Evil or Irritating (WAS Idle musings on Book Six)

[jenny from ravenclaw]

No: HPFGUIDX 27820

Cindy wrote:

  >Maybe we need an "Irritant Meter" or something that places these 
characters on a 10-point scale.  For me, Lockhart rocks the scale with 
a high rating of 9.5.>

Cindy, I was so with you on the Lockhart thing until you said 9.5.  
That's all?  Lockhart on my Irritant Meter gets an 11 (has anyone seen 
"Spinal Tap"?).  He goes to 11.

Megan responded:
 
>Maybe I just have a problem withRita's deception and the fact that 
she causes PUBLIC ruin to somereputations (not to mention she's 
employed by the oh-so-credible DailyProphet?  HOW can they not see 
through her??).  Anyway (*mentally checks her parenthetic rambling*) I 
guess Rita just bugs me--it's not that she is ANNOYING, per se (she is 
somewhat), she just p*sses me of(I don't know what kind of filter is 
on this thing...) because she gets away with so much!>

Now Rita doesn't irritate me either, but I do dislike her a hell of a 
lot.  She is mean and nasty and that's all. I think you hit the nail 
on the head, Megan, when you said Rita pisses you off, because that is 
what she does to me, too.  She is also more real to me than Lockhart; 
Rita is the paparazzi rolled into one painted nailed, pen sucking fake 
blonde.  

I also find her quite dangerous, as she has no regard for others' 
privacy or well being in any way.  Her article about Hagrid could have 
resulted in something much worse than Hagrid hiding out in his hut for 
days.  She also causes damage to Hermione.  Rita clearly knows her 
audience and probably relied on the fact her readers would react 
strongly to the possibility that Hermione was playing two boys (one 
being the beloved Harry Potter) at once.  Hermione is lucky no one did 
send her a curse; the bubotuber pus was painful enough.  I guess I'd 
say Rita is evil, and all by her own choice.  Yuck.

Hagrid, by the way, rates an 8 on my Irritant Meter, but I seem to be 
the only one around here who feels that way.

--jenny from ravenclaw, also enjoying seeing her name and not her 
email address in the author column 
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