Our opening lesson is intended to be thought-provoking and what I would like for you to do, while you read, is to think about the ethical decisions behind what is taught below. Consider the concepts of 'right and wrong' and how you might feel if the tables were turned on you. Don't hurt yourself too much by thinking, though.

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     A very wise man by the name of Earl Nightingale once said, “whenever we're afraid, it's because we don't know enough. If we understood enough, we would never be afraid.”

     This quote has held true over centuries and beyond. It is inherent within human behavior and instinct that if one cannot or does not understand something, whether an idea or a group of people, the possibility that it will be shunned and persecuted for its unfamiliarity is increasingly high.

     Why? The answer is as straight-forward as Mr. Nightingale stated: people are simply afraid of what they do not understand. A human being's main primal instinct is survival. The concept that there are forces which are unpredictable and cannot be controlled sets the human survival instinct into effect, leaving the easiest and, sometimes, only course of action to be destroying or cloistering the threat. This is a sad reality and is precisely true for witches, wizards, and the magical world in which we live.

     It is quite regrettable to say that this prejudice and judgment does not only relate to non-magic people within a magical world, but it also exists in the Wizarding world itself.

Magical Creatures: The Double Standard

     First, the definition of a double standard is any code or set of principles containing different provisions for one group of people than for another.

     As you may have been taught in Care of Magical Creatures, Magizoology, or other classes specifically designed to teach about magical creatures, witches and wizards are not alone in their secret world. There are many magical creatures with their own environments: Elves,Centaurs, Unicorns, Mermaids, Dragons. These are a minimal few of the creatures most predominant in the magical world, but those that also have a mythological following in the muggle world.                                                                                  
     However, it is disturbingly perplexing how much of a double standard there is for these magical beings. Centaurs are a prime example of this prejudicial double standard. The Ministry of Magic seems to have practically forced Centaurs into secluded areas where they are permitted to be, such as the Forbidden Forest of Hogwarts.

     While Centaurs prefer to live in densely forested areas anyway, to force Centaurs to stay in a designated area is demeaning and controlling, practically taking away freewill for living beings who can fully think for themselves. In 1811, Grogan Stump (the current Minster of Magic at the time) offered Centaurs 'being' status which is 'any creature that has sufficient intelligence to understand the laws of the magical community and to bear part of the responsibility in shaping those laws,' (Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them). The Centaurs turned down this offer because it would associate them with undignified creatures such as hags and vampires. Go figure. The council for Merpeople made the same choice a year later.

     However, there resides a Centaur Liaison Office in the Ministry of Magic, but this office has never been used. Centaurs are proud creatures. They obviously display far more mental capacity and understanding than certain humans do. A key example of this is the Centaur known as Firenze, when he saved Harry Potter in the Forbidden Forest, essentially helping to save the entire world. Yet, they are still treated as if they were monsters.

     Another specific example of injustice toward magical creatures is the terrible way a majority of house-elves are and were treated. They are servants to magical folk and some of their 'masters' treat house-elves like they are the scum of the earth. House-elves' number one purpose, as we have seen, is to serve their masters completely and willingly. To make sure their master's every wish is fulfilled. House-elves seem to stop at nothing until their task is completed. Were house-elves always like this or are they a product of their environment, something their masters have created?

     Clause 3 of the Code of Wands Use stated by the Ministry of Magic states no non-human creature is permitted to carry or use a wand.

     We first see mention of this clause during the aftermath of the Bulgaria vs. Ireland Quidditch World Cup, when Bartemius Crouch Jr. summoned the dark mark for the first time in an assumed decade. Amos Diggory, who affirms himself as a member of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures,  informed the gathered Ministry officials that the house-elf of Bartemius Crouch Sr. (Winky) conjured the mark against her vehement declarations that she had done no such thing. It was true, she had not conjured the mark, as we all know. However, Bartemius Crouch Sr. lied and proceeded to let his house-elf take a horrible fall from grace, sending her into a down-spiraling depression. Mr. Diggory stated he wanted to bring the house-elf in for questioning, but Crouch Sr. denied this request using the delicate situation for his own selfish purposes. Under these circumstances, it seems the power and authority used by Bartemius Crouch Sr. triumphs over justice and compassion for this innocent house-elf.

     The double standards are very evident and increasingly questionable. Simply because these creatures are not human, does it give the Ministry or any individual the right to treat them so poorly?

The choice is up to you.

The assignment for this lesson will be under 'September Assignment'.