Discrimination
Disclaimer: I don't own anything…
A/N: I know this is not the usual stories we get, but rather it is a short reflection of the Wizarding World. From my own point of view, as an anonymous wizard.
Light and Dark. Good and Evil.
People say that this war among wizards is nothing but that. Voldemort, with his blood superiority values and ideas, has raised a generation of talented witches and wizards with the same blood prejudice. Discrimination, you may say. A disgusting way of measuring a wizard's value, and also classified as the Dark. This is, of course, inherently true – the crimes Voldemort and his followers have committed, the families they have torn apart, the dreams they have ended, are unforgivable at the very least. But what about the people who rise to strike back, to defend themselves, to make the world a better place to live in? Can they be really called the Light?
"Of course! They are heroes in their own right!" Many people say. Most seem shocked that I can even ask this question. I am not denying what they have done; I am in fact glad that they did, and glad that I could do my very least. But when I think about it, this war seems to based on one crucial factor – discrimination against wizards and wizards of Muggle descent, otherwise known as blood purity. It is this very discrimination that caused psychopaths such as Voldemort to attempt to weed out the unworthy, and force them into living hell. It is this very discrimination that caused the Light wizards to fight back against the heinous crimes, and free the tension in the air.
But then again, how can we call these wizards Light wizards when they themselves commit the same mistake as the so-called Dark wizards do? No, they do not kill, they do not torture, and they do not force wizards to submit to their will. But, in a way, these wizards are also guilty of discrimination themselves. Even before Voldemort's reign, the statue at the Fountain of Magical Brethen showed the very discrimination between wizards, goblins, elves, and other magical beings. Think about it. Even then discrimination was evident. Most wizards may treat each other well, but they do consider other non-human creatures inferior to them. The most obvious example is the fact that other magical beings are not allowed to have a wand. The argument is that they have magic of their own; they should not need a wand to do their own magic! But why should we completely ban them from using a wand? Wands amplify our magical power, and maybe these creatures will open up new revolutionary possibilities with the amplified magical power. No, banning the usage of wands by magical creatures is just plain discrimination – a way for wizards to show that they are superior.
At this, most wizards start to protest. But their feeble arguments can never match up to the evidence staring in our face. Another clear-cut example is the treatment of house-elves. For house-elves, their treatment is no less than that of a slave. For them, their master is the first priority. No matter how badly the masters treat them, they cannot complain. Hell, they can't even save their own lives if it meant disobeying their master's orders! Is this not discrimination, manifesting itself in vile cruelty?
Dolores Umbridge was intent on clearing out the so-called "filthy half-breeds" even when they had done nothing to her, and she is not the only one. There are many in this world that pretend to do so much good, but in reality, they all treat their presumed "inferiors" with hate and contempt. And therein lies the problem with this world. What is Dark, and what is Light, when both are evil in their own ways? When both are guilty of discrimination, the very reason our war was started? Yes, the Dark is definitely vile and cruel, but the Light is not any different. For it is what is in our heart that guides our actions, and therefore how we feel is really more important than how we act. We may not commit the same crimes as the Dark, but in our hearts and our day-to-day actions, we might just be as cruel as they are.
Maybe, we shouldn't call ourselves the Light after all. Maybe, the true heroes are those that stand up against discrimination itself, whether it is discrimination faced by humans or non-humans. In the end, it stands that we are all born with the gift of magic, and we are all equals.
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