Since we started talking about it, here's my thoughts about the subject.
it seems kind of curious as to why over fifty generation of purebloods claim this, and still do so in the present.
Because of the resentment they feel that the muggleborn and Muggle-associated (halfbloods) can share a world that they see rightfully as "theirs". Most pureblood families don't want to wipe out Muggles and muggleborns anyway, they just want them to accept that purebloods are better and establish a better status for themselves by oppressing them. Because of their birth association. Textbook racism. They don't have to want to kill em to be racist, seeing themselves as better than them because of birth association is enough.
There's also the resentment they've nursed over the centuries, because witches were burnt in the middle ages, and they punish the Muggle and muggleborn of now, who haven't done anything to them and don't deserve it one bit. Purebloods justifying hating Muggle and Muggleborn by stating the execution of witches in those centuries is a case of oppressors woobifying themselves and excusing their prejudice.
Wizarding world would survive without purebloods. In the world JKR created, there are only 28 pureblood families left. They're very few, compared to mixed/halfblood population. Old blood doesn't carry the magical gene, purebloods don't carry the wizarding world's next generation single handedly, otherwise all halfbloods (i.e. by far the bigger part of wizarding community) would have become extinct without procreating with purebloods and procreating within themselves, because as you well know, purebloods usually don't intermarry. Even if all pureblood families died down, wizarding world would go on.
Old blood carries the magical gene is pureblood propaganda. Anyone magical can, a muggleborn has the same odds of carrying the magical gene as a pureblood does. Having magical parents doesn't even guarantee that the kid will be magical, hence the Squibs. I expect Squibs are very hush hush in pureblood families, because it's the direct disproof of their beliefs.
I also know that the racism goes BOTH ways, and dislike when author's try to pretend that it doesn't. Purebloods are more vocal about there views, but it doesn't take a genius to figure out how the wizarding world see all things 'dark'
Oh no, it doesn't. Racism is always the powerful privileged of the society oppressing any other social group based on birth status. If, say, there ever comes a time where the muggleborn had privileges over purebloods (in terms of law, social standing, finances etc), then muggleborn oppressing purebloods would be racism. And I think a situation like that isn't going to happen anytime soon in HP universe, because even after Voldemort's fall and thus Voldemort sympathizers' disgrace, people's prejudices won't change much at large, only the worst offenders will be imprisoned. Nothing will happen to the racist person who didn't join Voldemort's ranks in the war and the prejudice will go on, because racism takes generations to die down.
About what you said about dark magic; people shunning dark magic sympathizers can't ever be racism because it's not related to birth status. It's shunning people because of what they do, not because of what they are. It can be a prejudice, yes, but given the nature of dark magic, how addicting it can be, and the fact that it always disregards to consent of someone, I do think it's plausible to be worried about it. At most it's more a matter of people being too totalitarian/forbidding, not racism.
When it comes to Harry, of course his opinion isn't the end all, be all to everything. Harry's not always right, and that's how I like him, I don't want to read about no perfect dude. But about racism, he's right. I don't want Harry to be with someone who (even secretly) thinks about his mother and his friend as a mudblood (the wizarding world equivalent of the N word). That said, given that Draco has repented of his racism, I don't want his personality to change one bit for Harry. Because Harry can certainly love him that way :)
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2013-01-12 11:44 pm (UTC)it seems kind of curious as to why over fifty generation of purebloods claim this, and still do so in the present.
Because of the resentment they feel that the muggleborn and Muggle-associated (halfbloods) can share a world that they see rightfully as "theirs". Most pureblood families don't want to wipe out Muggles and muggleborns anyway, they just want them to accept that purebloods are better and establish a better status for themselves by oppressing them. Because of their birth association. Textbook racism. They don't have to want to kill em to be racist, seeing themselves as better than them because of birth association is enough.
There's also the resentment they've nursed over the centuries, because witches were burnt in the middle ages, and they punish the Muggle and muggleborn of now, who haven't done anything to them and don't deserve it one bit. Purebloods justifying hating Muggle and Muggleborn by stating the execution of witches in those centuries is a case of oppressors woobifying themselves and excusing their prejudice.
Wizarding world would survive without purebloods. In the world JKR created, there are only 28 pureblood families left. They're very few, compared to mixed/halfblood population. Old blood doesn't carry the magical gene, purebloods don't carry the wizarding world's next generation single handedly, otherwise all halfbloods (i.e. by far the bigger part of wizarding community) would have become extinct without procreating with purebloods and procreating within themselves, because as you well know, purebloods usually don't intermarry. Even if all pureblood families died down, wizarding world would go on.
Old blood carries the magical gene is pureblood propaganda. Anyone magical can, a muggleborn has the same odds of carrying the magical gene as a pureblood does. Having magical parents doesn't even guarantee that the kid will be magical, hence the Squibs. I expect Squibs are very hush hush in pureblood families, because it's the direct disproof of their beliefs.
I also know that the racism goes BOTH ways, and dislike when author's try to pretend that it doesn't. Purebloods are more vocal about there views, but it doesn't take a genius to figure out how the wizarding world see all things 'dark'
Oh no, it doesn't. Racism is always the powerful privileged of the society oppressing any other social group based on birth status. If, say, there ever comes a time where the muggleborn had privileges over purebloods (in terms of law, social standing, finances etc), then muggleborn oppressing purebloods would be racism. And I think a situation like that isn't going to happen anytime soon in HP universe, because even after Voldemort's fall and thus Voldemort sympathizers' disgrace, people's prejudices won't change much at large, only the worst offenders will be imprisoned. Nothing will happen to the racist person who didn't join Voldemort's ranks in the war and the prejudice will go on, because racism takes generations to die down.
About what you said about dark magic; people shunning dark magic sympathizers can't ever be racism because it's not related to birth status. It's shunning people because of what they do, not because of what they are. It can be a prejudice, yes, but given the nature of dark magic, how addicting it can be, and the fact that it always disregards to consent of someone, I do think it's plausible to be worried about it. At most it's more a matter of people being too totalitarian/forbidding, not racism.
When it comes to Harry, of course his opinion isn't the end all, be all to everything. Harry's not always right, and that's how I like him, I don't want to read about no perfect dude. But about racism, he's right. I don't want Harry to be with someone who (even secretly) thinks about his mother and his friend as a mudblood (the wizarding world equivalent of the N word). That said, given that Draco has repented of his racism, I don't want his personality to change one bit for Harry. Because Harry can certainly love him that way :)