Dudley-Bulley or popular kid?

[Saitaina]

No: HPFGUIDX 20334

<You were right on track mentioning Dudley's popularity.  Again, not a great
role model to show that the mean kid is the popular kid, but I don't know
what would be perfect.  That's the key to anything.  You can never nit-pick
too much because you'll never please everyone. >

Where is it mentioned Dudly as 'popular'?  He was a bully and that is the
long and short of it.  People did not befriend Harry because they "knew
Dudley" and did want the living daylights beat out of them is the basic gist
of what was said in that section.  No where was he named as popular but
extensively named as a bully who several in his school feared.

"Exactly why Dudley wanted a racing bike was a mystery to Harry, as Dudly
was very fat and hated exercise-unless of course it involved punching
somebody."

"He was usually the one who held people's arms behind their backs while
Dudley hit them"-regarding Dudley's best friend, Piers Pollykiss.

"Everybody knew that Dudley's gang hated that odd Harry Potter in his baggy
old clothes and broken glasses and nobody liked to disagree with Dudley's
gang."

Each of these quotes point to the dangerous behavior of a bullying child.
That in itself is really a bigger issue then his weight.  That bullying will
stay with him in life and later endanger his own children.  Draco Malfoy is
not the only one indager having having the SCF (Services to Children and
Families) or the British equvilent called on him to remove a child from his
care in this series and it's very sad, and disturbing to see people refer to
such behavior as popularity.

Saitaina