Oh, I definitely agree it makes the series more interesing--and imagine how insufferable it would be if everybody actually lived up to the image they have of themselves as being open-minded!:-)
I think where it gets into more trouble is (as usual) what you do with Muggleborns. It makes perfect sense for wizards to say, even if they could cure all Muggle diseases, "Not our problem." But how does that work when you've got "Muggles" (which Muggleborns are in many ways) saying the same things? Do none of them feel strongly enough about their own families that they would want to help them? That, to me, sounds like exactly the sort of area where in a realistic situation there would be a big breakdown. On the one hand Hagrid is right in saying wizards would open themselves up to trouble if Muggles knew they existed, but otoh you've got this ongoing exchange program with people like Hermione.
I'm not sure where I ultimately stand on the Potions issue. Stitches didn't seem to work too well on Arthur even though one would think they should work just the same on Wizards as on Muggles, since both have skin etc. So I could believe that Potions might all have bad effects on Muggles.
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Date: 2004-11-10 07:28 am (UTC)I think where it gets into more trouble is (as usual) what you do with Muggleborns. It makes perfect sense for wizards to say, even if they could cure all Muggle diseases, "Not our problem." But how does that work when you've got "Muggles" (which Muggleborns are in many ways) saying the same things? Do none of them feel strongly enough about their own families that they would want to help them? That, to me, sounds like exactly the sort of area where in a realistic situation there would be a big breakdown. On the one hand Hagrid is right in saying wizards would open themselves up to trouble if Muggles knew they existed, but otoh you've got this ongoing exchange program with people like Hermione.
I'm not sure where I ultimately stand on the Potions issue. Stitches didn't seem to work too well on Arthur even though one would think they should work just the same on Wizards as on Muggles, since both have skin etc. So I could believe that Potions might all have bad effects on Muggles.