• ExotiqueMatter
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    6 months ago

    The house elfs also want to free their race from slavery perpetrated by humans, and that makes them bad guys because in HP lore they « are happy with servitude » and « it’s natural for them ».

    In the books, Hermione is made fun of by the narrator and the characters for suggesting that house elfs should be freed.

    And Harry at some point gets his own house elf slave but the story never paint it as a bad thing because « he is a good master so it’s ok ».

    There is no universe where this isn’t slavery apologia.

    • Cromalin [she/her]@hexbear.net
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      6 months ago

      yeah the last line of the last book (before the epilogue) is harry thinking “gee, i sure hope my slave brings me a sandwich,” as he lounges in bed. i didn’t talk about the house elf stuff because my focus was on the goblins but it’s just as, if not more, rancid and evil. many such bits in the books, rita skeeter was really the first sign of jkr’s transphobia