Yay for "prejudism" in fiction! Go, Purebloods, go!
onlyinfatuated over at eljay wrote a lovely little manifesto on Purebloods in the HP universe and why they're oh so much better than half-bloods and mudbloods for obvious reasons. Behold the glory! Nobody asked your opinion, you filthy little mudblood!

But, no, seriously, in more detail, it's now got little to actually do with mudbloods (muggleborns? Who coined that name, anyway? I got used to saying "mudblood" because it was shorter than "people of muggle descent" and after it had become a habit to call them that, all of a sudden there's actually an equally short nickname for them, except now I'm too lazy to go and change it all), except to further emphasize the differences between the Pureblood sides and the non-Pureblood sides. Which is what it's now mostly about. Differentiating between the Pureblood side and the non-Pureblood side.

I have never really understood why people were so eager to change the entire pureblood sentimentality, because there is not a shadow of a doubt in my mind that if I were in the wizarding world, I would share those Pureblood sentiments. The whole package. Purebloods are better than mudbloods.

Obviously, the prejudism against mudbloods is supposed to symbolize the prejudism in our world, but sometimes I have to wonder if JK really wanted to put forth that message. It seems for me that she's failed miserably, if I could feel so indifferent to mudbloods and their ordeal.

And prejudism isn't always heinous. Prejudism is not letting a ten year old near a stove; it's not letting your fourteen year old daughter date an eighteen year old boy; it's teaching your child not to talk to strangers.

Now, obviously, prejudism along the lines of racism is wrong, and it is illogical and unreasonable, no matter how you look at it, but the problem, though, is that for some reason, I can't bring myself to see the prejudism against mudbloods as being along those lines. I just can't, no matter how hard I try. For me, it is reasonable, and more than a little justified, too, I think.

The Purebloods are the sort where dinner is a family event in which all members must be present, and there will be no elbows on the table, no raised voices, nothing said unless it's something good, and never even think about arguing; a three course dinner served with a glass of wine on the side and pleasant, relaxing conversations.

The non-Purebloods, on the other hand, use two different tables, one in the kitchen and one in the dining room, because they can't fit all the family members around one table, and it's a shouting chatastrophy with peas flying and mashed potatoes splattering against people, babies crying and mothers screaming, fathers talking on the phone and kids arguing.

But going back to ancestry and tradition, it's that, I think, which is the ultimate problem with mudbloods. That's why Purebloods can't accept them. And I'm looking at this from the Pureblood side, keep in mind. It's not perfect, it's not infallible, certainly. But it's understandable. They've got no lineage, no ancestry, no tradition. They're strangers. Complete and total strangers. The wizarding world is a world that is barred from Muggles, those who don't belong, who are not one of them.

How would you feel if you were living in a top-secret environment that's been closed off to the the outer world for millenia, and then all of a sudden these mudbloods just start waltzing in like they own the place? Like they belong? I'd be pissed.

I don't think that any Pureblood would be delusional enough to convince themselves that every talented mudblood is really an idiot. But it's not about the talent. It's about where on God's land are you coming from? Which man on Earth knocked up your mother? Whose vagina did you pop out of? What blood runs in your veins? To a Pureblood, knowing the answer to those questions is more important than talent.

It's all about giving and taking which is what I personally think is the main problem with mudbloods for Purebloods, and even squibs. Squibs take but never give, because they are completely incapable of giving anything to wizarding society. Mudbloods give but never take. And that's not a good thing in the sense that I'm referring to, which is culture and society. And that's why I can understand why Purebloods think that they really will prove the downfall of wizarding society, in their own clumsy ignorance.

And a wonderful little comment from the Original Perp:

I can't stand bloodtraitors for the same reason I can't stand mudbloods ... they're bringing in Muggle culture into wizarding culture ... and I'm sorry, but I hate how our world turned out, so anybody who's fascinated with it or sees any aspect of it better than in the wizarding society automatically gets my cold-shoulder. I feel like screaming to Arthur, SHUT THE FUCK UP, YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT I WOULD GIVE TO HAVE WHAT YOU GOT!

To me, Arthur is just JK's little comfort tool. She knows that the wizarding world is no comparison to our world ... again, you know, magic ... so she doesn't want all the little kids who read her book to feel sorry for themselves and hate their world and wish they could all be wizards, so what does she do, she goes and brings in a character who is actually fascinated with our world. Like she's trying to say, "It's okay, folks, it isn't all that, even wizards think we've got it pretty cool!"

Late ETA: ZOMG! Flocked now. :'(