Why I hate Hagrid (was: I Hate Snape...)

[darrin_burnett]

No: HPFGUIDX 56379

Jenny,

First, I hate to do this, but I am leaving first thing tomorrow 
morning for a business trip to Minnesota and will be away from a 
computer for several days. 

So...I'll respond to this, but if you want to keep the debate going 
past the morning, can I ask you to e-mail the relevant posts to me? 
It'll make it easier to get ahold of them when I get back and start 
wading through the posts.

(This goes for any topic, by the way, for any of my fellow posters.) 
I'll be back sometime Sunday.

 
> Jenny's Top 10 Reasons to Dislike Hagrid:
> 1. He has a big mouth (leaks information to the Trio that he 
shouldn't have in SS and says way too much to Rita Skeeter in the 
interview he knew he shouldn't have done).

Rita barely quoted him in that interview. She got most of her 
information from skulking around as a beetle during a PRIVATE 
conversation between Hagrid and Madame Maxime. The quotes came from 
her twisting things around.

As for the information in SS, well, he kept trying to discourage 
them, but yeah, he slipped a bit. Let's all HATE him. (Sarcasm -- get 
used to it in this post.) :)

> 2. Clearly breaks wizarding laws (uses magic when with Harry and 
> harbors a baby dragon in SS).

Then we should hate Harry and Ron for going into the Forbidden 
Forest, Harry for sneaking off to Hogsmeade under the cloak, Hermione 
for stealing potion materials from Snape, Draco for well, tons of 
stuff, and Dumbledore for giving them points for doing so.

We must uphold one standard for all, after all.

> 3. Encourages children to be dishonest (asks Harry not to mention 
his use of magic illegally in SS).

I somehow think that didn't set Harry off on his life of rule-
breaking.

> 4. Allows his temper to get the best of him, causing damage to 
others (granted, it is only in relation to Dumbledore, but really, 
did he have to give Dudley a pig's tail?).

All true. And all applicable to Moody and Snape as well. Must hate 
them.

> 5. He's a terrible, horrible, awful, inept teacher - he'd even be 
> fired from the NYC public school system (where I work), and that's 
> quite a feat!

Now, here is where we break down. I freely admit that Hagrid made 
some mistakes in PoA. But there are some things he did that are 
considered mistakes that I do not think are.

Mistake #1: Not inserting a note with the book list to stroke the 
binder of the Biting Books.

Not-a-Mistake #1: Starting with Hippogriffs. The lesson was going 
WELL, until Draco, who had refused to listen to the lesson, screwed 
it up. It was challenging, but hey, isn't that a good thing? 

It was Draco's fault, and only his. Blaming the teacher is what gives 
rise to little brats like Draco in the first place. "My kid couldn't 
have done this!"

Not-a-Mistake #2: Downshifting to flobberworms. A kid got hurt. He 
can hardly be blamed for wanting something easier and safer.

Mistake #2: STICKING with flobberworms the entire year. Yeah, he 
carried it too damn long.  

NOW... to GoF.

The Blast-Ended Skrewts were challenging, but so what? And he didn't 
back off from them. 

And more importantly, he adapted, and guess what, IMPROVED on Grubby-
Plank's lesson. She brought in unicorns that half the class -- the 
boys -- couldn't participate in. Hagrid involved the entire class. 
That makes him better than her in my eyes.

He has grown as a teacher, which is something Snape, Trelawney (my 
vote for worst), haven't done.

> 6. He cries too much (people are going to hate me for that one, but 
a teacher who openly cries in front of the students - that's baaaaad)

There has never been an indication that he favors the Trio in class. 
He obviously cares for them, and has a special bond with Harry. But, 
in class? I think it's tough to find a spot where he gave them first 
preference.

Again, we're talking about someone who knew these people before he 
became a teacher. 

> 7. He drinks when his job seems to keep him on call all the time.

Not his job as a teacher. Maybe his job as a gamekeeper, but not his 
job as a teacher. And there has been no indication that his drinking -
- which has only been out of control the one time in PoA after 
Buckbeak attacked Malfoy -- has affected his teaching.

> 8. He leans too much on the Trio.

Ah, but he has also been instrumental in repairing a rift between the 
Trio. He was the one Hermione leaned on when Harry and Ron wouldn't 
talk to her after she told about the Firebolt and he gave Ron a stern 
and wise lecture about pets. "I'd have thought you value your friend 
more than broomsticks and rats," is an excellent line from a teacher, 
don't you think?


> 9. Puts others in danger (remember Norbert?  He not only allowed 
the Trio to help him with the baby dragon, he also said nothing to 
defend them when they got in trouble or injured as a result.  He also 
sent Ron and Harry straight to the monster spiders).

We don't know that he said nothing to defend them. And he also 
doesn't consider Aragog dangerous. Perhaps that is a problem, but he 
honestly didn't feel he was sending them into danger.

> 10. He has bad taste (remember the horrible hairy suit?  Blech).

Now that's just catty. Snape could wash his hair once in a while too 
and Lupin could buy a new robe once in a while.
 
> So go ahead - let me have it!  Let's get the Great Hagrid Debate up 
> and running again.  Darrin, I'm sure you'll tear me to bits.

Nah... I do agree that Hagrid is still finding his way as a teacher, 
but at least he seems interested enough to try, which is more than 
you can say for Snape.

Darrin
-- The Not-A-Mistakes would be a lousy name for a band