Should we tell the Muggles?

[WhyBotherToTry]

I was reading over one of the Harry Potter books yesterday and thought about how much of a nightmare it must be for the ministry of magic to keep the magical community secret from the non-magic one. If you were a witch or wizard, would you want non-magical people to know about your abilites and the world you inhabit? Personally I wouldn't. For example, if I had children and it was public knowledge that they had supernatural powers, it could make life hard for them growing up if muggle children were afraid of them or thought they were freaks. Also, if you told everyone about creatures like dementors or dragons and the abilites they have, they could think you were just fear mongering. In addition, people would probably be constantly annoying you to use your power to help them with their problems. What are your thoughts? Would you tell them everything or not?

 

[Soviet Steve]

I'd reveal everything to the world and let the scientific community master magic.

 

[exeuntleft]

It really is extraordinary that it's such a secret considering they're basically fighting a war against evil in broad daylight. But good thing for JK Rowling, they're magicians. Suspicious that it's still under wraps? A wizard did it! Or... you know, several wizards.

No, I would not tell the muggles. I'd be terrified of them, those judgmental, insidious folk. Witch burnings everywhere!

 

[Pearwood]

A bigger question - why did no one just shoot Voldemort? Let him come back 7 times, he's always going to be waving a stick around and shouting, takes longer to do that than it does to pull a trigger.

 

[Scarim Coral]

Yeah I wonuld reveal it either. The world is already mess up just the way it is so adding magic will make it worse. Sure magic can be used for good thing as well but I'm pretty sure most of us would abuse it which they probably would have a hard time keeping it under control.

 

[Esotera]

Yes. People in charge of magical governments are currently practising segregation, and we already know it causes a lot of trauma from what some of the characters in the book have been forced to do. If approached in the right way, the world would be a better place.

 

[tippy2k2]

A bigger question - why did no one just shoot Voldemort? Let him come back 7 times, he's always going to be waving a stick around and shouting, takes longer to do that than it does to pull a trigger.

I always questioned that myself and maybe someone here will have a reason...

My friend who read it said that electronics and "modern stuff" break with wizards, in which case, Harry Dresdon his ass with a six-shooter (or high powered sniper rifle).

To answer the question, yes, reveal it. I haven't read HP so maybe there are things they can't do but it seems like healing spells alone would be pretty damn useful.

 

[Rowan93]

Well, of course I'd want everyone to know. I can hardly lord my all-conquering powers over everyone if I just seem like a crazy idiot, possibly wearing a silly costume.

Aaaand on top of that there's all the massive problems for everyone involved when you segregate two groups of people, when you keep two economies separate, and when you have two separate spheres of academia that not only don't get to compare notes, but aren't even aware of each other's existence.

Seriously, a civilization where the HP wizards exist and didn't hide their existence from the rest of human civilization, and in fact immersed themselves in it, would by about this time be mind-numbingly advanced. We're not even talking about the standard sci-fi future here, where everything is skyscrapers but the air is always clean and everyone gets a jetpack and/or flying car, etcetera - we're looking at something on the same level as the singularity, but along a different axis, I'm not sure I can even imagine the full extent of the awesomeness. Making a big reveal now isn't the best possibility, but it's the best option that exists now, and none of the downsides could possibly compare to the rewards.

 

[FalloutJack]

I was reading over one of the Harry Potter books yesterday and thought about how much of a nightmare it must be for the ministry of magic to keep the magical community secret from the non-magic one. If you were a witch or wizard, would you want non-magical people to know about your abilites and the world you inhabit? Personally I wouldn't. For example, if I had children and it was public knowledge that they had supernatural powers, it could make life hard for them growing up if muggle children were afraid of them or thought they were freaks. Also, if you told everyone about creatures like dementors or dragons and the abilites they have, they could think you were just fear mongering. In addition, people would probably be constantly annoying you to use your power to help them with their problems. What are your thoughts? Would you tell them everything or not?

The funny part is that the wizard world apparently has only a minor understanding of technology. The higher you go, the more they've looked into it, but you won't see any of them get into such sciences as genetic research, computer sciences, the space program... Oh, I'm sure you could apparate into space, but would you have time to create your own personal atmosphere on the moon? Bet not.

Anyway, I think we should tell 'em. It'll make an international incident, but the proper combination of magic and technology would make society grow ten times more powerful than before.

 

[aegix drakan_v1legacy]

Revealing magic to ALL the muggles would be stupid.

They would get jealous and afraid, and then the next thing you know, BAM! Muggle VS magic war.

Not to mention how some already powerful people would bribe or blackmail wizards to do their bidding, and how religious types would want to go for the whole witch burning attitude again.

That being said, having a squad of elite muggle snipers in case of magic related trouble would be useful. Most wizards have no idea how guns work, so the muggles could potentially kill off a ton of death eaters, especially if they're sniping. I think a rifle has better range than the Avada Kedavra.

So yeah, best not to let the muggles know.

Although the wizards REALLY should learn how muggle tech works. At least the guys in the muggle liason office, at any rate.

Over time enough families will have a witch or wizard that the barrier between both worlds will be highly distorted and they can tear the walls down. At this point they could be incredibly aggressive and sterilize muggle males, but it would probably be better to release propaganda promoting the benefits of having magical children through wizarding sperm banks.

While this is a smart idea...I have one problem with that.

It means you're essentially giving all humans superpowers. Do you trust the majority of humans with superpowers? Because I freakin don't. I wouldn't trust most people with a car or a gun, so magical powers? No way, man...

 

[Lord Kloo]

I think if wizards were revealed to exist the religious sects of the world would probably unite to burn the heretics who claim to have the power of god..

I hope it'll turn out something like that Priest movie/comic series.. humans have actually battled to keep wizards at bay for thousands of years and then all we need is some kind of human borne super weapons..

Would seriously love to see a follow up to the series involving wizards being hunted down and crushed under the armored treads of our mighty war machines..

so you're little army of stone guardians can keep ogres and giants at bay? try stopping 60 odd tonnes of steel and awesome..

 

[Rowan93]

A bigger question - why did no one just shoot Voldemort? Let him come back 7 times, he's always going to be waving a stick around and shouting, takes longer to do that than it does to pull a trigger.

I got the implication that the Horcruxes aren't single-use, voldemort comes back as long as they still exist. That said, death still seems to be a major inconvenience for him when it happens, so a half-decent sniper would be the trollingest troll, and I expect by maybe the fifth time around Voldemort would be going absolutely crazy.

I think a rifle has better range than the Avada Kedavra.

With the difference in muzzle velocity, it doesn't even matter what the Avada Kedavra's range is. If you're more than ~100m away, you can just calmly sidestep the oncoming blast and watch the great big glowing bolt fly past you.

Over time enough families will have a witch or wizard that the barrier between both worlds will be highly distorted and they can tear the walls down. At this point they could be incredibly aggressive and sterilize muggle males, but it would probably be better to release propaganda promoting the benefits of having magical children through wizarding sperm banks.

While this is a smart idea...I have one problem with that.

It means you're essentially giving all humans superpowers. Do you trust the majority of humans with superpowers? Because I freakin don't. I wouldn't trust most people with a car or a gun, so magical powers? No way, man...

I'd much rather have superpowers and have 6 billion morons have them too, than to not have powers and have millions of morons have them anyway. The former is scary but exciting, the latter is scary in a lovecraftian way.



That said;

I've thought about this before, and honestly the best solution is to eradicate the muggles by peaceful means. Think about it, if a witch/wizard couple breed, their offspring is a witch/wizard, if a witch or wizard breeds with a muggle, their offspring is also going to be a witch or wizard. Magical genes are a highly dominant trait, and if the magical community would make an effort to start breeding with the muggles, the world would be a much better place.

Just take over the sperm banks and secretly replace them with wizard spunk, seek out new couples who could do with another child and get the woman pregnant, and help out the couples where the man is infertile. Over time enough families will have a witch or wizard that the barrier between both worlds will be highly distorted and they can tear the walls down. At this point they could be incredibly aggressive and sterilize muggle males, but it would probably be better to release propaganda promoting the benefits of having magical children through wizarding sperm banks.

Would work too, I mean, how many parents would want to bring a child into this world knowing that it would effectively be of an inferior class, they would want to use the sperm banks and produce a child that is superior to the regular folk.

I really don't like this idea. You don't even have to tilt your head that much for it to look like genocide, and I can certainly see it being resisted as such.

Since magic has rules, scientists can do scientists to it, and from that point on the prospect of controlling magic through technology is pretty much inevitable.

 

[Kae]

Well I lack the ability to lie completely and am a big fan of technology not to mention that when I get exited about a new possibility to advance technology on I have to tell everybody I see about it and I'm not the kind of person that would think of the consequences of my actions, so it would probably have been the first thing I did after returning from magic school, assuming I'd be a wizard though quite frankly I would prefer being a human mostly because the possibility of exploring a new world of magic would probably be way too exiting for me, I don't need to have it I just need to see it, but I don't think most people would be like me probably most would be scared or jealous instead of being amazed, though I'm very easily impressed.

 

[DoPo]

A bigger question - why did no one just shoot Voldemort? Let him come back 7 times, he's always going to be waving a stick around and shouting, takes longer to do that than it does to pull a trigger.

I got the implication that the Horcruxes aren't single-use, voldemort comes back as long as they still exist. That said, death still seems to be a major inconvenience for him when it happens, so a half-decent sniper would be the trollingest troll, and I expect by maybe the fifth time around Voldemort would be going absolutely crazy.

QFT.

Also, the magic wands don't seem that extraordinary - unless additional magic or something is used to protect them, they are just a twig. And when broken they don't work. Solution, just blast Voldy with an explosion. A satchel charge in closed space should do it. He'll die and return but his precious want taht was twaked for himself will be little more than smouldering ash. Alternatively, just blast his damn hand off. He doesn't seem capable of any extra tricks if he doesn't have a wand. There, war is over in like several minutes. Rambo can do it.

Can anybody remind me if Voldy needs that ritual cast every time he needs to come back? If so, it's really, really a disadvantage, otherwise if he just reforms lich-style or regenerates his body, it's still bad but still bullets would help.

My friend who read it said that electronics and "modern stuff" break with wizards, in which case, Harry Dresdon his ass with a six-shooter (or high powered sniper rifle).

No, they don't. Not in the Harry Potter universe. It just seems that the majority of the wizard society is really disinterested in technology. But there isn't anything stopping them from having a TV or a radio, they just don't need to because they have magic. In TDF wizards are walking techbanes, but in HP there is nothing at all stopping them from picking up a pistol or driving a car.

One would wander why the hell the wizards don't even carry knives. I mean those who fight, not all the wizards ever. It just seems a logical thing to have if you want to hurt/disable your foe. If you get close there is literally nothing else you can do aside from punching them. And nobody seems to know any martial arts. If a knife is too "deadly", then a baton or something. Literally anything that is not "a wand" will be of more use when you're close an personal. And gettinc close an personal is a valid tactic, seing how the whole wizardry thing boils down to "stand afar and throw stuff at one another". Punch them in the mouth, however and see them try to mumble that incantation with a few broken teeth and a dislocated jaw.

 

[Erttheking]

I've thought about this before, and honestly the best solution is to eradicate the muggles by peaceful means. Think about it, if a witch/wizard couple breed, their offspring is a witch/wizard, if a witch or wizard breeds with a muggle, their offspring is also going to be a witch or wizard. Magical genes are a highly dominant trait, and if the magical community would make an effort to start breeding with the muggles, the world would be a much better place.

Just take over the sperm banks and secretly replace them with wizard spunk, seek out new couples who could do with another child and get the woman pregnant, and help out the couples where the man is infertile. Over time enough families will have a witch or wizard that the barrier between both worlds will be highly distorted and they can tear the walls down. At this point they could be incredibly aggressive and sterilize muggle males, but it would probably be better to release propaganda promoting the benefits of having magical children through wizarding sperm banks.

Would work too, I mean, how many parents would want to bring a child into this world knowing that it would effectively be of an inferior class, they would want to use the sperm banks and produce a child that is superior to the regular folk.

EDIT:

Also blood transfusions might possibly be an option, but I sort of doubt it. It's indicated that when one wizard takes on another wizard's blood, they can gain magical properties they didn't have but that the donor did have. So it's possible that if you gave a muggle a blood transfusion from a magical person that they could take on magical properties themselves.

I have doubts about this though because it would be such an obvious cure for squibs if it were true.

That doesn't make any sense. A witch and a wizard can have a kid with no magical powers and two muggles can have a kid with magical powers. Clearly the magic "gene" can't be predicted.

 

[him over there]

I love how everyone assumes that being a wizard makes you some all powerful totally different tier being from non wizards. They're still human, you could shoot them just like the rest of them.

So the wizards shouldn't tell the muggles for their own protection because all people fear that which they see as superior. The muggles would naturally try, and succeed (see guns) at killing them.

 

[BlackStar42]

A bigger question - why did no one just shoot Voldemort? Let him come back 7 times, he's always going to be waving a stick around and shouting, takes longer to do that than it does to pull a trigger.

I always questioned that myself and maybe someone here will have a reason...

My friend who read it said that electronics and "modern stuff" break with wizards, in which case, Harry Dresdon his ass with a six-shooter (or high powered sniper rifle).

To answer the question, yes, reveal it. I haven't read HP so maybe there are things they can't do but it seems like healing spells alone would be pretty damn useful.

Hah, I was just thinking Dresden would wipe the floor with any wizard in the Potterverse. He out-cools them all too.