SPEW

[Tanuki]

Well, the main reason why there are any movements for elves to be free is because they are being mistreated, beaten like Dolby was. If they are free - they don't have to continue their miserable lives.

Elves in Hogwarts have it easy - but other elves - all they probably get in return is a little bit of food so they won't die starving and that’s it. They don't necessarily have a roof over their heads (their master can tell them to live outside) or enough food. And I’m sure violence is often used against them in such home. Freedom gives you the right to choose - you still have to work, but your conditions improve greatly.

You're assuming they're being beaten. We have not seen any other housw elves outside of Winky, Dobby and Kretcher. Kreatcher, it seems, was not abused for the most he got was yelled at, and he was crazy as hell.

Winky didn't seem beaten at all, and took to drinking when she was dismissed. This doesn't sound like someone who is happy to be free. The worst I figure Crouch did to her was to dismiss her in the first place

Dobby was housed by death eaters. Do you not think they would abuse him in ways other wizards don't? We can't use the Malfoys for an example since they are some of the worst wizards around.

Do you honeslty believe a normal wizarding family would be so cheap and sadistic as to be cruel to their caretaker. You're making conjecture based on your known opinion of slavery. How do we know that the house elf situation at Hogwarts isn't close to the normal situation? Could you see Molly Weasley or Earnie McMillan doing this sort of thing?

Also, house elves come with the house, they technically should live inside then

[Phoenix in the Ashes]

Personally I think Hermione is doing the right thing, just going about it the wrong way. Surely she has seen that her SPEW campaign is not working with the house elves, so shouldn't she set her sights on a different target. DD believes she is doing the right thing, so why doesn'y he advertise or something. There's bound to be other who have tried in vain like her.

[carsten]

Personally I think Hermione is doing the right thing, ...

Well, I am asking myself, what SPEW does for the story? It cannot be just an annoyance that has to end quickly.

Looking at all the emphasis on the subject by JKR, my guess is, that elves will make a great difference in the upcoming war. Dobby might become a leader of the revolution and spark the flame of freedom for others.

[Tanuki]

Umm, house elves make better spies than warriors

[Phoenix in the Ashes]

Yeah good point. They can disapparate from pretty much everywhere. Dobby does inside the Hogwarts Hospital Wing in CoS. But maybe it's not called disapparation because technically you can't do that inside Hogwarts. It's probably their own branch of magic. Which hopefully we will get to see more of.

[Hagger 9003]

yeh, the elves will play a big part, i think. DD was talking about it in OotP. he said that wizards were going to pay the price for their mistreating of other magical creatures or something...

basically, i think that the wizard society needs to change drastically. the centaurs are annoyed with humans, and i think the house elves may do the same thing. they have a lot of power, but they seem to be restricted greatly. i wonder why? were they enslaved by ancient wizards? i dunno. but, SPEW will play a big part, and if harry and his allies support it, they may have a lot of help.

[Phoenix in the Ashes]

Yeah, personally, I can't wait to see some elves kick ass. It's about time they proved they aren't inferior creatures.

[Tanuki]

Uh... yeah. I think a lot of people are going to be very disappointed in Hermione's little cause. If the elves aren't free at Hogwarts, where Dumbledore is pretty much the biggest revolutionary in his generation and a few others to come, it's not gonna happen.

Why do people find it so hard to believe that this might actually be a good course for elves. Not all slavery sucked, just teh dumbass method perpetuated in the past two to three hundred years. Who's to say it isn't morel ike the servitude that came before

You can't base your opinion on the elfen lot on Hermione (who doesn't lick of perspective for all her book smarts) and Dobby (who is a bad case altogether; even the other elves don't like him)

[DragonFiend17]

It depends...I am not taking sides yet, it does take thought, but...
yes for the best of the elves, they are happy to work at Howarts or for their master
but what about those unusual ones like Dobby? hmm...

[Un'Anima Persa]

WELL, I SUPPORT IT TO SOME EXTENT. IF THE HOUSE ELVES WAN TO BE free, then let them be free, but if they want to stay where they are, and are not being abused, then i see no reason to trick them out of it...

i am sorry about the caps lock in the begining, but i didnt want to type it over...

anbd i just realized that it would have been easier to retype it than to make an apology...

i am slow... lol

[Phoenix in the Ashes]

I wonder if elves were always slaves. I mean, once upon on time they must have been free, some sort of event must have happened that tied them to slavery.
And after a while it's just become sort of natural, and they enjoy doing it. Maybe something is going to happen that makes them want to be free.

[carsten]

I wonder if elves were always slaves. I mean, once upon on time they must have been free, some sort of event must have happened that tied them to slavery.
And after a while it's just become sort of natural, and they enjoy doing it. Maybe something is going to happen that makes them want to be free.

You are right, I think. I hope we will learn more about it in the remaining books. Maybe from the history teacher Binns?

It was a spectacular scene in the ministry (can't wait for the movie!), when the fountain of magical brethren was destroyed at the end of OotP. It seems to me that it showed the false beliefs of wizards/witches about their superiority. Having it in pieces was a step forward, but I guess there will be quarrel about rebuilding it. Your bets are welcome.

[Mistress Siana]

Wow, carsten, I never thought of it that way, but I guess you're right. Great symbolism.

Well, I am asking myself, what SPEW does for the story?

In my opinion, it already does a lot. Not in the way of pushing the story forward, but in a very subtle manner.
Firstly, it's a great insight into Hermione's personality. It's one of the things that show why she's in Gryffindor, and that she's willing to neglect even her schoolwork for something she considers a greater cause. There's apparently more decency and morality in this muggle born girl than in the whole rest of the wizarding world.
Secondly, it's criticism of the wizard society. JKR does that consequently, but very subtly so. She portrays it as a society that, in their arrogance and self-righteousness, is probably not as bad as Voldemort, but not much better either. They've been discriminating, even enslaving evidently intelligent species and neglecting almost every principle of what we call a state under the rule of law, without second thought. I found Harry's hearing in OotP very interesting. Do you know how it is called when, in a trial, the prosecutors and the judges are the same persons, which is strictly forbidden in a democracy? Inquisition. And there's also Umbridge's inquisitorial squad. I mean, wizard practising inquisition, if that isn't irony, what else?
Ok, I might be getting off topic now, but SPEW is certainly a part of that.

The destruction of the statue in the MoM nicely fits into that picture, I think.

[Tanuki]

There's apparently more decency and morality in this muggle born girl than in the whole rest of the wizarding world.

You're assuming an awful lot about the wizarding world when all you've seen of it is the world through the Harry Filter. I have always held fast to the belief that we should not judge the circumstances of anything until we have seen it in it's entirety. We have seen three elves focused on, only one of which wanted freedom, one of which was treated very well, save for one very dangerous incident, and one who was plain evil. Who are we to pass judgement on the arangement existing between Wizards and Elves. So far as I can tell, Dobby is in the overwhelming minority in both his abuse and his desire for freedom.

As a society we have been so brainwashed by the idea of servitude that we believe freedom to be the only way to exist happily. We fail to realize that we are already servants, to our landlords, to our bosses, to our spouces, to our desires. You may say that we have an option of any of these, but in the end, we have to serve someone to get something in return, we cannot choose to live completely freely. The only difference between our lives and the life of a servant is that we appeal to different masters to different things, while a servant leaves their fates in only one set of hands.

I do not believe for a second that wizards overpowered elves, for the simple matter that they simply could not, they don't have the powers or numbers. There had to have been an accord reached somewhere

[Tanuki]

There's apparently more decency and morality in this muggle born girl than in the whole rest of the wizarding world.

You're assuming an awful lot about the wizarding world when all you've seen of it is the world through the Harry Filter. I have always held fast to the belief that we should not judge the circumstances of anything until we have seen it in it's entirety. We have seen three elves focused on, only one of which wanted freedom, one of which was treated very well, save for one very dangerous incident, and one who was plain evil. Who are we to pass judgement on the arangement existing between Wizards and Elves. So far as I can tell, Dobby is in the overwhelming minority in both his abuse and his desire for freedom.

As a society we have been so brainwashed by the idea of servitude that we believe freedom to be the only way to exist happily. We fail to realize that we are already servants, to our landlords, to our bosses, to our spouces, to our desires. You may say that we have an option of any of these, but in the end, we have to serve someone to get something in return, we cannot choose to live completely freely. The only difference between our lives and the life of a servant is that we appeal to different masters to different things, while a servant leaves their fates in only one set of hands.

I do not believe for a second that wizards overpowered elves, for the simple matter that they simply could not, they don't have the powers or numbers. There had to have been an accord reached somewhere