW) process of trial. I wouldn't be surprised if he had a hand in the lack of trial as well. I mean, when he dropped Harry off at the Dursleys and even at the end of PS/SS, Dumbledore says he's pleased with his successful plan of having Harry raised without exposure to the WW's adoration of its "savior." Sure, he avoided making Harry arrogant, but more importantly he avoided making him affiliated and bonded with anyone but himself -- which would have been impossible to accomplish if Sirius were still in the picture. He adores Harry, glorifies him and wants to dote on him, *and* he has every right to do so as the boy's godfather. How convenient Sirius jumped straight into jail during the mysterious one-day period between the Potter murders and Harry's deposit on his relatives' doorstep.
Grrr... Sorry for rambling about something that has nothing to do with your essay. But yes, this gratuitous callousness sprinkled throughout the series as something not only condoned but somehow excused and glorified, is another side of the HP mentality that's troubling and horrifying. Hopefully Dickens and Austen didn't give her that?
I think you're right about the Zeitgeist -- but I kind of get this scary feeling that this *is* the Zeitgeist that made the JKR series so successful. The racism, the sexism, all sugar-coated in the deceptive pink fluff of "war for tolerance and equality." That whole package -- including the deceptive coating -- is what the present world *wants* it seems. Along with the non-vocal yet childishly strong disregard for authority (Dumbledore never plans to go on war with the Ministry, or even try to organize a social movement to revolutionize it, even when it comes to things that should matter to him like werewolf rights and Voldemort's return) which several people have pointed out as reminiscent of most pop culture productions. It's feel-good food, is what it is, this whole series... And while I don't doubt that our recognition of the imaginativeness part of the tale (the "something borrowed" part) will soon fade into a distant memory of social hysteria, I don't know if the rest will be forgotten. I think JKR has constructed a huge enough monument of the post-modern mores of insidious self-centeredness and bigotry, that it will take a long, long time for this whole thing to sink into the sand and stop enticing new good-old-day enthusiasts.
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Date: 2008-06-30 10:56 am (UTC)Your point about Dumbledore not being serious about proving Sirius' innocence is spot on. And it began the moment the Potters died. There's *plenty* of ways to prove his innocence beyond a cloud of doubt -- like, oh, say, how about testing that damned Fidelius?? Unless Peter deactivated it instead of just ratting out the location to their enemy (as Voldemort would order him to do unless he *wants* a whole army of Aurors to be free to come and interrupt him) it takes only three seconds to prove or disprove Sirius' culpability: make him tell the address of the Potter residence to someone in front of witnesses, sidealong-apparate with that person to that house, and ask them to attempt to get in. Three seconds! But Dumbledore decided not to do this for him when Sirius was brought in with the report that he had blasted Pettigrew into pieces. These guys were all working for Dumbledore in the Order. Surely even a social-empathy squib like him would have picked up on how much Sirius adored James and how little Peter truly felt for James in comparison? But he didn't lift a finger for Sirius and allowed them to take him straight to Azkaban without the customary (even in the WW) process of trial. I wouldn't be surprised if he had a hand in the lack of trial as well. I mean, when he dropped Harry off at the Dursleys and even at the end of PS/SS, Dumbledore says he's pleased with his successful plan of having Harry raised without exposure to the WW's adoration of its "savior." Sure, he avoided making Harry arrogant, but more importantly he avoided making him affiliated and bonded with anyone but himself -- which would have been impossible to accomplish if Sirius were still in the picture. He adores Harry, glorifies him and wants to dote on him, *and* he has every right to do so as the boy's godfather. How convenient Sirius jumped straight into jail during the mysterious one-day period between the Potter murders and Harry's deposit on his relatives' doorstep.
Grrr... Sorry for rambling about something that has nothing to do with your essay. But yes, this gratuitous callousness sprinkled throughout the series as something not only condoned but somehow excused and glorified, is another side of the HP mentality that's troubling and horrifying. Hopefully Dickens and Austen didn't give her that?
I think you're right about the Zeitgeist -- but I kind of get this scary feeling that this *is* the Zeitgeist that made the JKR series so successful. The racism, the sexism, all sugar-coated in the deceptive pink fluff of "war for tolerance and equality." That whole package -- including the deceptive coating -- is what the present world *wants* it seems. Along with the non-vocal yet childishly strong disregard for authority (Dumbledore never plans to go on war with the Ministry, or even try to organize a social movement to revolutionize it, even when it comes to things that should matter to him like werewolf rights and Voldemort's return) which several people have pointed out as reminiscent of most pop culture productions. It's feel-good food, is what it is, this whole series... And while I don't doubt that our recognition of the imaginativeness part of the tale (the "something borrowed" part) will soon fade into a distant memory of social hysteria, I don't know if the rest will be forgotten. I think JKR has constructed a huge enough monument of the post-modern mores of insidious self-centeredness and bigotry, that it will take a long, long time for this whole thing to sink into the sand and stop enticing new good-old-day enthusiasts.