Discrimination in the Muggle World in “Harry Potter”

In the muggle world, discrimination is a very controversial topic that is present in society. Most people have probably dealt with discrimination or prejudice in one way or another. But does the same topic exist in the wizarding world? Many would argue that wizards and witches in the world of Harry Potter face similar dilemmas regarding discrimination as do people in the muggle world. The issue of discrimination and prejudice in the wizarding world relates similarly to the issues in the muggle world.

Society in the wizard world sets social norms similarly to society in the muggle world. In Naficy's essay titled "The Werewolf in the Wardrobe" she recognizes that "it becomes clear: Professor Lupin is the fall guy for the stigmatized outsider...he is the homosexual, he is the immigrant, he is the AIDS victim, he is the one with a 'bad' religion". Professor Lupin hid his true identity because a werewolf is not part of the social norm at Hogwarts or in the wizarding world in general. People often attack outsiders and he would have been a very noticeable target. Since he did not fit in as a wizard, Professor Lupin was in danger of being discriminated against for being a werewolf.

Voldemort was the most discriminated against out of all the characters in the Harry Potter series. In Cleckley's article titled “The Mask of Sanity", he offers that people who have Antisocial Personality Disorders carry similar characteristics such as lack of remorse and shame or untruthfulness and insincerity. Voldemort was suspected to have Antisocial Personality Disorder because he shares similar characteristics with people with the disorder. Voldemort is already deemed as the most evil creature in the Harry Potter series so it makes it easier for others to tack on other negative attributes to him. He is discriminated against because he is different and shows no signs of wanting to fit in with the wizards around him. For example, an ex-criminal could face similar discrimination because they are looked at in a negative way already so people attach a mental illness or some other negative attribute onto them to justify why they act so fouly.

Being discriminated against results in being treated unfairly in society both in the wizard and muggle worlds. In their essay titled "Exploring the Dark Side”, Patrick and Patrick state "...treating half-bloods and Muggles as second-class citizens is an obvious parallel to our own society's history of oppression of Blacks and obsession about interracial sex and marriage". People in the wizarding world like Harry Potter that are half blooded receive a lot of grief from certain people around them because they think he is less than the rest of them. The same could be said for interracial couples because many of them are victims as well. All of the groups mentioned whether in the wizarding world or in the muggle world are victims of prejudice and discrimination.

People in the wizarding world may experience a different type of discrimination than people in the muggle world. In Lyubansky's essay titled "Harry Potter and the Word ThatShould Not Be Named" he implies that "If the teachers at Hogwarts want to facilitate more open mindedness and less prejudice in their students, they could draw on contact theory...ethnic and racial group prejudice can be reduced or even eliminated by bringing group members (in this case, half-bloods and pure-bloods) into cross-group contact with each other". The most common type of prejudice in the wizarding world is between half blood and pure blood witches and wizards. It can be equally compared to how people in the muggle world may have false opinions or beliefs about a different racial group. The best way to change people's minds about their beliefs is to make them see it first-handedly. Cross-group contact with half and pure bloods in the wizarding world could positively result in less discrimination and more open-mindedness especially among students at Hogwarts.

It is clear that the issue of discrimination is indeed present in the wizarding world. It may not be as emphasized as it is in the muggle world, but the problem still exists. This topic is an issue in multiple societies and can be controlled better if people decide to be less narrow-minded and explore the issue. Discrimination in Harry Potter's world shows that even witches and wizards have the ability to judge and be hateful toward one another.

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