Ballot Application: HIPPOLYTA TRUTH

[down-in-flames]

GENERAL INFORMATION

Candidate Name: Hippolyta Truth

Slogan: "A HERO TO UNITE OUR WORLDS"

Poster:

Bio:

It’s a bird! It’s a plane! No! It’s the YELLOW JACKET. Buzzing around with her speedy shoes, and knocking out bad guys with her stinging gauntlets, YELLOW JACKET is there whenever Muggle and Magic clash.

Born to a magical family, Hippolyta Truth never quite felt like she fit in, what with her completely normal, totally magic-free existence. While her siblings were burping pear-shaped bubbles or sending glasses across the room, Hippolyta could only watch. When the Truth parents noticed her lack of magical ability, they enrolled her in the local Muggle school. Her siblings went off to Hogwarts while she stayed at home, making friends with the other non-magical kids, whose superhero comics gave her new ideas for ways to keep up with her family. She couldn’t actually fly, but she’d be damned if she didn’t try. She learned about this thing called science, which, when used correctly, could give magic a run for its money. And that’s exactly what Hippolyta was going to do.

Science quickly became Hippolyta’s favorite subject. It was the easiest way for her to imitate the magic she saw among her family. Dishes washing themselves? Science could do that. Feeling sick? Chemistry. Or medicine. (They’re closely related.) Need quick travel? Who needs Portkeys when you’ve got planes and trains and automobiles? Her inventions started simple, with a tool to help her do the dishes without getting her hands dirty. Then a machine to spin garden gnomes.Then an instant messaging—something. Then it was stinging gauntlets and speedy shoes.

At a certain point, Hippolyta could no longer pretend her inventions were just for helping out around the house. She wanted to help more people, and through her unique upbringing saw that Muggles were the ones who needed her the most. Thus, the Yellow Jacket was born, and Hippolyta finally had occasion to wear the colors of one of her idols, Helga Hufflepuff. Turns out, the Ministry of Magic is so disinterested in what goes on with Muggles, that they don’t much mind if one of their own (albeit a Squib) is running around in tights protecting Muggles from themselves.

With a foot in both worlds, she found the Statute of Secrecy increasingly stifling. While she never expected special allowances for her vigilante work, she thought it unacceptable that the wizarding world’s false superiority over Muggles held them back from more efficient and comfortable technology. After a particularly unpleasant Portkey trip, she’d had enough. So, tired of old-fashioned ideas and unnecessarily bumpy transportation, she bundled up all her superhero energy and brought it with her to petition the Ministry. (This did not work.) Hippolyta attracted a great deal of attention with her hand-painted yellow-black signs, but still the Ministry did nothing. She owled government officials, knocked on doors till her knuckles were red, and shouted for change (loudly) in the streets.

After some time, the Ministry’s lack of agenda (and ability to do anything, really) became clear. So Hippolyta, in full Yellow Jacket suit, odd gadgets and all, stood right in the middle of Ministry headquarters when she blared her candidacy for Minister on a Muggle megaphone.

 

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POLICY STANCES

Policy #1: Should other magical beings have representatives in the Ministry of Magic and the International Confederation of Wizards?

The Ministry of Magic and the International Confederation shouldn't just want representation from other beings, they should acknowledge that they need it.

Currently, the Ministry and Confederation suffer from undeniable levels of elitism. For centuries, participation in these bodies has been limited to magical humans—wizards, and later witches. This is the root of many conflicts between humans and other beings. Living in a society run by only one species inherently implies a scale of advantage where humans are at the top and all other beings are inferior. As such, witches and wizards have long benefited from a variety of privileges held over from eras marked by bigotry and speciesism. These privileges are not the "fault" of magical humans today, but failing to acknowledge them is only another example of their presence. The history of exclusion of beings other than humans cannot be ignored, even if no one living today directly created the policies that encourage that exclusion.

We are entering a new era of modernity within the magical world. As magical society integrates more Muggle-created technologies, there will almost certainly be a Gobstone effect, wherein more things modernize and change for the better. One of these things that must change is the makeup of our political and social organizations. It is essential that we welcome and embrace beings beyond magical humans. In the past, beings such as vampires, werewolves, merpeople, goblins, elves, and many others have been excluded from the full spectrum of social and civic engagement. This must change. If these beings are welcomed into the Ministry and Confederation, they will greatly broaden the scope of ideas contributed to our society. The breadth of experience from beings beyond magical humans will bring a new range of ideas that will almost certainly improve our world in significant ways.

That improvement is ideal, of course, but the Ministry and Confederation need also recognize that representation is not solely about the benefits to the majority. Rather, it is about giving a voice to the oppressed and silenced. The magical beings currently not on the councils are not being represented. They are forced to live under laws that they had no role in creating, policed by policies and forces that they have no role in enforcing. This is fundamentally wrong. Existence in a society that one is not included in the governance of is oppression and can lead to instances of harm to those unrepresented groups. Furthermore, the marginalization of communities of beings only widens the divides in our world. To begin to heal those divides, all beings must have representation in the national and international governments that influence their daily lives.

The Ministry and Confederation must right the wrongs they have created, not just between the different races of magical beings, but beyond those communities as well. As a Squib, I have experienced countless moments of discrimination from the magical community. In the future, Squibs—and eventually even Muggles—should also have representatives to the Ministry and Confederation. The elitism implied in the exclusion of non-magical beings is abhorrent. What quality of character do magical beings possess that non-magical beings do not? How can a society justify ignoring, oppressing, and marginalizing beings based solely on their ability or lack thereof to perform magic? The inclusion of Squibs and Muggles in the Ministry and Confederation will be an important symbol to those communities that they are welcome in our society and valued in their contributions.

The extension of rights and representation to previously unrepresented peoples is essential to the cohesiveness of our society. We live in this world together. Oppressing or excluding any community of people is unacceptable. I will fight to eliminate those divides. Diversifying the councils is just step one.

Policy #2: Should Great Britain create a second all-wizarding village?

No, Great Britain should not create a second all-wizarding village. All my life, the wizarding world has been keen on keeping to itself, staying hidden, making it impossible to be detected by outsiders. While that might have been an adequate safety measure in the 13th century – and let’s face it, even that’s debatable – this obsession with secrecy, and exclusion, represents only an obstacle in today’s society. I am a Squib, and while I was lucky enough to have a loving, supportive family who had my back no matter what, I know others who were less fortunate, who were shunned and alienated by their own families. Even I have had relationships put under stress because I couldn’t commit to the most mundane things: I had to dodge questions on the first date, I wasn’t allowed to bring anyone home, and introducing my Muggle girlfriend to my wizarding parents would have constituted a crime. ‘So, tell me about your family! - Oh, my dad flies around on brooms all day and my sister wrangles dragons for a living.’ That would have gone down well. For my Muggleborn friends, too, adapting to life in the wizarding world hasn’t always been easy. As children, they’re away from home for most of the year, and in the few months they do get to see their friends and family, they almost have to pretend to be someone else. They can hardly talk about anything they’ve learnt and are expected to keep part of their identity secret. In this day and age, insisting on such an absolute separation of our worlds is only hurting people.

And I don’t begrudge anyone their place of residence – if your family is happy in Godric’s Hollow, that’s brilliant – but I do think that actively encouraging people to ‘keep to themselves’ creates a dangerous mentality. Ignorance breeds hostility, and this hostility eventually leads to violence. I’ve seen it countless times in the Muggle world: people prefer the devil they know and are often afraid of anything they perceive as strange and divergent. I won’t go into detail here, but over the past five or six years, exclusionist, right-wing parties have been on the rise. You may say that that’s none of your concern, and that such a thing couldn’t happen in the wizarding world, but if I tell you that these are groups who believe the right to live in their society should be reserved for people of a certain heritage only, for people whose families have been a part of that society for generations; groups who assemble behind charismatic, powerful leaders, does that sound familiar to you at all? Because really, the Muggle and the wizarding world have always faced the same problems; for every conflict in the wizarding world, you will find an equivalent in the Muggle world.  

Still, you could argue that that’s all in the past, and why should you care about some loony group of Muggle Death Eaters? Because it’s not just Muggle Death Eaters. I am what Muggles call a ‘superhero’, so I mostly run around wearing tights, trying to stop people from bashing their heads in. When I first started out as a teenager, I was concerned only with keeping Muggles safe from each other, and perhaps helping out with the occasional technical mishap. But in recent years, I’ve had to deal with a much bigger problem. When I was younger, I never thought I might be up against people with magical abilities. After all, it was a fact of life that wizards never stray from their world. For the past five or six years, however, I’ve had to stop dozens of witches and wizards from attacking Muggles, and with each passing year, that number has only increased. While I don’t think I really need to remind anyone of the horrors that took place barely a generation ago, these are patterns identical to the early phases of both of the Wizarding Wars.

Let me therefore share with you perhaps the greatest lesson I learnt in the Muggle world: communities enriched by diverse cultures have always been the most welcoming, and children growing up in these places don’t ever view others as alien, or different, or lesser than themselves. It is therefore our responsibility not only to prevent a further isolation of the wizarding world, but to work to come together, not as separate worlds merely meeting in the middle, but breaking down the barriers and embracing one another, fully united.

Policy #3: Should Hogwarts allow a broader range of pets to be brought to school?

A wider range of pets for Hogwarts students is a brilliant idea, and will help to make the school more accessible for people of different abilities, or suffering from emotional trauma. Historically, Hogwarts has never been consistent in enforcing its restrictive policies about pets anyway, so it’s time that we level the playing field and have wider options be the rule for everyone.

Of course, we still have to have some restrictions in place, that much is obvious. We would never allow for students to take dangerous creatures as the safety, but also the comfort of students is our most important concern. The needs of the creatures, too, have to be accounted for. But, within reason, a more inclusive pet policy is the way forward.

At the moment, Hogwarts is horribly inaccessible to anyone who isn’t able-bodied. While relaxed rules about pets will in no way suffice in addressing this problem, it is nevertheless a step in the right direction. As it stands, Hogwarts does not only have hundreds of staircases; the stairs also move, and some of them have trick steps, which makes it as good as impossible for a visually impaired person to navigate them. We can’t change how the magic of the castle works, but it is our responsibility to make the school as accessible as possible so that all magical people can make use of their right to education. It may seem like an insignificant step, but allowing a more diverse range of pets would make life easier for a considerable number of students, and open up the possibility of attending Hogwarts for others.

Guide dogs could help blind students to get from class to class without having to always rely on other students, thus allowing them to live more independently.

Diabetic alert dogs would also be a great help to students living with diabetes, warning them when blood sugar levels are critical. This can be especially helpful for those students newly diagnosed and still unfamiliar with their condition, or those who do not experience typical symptoms. In these cases, the dogs can alert their owners, and potentially save their lives.

A variety of emotional support animals, both Muggle and magical, can provide comfort and companionship to people suffering from anxiety, depression, or panic attacks.

We can therefore see that being able to take these pets with them would make life at school much easier for a lot of students. For others, having a service animal is a prerequisite to attending boarding school, and not allowing them to do so strips them of their right to education, which will impact them negatively for the rest of their lives. There is no reason why people of different abilities can’t learn to adapt to the requirements of most jobs, but by denying them the chance to acquire the necessary qualifications, we are actively throwing stones in the path of already marginalised groups. The wizarding world is notorious for its gatekeeping, and although it may at first seem insignificant, even a small change in school policies can make a world of a difference. 

And finally, being at boarding school for most of the year can be hard on anyone. Bringing a familiar can provide comfort and alleviate homesickness, so - as long as it’s not a dangerous creature - if we can provide solace for children away from home, does it really matter if their companion is a cat, a dog, a puffskein, or a rabbit?

 

DEBATE APPEARANCES

Response #1: Should the age of Apparition be raised?

While Maya Chon has undoubtedly conducted her research thoroughly, she only scratches the surface in her Apparition policy proposal, and fails to address the deeper questions behind every statistic. So I am here to ask: what does the younger magical generation’s wholehearted acceptance of recent Muggle technology (such as cellphones) signify for Apparition? Quite simply, upon further examination, the answer is this: disillusioned by the many failures of the magical government in recent decades (the wars, the inability to progress), younger folk rely on Muggle science and technology for stability and advancement. This explains the sudden influx of cellphones into the magical world, as well as the increase in cellphone usage during Apparition.

People are becoming more careless during Apparition, as Chon has described. But she doesn’t cover the root cause, which is that more and more people distrust the process of Apparition, as shown in a recent satisfaction survey. They still use it, of course, as current technology in the wizarding world allows for no better alternatives, but the general mindset seems to be, “There’s no point in protecting ourselves, since there will be a high chance of splinching anyway.” According to numerous surveys conducted in past years, many drink alcohol before apparition to numb the pain of the uncomfortable journey and the inevitable splinch (or so they believe), which explains the rise in alcohol-related splinching.

This perception of Apparition is evidently very, very wrong, but it’s the reasoning behind all the frightening numbers. Maya Chon suggests her “radical changes,” which are really just basic common sense policies: essentially an up-to-date education on the dangers of Apparition, which I completely agree with. However, I wish to go a step further—if I become Minister of Magic, I will eliminate the Statute of Secrecy. That way, we can improve upon the process of Apparition by employing Muggles and their advanced conceptualization of science, to regain the younger demographic’s trust. After all, Apparition is currently a very dangerous way to travel, and if we can manage to build relationships with Muggle scientists, then we can study how Apparition works on an atomic level and design new education programs around that. As an inventor, I have faith in the power of science, and evidently younger wizard-folk do as well.

It is time for the wizarding world to finally progress, and for Apparition to become safer. The age of Apparition should not be lifted, no, but many, many other reforms should be made in order to create a better world for future generations.

 

Response #2: Should the wizarding world stop using quills and begin using pens?

I completely agree with my opponent that the question over pens versus quills is not a political one; ultimately, that is a decision everybody needs to make for themselves, and that decision doesn’t necessarily have to be consistent. I can therefore promise that I will not be introducing any policies dictating the use of one and restricting the use of the other. In the discussion about the different usages of the two writing tools, however, Leo Calistair inadvertently voiced a mind-set that still deeply permeates wizarding society, which I would like to address here: Calistair mentioned, if I may be so free to paraphrase, that each instrument serves its own purpose, and that, while the pen may indeed be very suitable for quick ideas, the quill serves higher, more ceremonious purposes. This creates a hierarchy between the two, and affords the quill an elevated, more prestigious status; a distinction, which, in my opinion stems primarily from the pen’s Muggle origins.

The wizarding world still holds a fair amount of prejudice against non-magical items, and views them as inferior when their adaptability and practicality provide no real basis for this. While this is an issue that extends far beyond the domain of stationary, the discourse surrounding pens and quills serves well to illustrate it. Although I don’t advocate for the use of a Muggle item over a magical equivalent, I do think we have to guarantee that both options are seen as acceptable, equal alternatives. In the concrete case of which writing instrument to use, this means ensuring that government bodies, but also other public institutions such as St. Mungo’s and Hogwarts, accept applications, forms and coursework written with either tool.

This will, in the long run, make it much easier for those of us with a foot each in both the Muggle and magical worlds. Young Muggleborn students would not feel a fool because they need to learn to write anew and could instead focus on their studies. Muggle parents of magical children would find it much easier to navigate wizarding bureaucracy. If you’re in St. Mungo’s, trying to get your child admitted, likely in an emergency situation, the last thing you need is having to deal with unfamiliar, unwieldy writing instruments. Thus, even a seemingly insignificant measure like making sure both pens and quills are readily available and valued equally helps in tearing down the walls separating our worlds, creating a society that accommodates for the needs and preferences of all of its citizens.

 

Response #3: Should there be a standard number of OWLs/NEWTs required for Hogwarts graduation?

Anne Arkey presents what has been called a bold and innovative plan for education reform at Hogwarts. What is unthinkable to me, however, is that such a plan can be praised as progressive when it does nothing but further entrench the bigotry and exclusionism within Hogwarts’ existing structure. First of all, her vision for foundational coursework takes wizarding society a step backwards by excluding the essential classes of History of Magic and Muggle Studies. These two courses are invaluable, and their worth should not be underestimated. Not only do they allow students who struggle with wandwork to succeed, the courses also force students from all magical backgrounds to address their inherent biases and prejudices. I believe that Muggle Studies should not be an elective course at all, but a core class that Muggleborn students can test out of. Arkey’s proposed change of History of Magic from a core class to an elective is inadmissible. When we stop prioritizing the self-examination of our past’s errors and bloodbaths, we condemn ourselves to repeat the worst of them. There can be no brighter future if we fail to teach our children the reality of our history.

Arkey’s suggestions for new, non-magical courses open up many exciting new opportunities, but her proposal entirely fails to take advantage of the most significant one: not once in her policy does she mention the education of Squibs and non-human students with alternate magical abilities. The inclusion of magic-neutral NEWT courses is meaningless if the students who would most benefit have no pathway to succeed in the prerequisite OWLs. If Hogwarts is to diversify its course offerings and customize education paths to the needs and goals of each student, there is no reason that non-traditional students cannot be included. A Hogwarts education is the cornerstone to success in almost all areas of the British wizarding world, and to continue barring non-traditional students of that opportunity, despite including courses that seem specifically tailored for them, is borderline cruel.

Under my proposed reforms, Squibs, who have traditionally been forced into the Muggle world, will be able to find livelihood in the world of their families. Likewise, Hogwarts students of all magical ability should be offered the opportunity to sit for Muggle exams and have a path to employment in the Muggle world if they so choose. The boundaries between Muggle and magical worlds are fading year by year, and education standards built on centuries-old traditions need to be adapted accordingly. We must take care that the changes we make fully look towards the future, and do not reinforce the prejudices we stand posed to move on from.

 

ENDORSEMENTS

Staffer Endorsements:

• TidalDragon
• Ineke
• grumpy cat
• crowsb4bros
• abhorsen.
• MuggleMaybe

 

Other Endorsements:

Edited August 6, 2019 by down-in-flames