By wiping their memories and moving them half-way across the world, thereby destroying their home and practice, not to mention their social environment and support, Hermione denied them their basic rights guaranteed to them by, inter alia, the European Convention on Human Rights. It's pretty clear, however, that Hermione thinks that she is a human being entitled to basic rights.
This is simultaneously begging the question. It's also ignoring the reasons Hermione did what she did. I didn't think it was the right thing to do either. I thought it was way over the top, and a very odd choice on Rowling's part. But it was for their protection, after all.
It appears you know different teens than I do, because to the ones I know, nothing is lower than cheating your way onto a team. That's nothing but despicable. And frankly, I do think it was just one indication that Hermione really does have a fatal character flaw. In fact, one of my basketball-playing nieces liked Hermione right up until that point, at which time she said Hermione was "disgusting" and that Hermione could never be a heroine "if they couldn't play fair." It was somewhat annoying to me that she did not find nearly as terrible Hermione's helping the boys cheat in their schoolwork, but that's a different issue.
But now we're just talking about who ranks what moral matters as more serious than others. I cheated in high school, and I helped others cheat. I know very few who didn't, actually. It was just expected that everyone did that in chemistry.
In other words, we've left textual evidence and entered "which sins are the worst," and that's basically a dead end for the conversation.
See? I say I'm stepping away, and then jump right back in.
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Date: 2008-07-01 08:26 pm (UTC)This is simultaneously begging the question. It's also ignoring the reasons Hermione did what she did. I didn't think it was the right thing to do either. I thought it was way over the top, and a very odd choice on Rowling's part. But it was for their protection, after all.
It appears you know different teens than I do, because to the ones I know, nothing is lower than cheating your way onto a team. That's nothing but despicable. And frankly, I do think it was just one indication that Hermione really does have a fatal character flaw. In fact, one of my basketball-playing nieces liked Hermione right up until that point, at which time she said Hermione was "disgusting" and that Hermione could never be a heroine "if they couldn't play fair." It was somewhat annoying to me that she did not find nearly as terrible Hermione's helping the boys cheat in their schoolwork, but that's a different issue.
But now we're just talking about who ranks what moral matters as more serious than others. I cheated in high school, and I helped others cheat. I know very few who didn't, actually. It was just expected that everyone did that in chemistry.
In other words, we've left textual evidence and entered "which sins are the worst," and that's basically a dead end for the conversation.
See? I say I'm stepping away, and then jump right back in.
OK, I'm really stepping away now.