Owl Post Secret Activity 1: The Secret of Magic

[brightflower]

Activity: The Secret of Magic
Points: Long debate: Participation 10pts, Additional comment: 2pts.
Deadline: April 22, 11:59 PM UTC
Details:

Let's jump right into the magical world's secrets with a debate on the biggest secret of all: the secret of magic itself.

What are your opinions on the International Statute of Secrecy? Is it a fair law? When is it okay to break the law and reveal the secret of magic to Muggles? And what would you do if a Muggle discovered your secret and tried to take advantage of it?

Initial comment of at least 150 words for 10 points, additional comments 2 points each. Let's get a conversation going!


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Comments

[mmailliw.livejournal.com]

I think the International Statute of Secrecy is simply a Band-Aid (to borrow a Muggle term) on the real issue that Muggle technology is developing so much faster than the Wizarding version that, coupled with the much larger Muggle population, the Muggle world could easily exterminate the Wizarding world if they so choose.

One of the fics I read recently, one in which Harry keeps on reliving his life regardless of how he does, featured the Muggles finally discovering the Wizarding world sometime around 2007. The point was that with the Internet, YouTube, and similar phenomena, Muggles could broadcast the knowledge of Wizards in a convincing way faster than Wizards could Obliviate them... with YouTube posts, for example, having millions of viewers each scattered through the world! The way that particular fic dealt with the issue was that Harry knew of this discovery... and the Muggles subjugating Wizards in a war with very few magical people surviving by 2020 or 2030... and that therefore Muggles, not Voldemort, were the real problem to worry about.

Basically, it worked well enough at its purpose for a couple of centuries - but I simply don't see it holding up under 21st century technology!

William//Slytherin [197]

[caitieness.livejournal.com]

I never even thought about technology but it would probably be hard to fend against the Internet, especially since wizards know so little about it. I guess if wizards dedicated time to combating the Internet, they would be able to. Maybe they could invent a spell that makes it so that magic can't be recorded? Like how vampires can't be seen in the mirror?

caitie/puff

[bergeronprocess.livejournal.com]

I like the idea of creating a, say, reverse-Trace that applies to all magic users and makes them un-recordable. Maybe they'd even have to ask for help from friendly vampires (if there exist such a thing???) to ask them how the principle of not being viewable in a mirror works.

Emmapuff

[feuerfunke.livejournal.com]

Oh, that sounds reasonable. But on the other hand, electronic things do seem to not work properly with magic involved. Or is this just a fandom thing?

Anyway, suppressing the Internet would be a huge task either way.

Kat//Hufflepuff

[bergeronprocess.livejournal.com]

Good point! Recently I read that the more "democratized" nature of broadcasting has made it somewhat harder to craft long-standing recognizable jokes about certain topics--this was a Guardian article in relation to how anyone can make a joke about Margaret Thatcher dying, so the well-known comics who were once the arbiters of comedy are now just one part of a large landscape of humor. So the same could be said of revealing magic, huh?

Emmapuff

[slumber.livejournal.com]

That's a very good point, but I think it speaks more to the wizarding world's short-sightedness than in whether or not they SHOULD be keeping themselves secret. It just proves that secrets are harder to keep, and if even Muggle-loving wizards can't figure out how to work a blasted telephone (or even what to call it-- his enthusiasm is sweet but if Muggles were a fandom then Arthur Weasley is an awful fan-- shouldn't he know as much about it as possible? He works in the government office dedicated to Misuse of Muggle objects!) then they are so shamefully behind.

Evyclaw

[kaitydid33087.livejournal.com]

There's a lot that Arthur doesn't understand about Muggles though. And I can understand that, seeing as he doesn't live around them all the time. And why he asks Harry the questions he does. I'd probably be just as curious as Arthur was about Muggles. You can only learn so much about Muggles, by looking at artifacts. I mean, think about it. You go on a dig in say, Sicily, but you can only find so many items, and learn so much about how someone lived from those items.

9

[feuerfunke.livejournal.com]

I agree on this point. The education about Muggles seems to lack. If one only thinks that Hermione studied Muggles lifting heavy things. I think it's safe to say that there are way more important things to learn like how to use a telephone as you've already mentioned.
A better curriculum is needed. And one should think about making Muggle Studies mandatory at Hogwarts.

Kat//Hufflepuff

[kaitydid33087.livejournal.com]

That is a great point you bring up

Its interesting though, cause you bring up a good point, that Muggles would eradicate Wizards faster than Wizards could Obliviate memories.

Its kind of a scary thought, though. Yeah...real scary.

6

[flyingharmony.livejournal.com]

I wouldn't express it in such a drastic way, but I really like your way of thinking; technology-wise, wizards really aren't the most revolutionary, and Muggles are obviously many steps ahead of them in that case, but I'm not sure by how much Technology would win over magic in the end; there's no doubt that in certain cases, Muggles - to put it in your words - were the real problem to worry about, but there are also branches that will also be ruled by magic. In the end, I can totally see the danger in technology, though!

Avipuff/7