r/TopCharacterTropes • u/KusanagiGundam • 12d ago

Hated Tropes (Hated Trope) "Kind" slave owners

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Speaking as an American who has studied the civil war all throughout my school years, this trope infuriates me to no end. There is no such thing as a kind slave master because slavery itself is cruel and inhumane. PEOPLE ARE NOT PROPERTY!

Naofumi (Shield Hero): Prime example of this trope. He enslaves multiple (underage) girls and an whole village and the fans still say he's a hero.

Rudeus (Jobless Reincarnation): As if being a pedo wasn't bad enough he had to buy a slave in season 2. Worse is that people still defend his actions.

Song of The South (Disney): Possibly the OG example of this trope. And the reason why Disney will never release it again.

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u/sisdom-weeker 12d ago

https://giphy.com/gifs/Fkg6fI0hsngIM
Harry Potter inherits Kreacher the house elf from Sirius and treats him "nicely" (and one of the last thoughts he has in Deathly Hallows is that he wants Kreacher to make him a sandwich)

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u/bisexualboy38 12d ago

The house elf situation was always a mess, we just didn't pick up on it as kids.

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u/sisdom-weeker 12d ago

Poor worldbuilding all around, it would have been better if either "only proper bastards like the Malfoys own them" or "eventually everyone realizes how fucked up wizard slavery is and realizes Hermione is right"

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u/SerKnightGuy 12d ago

As a kid I kinda took it as dark social commentary. "Getting rid of the occasional would-be genocidal dictator is one thing. Dismantling the ancient institution of slavery is another."

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u/zoltronzero 12d ago

Rowling is not that good of a writer.

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u/Aluxanatomy 12d ago

It was lightning in a bottle. There are so many better things that have come along since then which built on her ideas and made them better.

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u/Orphan_Guy_Incognito 12d ago

The sad reality is that it's not commentary, its genuinely how she thinks.

In her view the problem isn't a systemic issue, it is bad actors. Harry becomes a wizard cop working for an institution that was easily coopted by wizard Hitler, in much the same way that one of the protagonists of the Fantastic Beast series goes back to work for the same American magic society that tried to execute her without trial or even meaningful investigation.

One of the undersold things in the book is that the Death Eaters are propped up by a bunch of oppressed magical creatures (goblins in particular) who have every right to be pissed off at being second class citizens. This is never addressed.