this post was submitted on 04 Feb 2024
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[–] morphballganon@lemmy.world 117 points 9 months ago (53 children)

Hermione tries to raise awareness about elf mistreatment.

It's implied that Dumbledore was trying to influence Fudge to improve things in their regular correspondence before the GoF/OotP story arc.

[–] Neato@ttrpg.network 55 points 9 months ago (19 children)

Dumbledore is the single most powerful wizard know, and the most influential in magical Britian. He runs a school where he is beloved by nearly everyone. If he wanted to change things, he easily could have done more. Especially since Fudge wasn't very powerful and had to deal with an entire bureaucracy. Direct change at the school itself would have been feasible.

And while the parents might have threatened to remove their students, they weren't really. Where else are they going to send their kids to get educated? There are other schools but the culture difference was so stark that seems unlikely.

[–] GBU_28@lemm.ee 5 points 9 months ago (17 children)

That's like saying "Dumbledore had the biggest assault rifle of anyone, so he can do anything".

Sure he was a powerful duelist, but a group of others could take him down.

So, setting the "power" aside, he has 2 choices:

  1. Operate within the system and bureaucracy to effect change via normal political motion

  2. Use non combat magic to manipulate others, (time travel, invisibility, foresight) effectively hoping to be a benevolent authoritarian

If he goes with 1, he has to maintain favor. You can see how tenuous that is, with his favor slipping during the unrest. The parents wouldn't take their kids out of Hogwarts long term, they'd kick.dumbledore out instead.

For the most part it's feasible that he could have made more direct changes to the school, yes. Good point.

[–] Fisk400@feddit.nu 7 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Yes, the two modes. Timid acceptance of the status quo with minor calls for change behind closed or full blown revolution and authoritarianism.

[–] GBU_28@lemm.ee -2 points 9 months ago (1 children)
[–] Fisk400@feddit.nu 4 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Did you not present binary options where the first option is what Dumbledore did in the books and the other option is him being authoritarian. Are there more numbers on your option list I didn't see?

[–] GBU_28@lemm.ee 1 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (1 children)

The first is not being timid. You made that up. He is a prominent, popular member of the political class, with significant sway and influence.

At the end of the comment I acknowledged that he could probably have moved faster with changes at the school. Dunno if you read that far.

I'm essentially saying he can either be a rational, normal member of a society (albeit well positioned ), or resort to authoritarian options. Are you suggesting another, or did you just want to keep being annoying?

[–] Fisk400@feddit.nu 3 points 9 months ago (1 children)

If he was against the use of house elves in the book he was extremely timid about it. At no point in the books does he present himself as a political player in the world.

[–] GBU_28@lemm.ee 1 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (1 children)

Ok so timid is your thing, you made it sound like it was my thing.

And what? He's constantly working with the ministry, speaking to the council, running political errands

[–] Fisk400@feddit.nu 2 points 9 months ago (1 children)

To prevent the world from being taken over by wizard Nazis. Not to save elves.

[–] GBU_28@lemm.ee 3 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Sounds like 2 important topics that a leader should be concerned with. Maybe if the whole Voldemort thing never happened other topics could have been addressed but we have nothing on that

[–] Fisk400@feddit.nu 5 points 9 months ago

Correct. The book does not adress any other social issue than immediate threats of wizard nazism and it crops up once every 10-15 years because the schools won't even reform the evil school house where the evil people can socialize and be evil with each other.

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