Fred and George: The Bullies You Do Know

[jenny_ravenclaw]

No: HPFGUIDX 43056

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., "abigailnus" <abigailnus at y...> wrote:
 
> You know, I've had the feeling for a long time that, as a group, we 
tend  to over-analize the Harry Potter books - at least past a certain 
point.>

That is exactly why people join and then stick around this list.  We 
love to analyze HP because we've noticed that JKR has written multiply 
layered characters and events.  I'll be analyzing every word of HP for 
a long time.
 
> I honestly believe that in most of these cases, JKR's reasoning 
doesn't go any further than "this is funny."  This is something of a 
disservice to the characters, making them the purveyors of cheap 
laughs and nothing more, but let's face it, Fred and George aren't 
that important.>

Are you so sure?  Did you think Scabbers was important in SS, CoS and 
most of PoA?  

Am I the only person who is flashing on an early episode of Buffy 
> the Vampire Slayer, in which Xander is possessed by a hyena spirit 
and begins acting quite cruelly?>

I remember this episode very well and the key word you used in 
relation to Xander is "possessed".  The other kids were mean already, 
and as far as I know, no one has put a spell on Fred and George that 
compels them to pull pranks on everyone around them all the time.   
 
> Legal adults or not, the twins are sixteen year old boys.  They are, 
by definition, idiots.  I've known my share of these guys.  I've been 
teased  by my share of them, and I really, really hated them at the 
time (which was 5-7 years ago.)  Today I should imagine that most of 
them have grown up and gotten over it, but more importantly, I have.>

First, I must say that the arguments consisting of things like "boys 
will be boys" and "he's just being a 16 year old" push my buttons.  It 
excuses the behaviors of people as involuntary because of their sex or 
age.  Of course, 16 year olds are not adults yet and do not have to 
deal with responsibilities the way adults do.  I remember doing some 
irresponsible things when I was a teen and my students practically 
compete with each other to see who can be the most outrageously 
behaved.  However, not all of them behave badly.  It is a choice.

I also have to add that you shouldn't be so sure that everyone gets 
over being bullied as well as you have.  I was the target of bullies 
when I was much younger and I remember it to this day with a sour 
taste in my mouth.  Many people who were bullied as kids need therapy 
as adults.  Ron seems more and more to have quite a bit of trouble 
letting go of Draco's nasty comments about the Weasleys' poverty and 
I've mentioned before that I'm curious to see how he will continue to 
handle this.

As a teacher, I have zero tolerance for bullying in my classroom and 
if I see it happening, I lose my temper fast, which is something I 
don't do in the classroom very often.  

> Not only do I find it hard to classify hexing Draco and his buddies 
as bullying (which is, after all, mostly about fear and humiliation.  
Having been knocked out immediately, Draco and his cronies had no time 
to feel either.)>

Please tell me you are joking here.  Are you seriously saying that 
because Draco and Co are *knocked out* they won't feel humiliated when 
they come to?  If I was a teacher on that train who witnessed the 
entire incident, I would have made sure that everyone involved was 
punished: Draco and Co for starting, Harry, Ron, Hermione, Fred and 
George for hexing and Fred and George for then walking over the 
bodies.  No one was right here.
  
> Oh, come on, give the kids a break.  Look at Cedric - he's older 
than the twins, he's handsome, smart, popular, good with the girls, a 
great Quidditch player, and on top of all that he's nice, modest and 
friendly.  How could they not hate him?  Can you honestly tell me that 
you've never met a person like that and just hated them?>

Yes, I can.  How can I hate someone who is always nice?  I envied the 
girls in my school who were pretty and who were on receiving end of 
the boys's crushes, but I didn't dislike them.  I disliked my peers 
who were mean, or petty, or dishonest.
 
I don't dislike the twins as much as Elkins does (I'm not betraying 
you, Elkins!), but they have done things that we wouldn't excuse from 
someone else.  Darrin and many others simply abhor Draco and love to 
see him get a comeuppance at any opportunity.  Draco says hateful, 
racist things and plans pranks that backfire.  Fred and George don't 
seems to harbor any prejudices (except against Cedric, I suppose), so 
their motives aren't as clear.  They are in Gryffindor, they are 
excellent athletes, they are confident and they are nice to Harry.  Is 
that why so many people think they are funny and why people are so 
quick to excuse them?

--jenny from ravenclaw, who would also probably dislike Fred and 
George in real life but who would be very sad if either of them died 
in the series 
*****