Ron

[Susan McGee]

No: HPFGUIDX 7366

I can understand why folks have uneasy feelings about Ron.
He is obviously humiliated by his lack of money, and too often,
those who are humiliated take revenge.

As I said before, he is more often the target of Draco Malfoy than
Harry is. Draco says far more vicious things about Ron than about
Harry. And Harry gets to fight back, whereas Ron never gets to punch 
Draco in the nose. (Although he does get to Watch the fake Moody turn 
Draco into the amazing bouncing ferret). It's HERMIONE who smacks 
Malfoy.

Yes, Ron has as stable home and nurturing environment, but like many 
of us (no?) still has his adolescent angst..overshadowed by his older 
siblings, and then by Harry, who is not just famous but outstanding.

However, Ron does not get all the credit he deserves. In the PS, he
is the one who causes the troll's club to knock the troll out. In the 
CoS, he is the only one who can solve the chess problem, and does, 
winning an award for Special Services to the School. He has a lot of 
abilities; he must learn to recognize them, and appreciate himself.

Let's be more compassionate. It would be agony for an adolescent boy 
to go to a ball in dress robes that looked like a dress. All that 
rigid gender sterotyping and homophobia would combine to humiliate 
him. Harry knows that the dress robes are traumatic..he has Gred and 
Forge promise to buy Ron new ones.

Susan