Blueberry comments on Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality discussion thread - Less Wrong

34 Post author: Unnamed 27 May 2010 12:10AM

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Comment author: knb 27 July 2010 11:36:04PM *  2 points [-]

If you don't believe me, do a google search. Lots of people on "ask the community" websites like Yahoo answers have asked whether prepubescent boys could get erections. Some of these people are adult men. In any case, obviously Eliezer didn't know that or he probably wouldn't have included that tidbit!

Comment author: Blueberry 28 July 2010 05:32:57AM -1 points [-]

A google search didn't turn up anything saying that some boys don't get erections before puberty. Why do you think this?

Yahoo answers isn't an especially reliable source, and it looked like most of the people asking were women, but I guess it's possible that some adult men forgot what it was like to be a kid.

As I said above, my theory is that Eliezer wrote that line to make fun of fanfiction.

Comment author: NancyLebovitz 28 July 2010 09:50:08AM *  3 points [-]

Alternatively, male sexual development might be more varied than is commonly believed.

Or the Malfoys might put a lock on their kids' early sexuality to make them easier to control. Something like that might make arranged marriages less prone to drama.

I think this might actually be feasible. Malfoys are probably not likely to have intimate enough conversations with children from other families that something odd is going on, and could write off what other children imply as just big talk.

Or the children could find out the truth relatively early, and buy into a family belief that this is the sensible way to do things rather than an imposition.

Comment author: NihilCredo 28 July 2010 02:55:05PM 2 points [-]

Given how much emphasis a Malfoy education places on preserving your status and appearance of power, it's fairly silly that Draco would so openly and freely reveal such an important (at least symbolically) deficiency.

Comment author: NancyLebovitz 28 July 2010 03:02:36PM 0 points [-]

Fair point.

Comment author: red75 28 July 2010 05:20:35PM *  0 points [-]

BTW. Eliezer removed these words. Now they are " As soon as I'm old enough".

Comment author: pozorvlak 31 July 2010 10:47:54PM 0 points [-]

Victory!!!! :-)

Comment author: Sniffnoy 28 July 2010 05:36:54AM 1 point [-]

Alternatively, Eliezer forgot what it was like to be a kid. That seems simpler.

Comment author: pozorvlak 31 July 2010 10:48:45PM 0 points [-]

Or we've just learned something about Eliezer's sexual development that I, for one, would rather not have known.

Comment author: Blueberry 28 July 2010 05:47:06AM 0 points [-]

That is possible but it seems less likely. He's young and sex-positive, and there are other fanfiction references in the story as well, so it wouldn't be too surprising if he included another.