Hermione's rude comment

[severusbook4]

No: HPFGUIDX 74713

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "The Crashing Boar" 
<crashing.boar at n...> wrote:
> From: severusbook4 
>   <<<snip> another thought came to me from something said in 
another thread.  
>   > 
>   > It was suggested that Snape was a racist because of one word 
>   > used when he was being taunted as a teenager (seen in the 
pensieve), 
>   > so perhaps JKR might of been dropping a hint that not 
everything 
>   > said by a teenage student to another is to be taken as a sign 
that 
>   > they are deeply tainted with racist beliefs? >>>>
> 
> 
>        Actually, I think all of you are off base on this one.  
>   <snip> I think her reaction is normal and has nothing to do with 
>   being racist at all, remember she is the first to be singled out 
in 
>   the series as a mudblood, a ancestrial slur against her parents. 
In 
>   this sense she would be the last to condemn someone on their 
species 
>   group.  She just doesn't find him attractive. 'nough said. 
>   -----
> 
>   In the first place, my reply to this post was to the effect that 
a few thoughtless words does *not* make you an out and out racist, 
in the second place, HG doesn't simply state she finds Firenze 
unattractive or uninteresting, she actually labels him as an 
animal.  I really don't think there is any real intent to insult 
behind it, but one of the basic ideas of a racially biased 
philosophy is that 'the(insert racial, religious or ethnic group 
here) are not quiet as well evolved and/or socially developed than 
us'.  
> 
>   I do think that this scene may have been meant to help 
illustrate some of the points raised in other parts of the book, 
like how did Umbridge manage to get so many of her petty, 
restrictive and discriminatory laws passed before she came to 
Hogwarts?  Perhaps the biggest fault with it is that it was too 
subtle.
> 
>   Dawn
> 
> Sorry Dawn I didn't mean to offend.  I was just trying to put her 
responce in the right context.  The girls are speaking of how dreamy 
he is and Hermione's responce was to the fact she didn't find him 
attractive.  And she does seem to have a problem with divination as 
a whole since it is not derived from a solid line of studies, it is 
too much interpretation for Hermione to like.  That is why she is 
not so wild about Firenze, but in the forest she is very respectful 
towards the centaurs, even if her chosen words get twisted around by 
their leader.  Centaurs, if I remember correctly, do not want to be 
aligned with humans but rather to be aligned with beasts, so 
Hermione doesn't find Firenze, a centaur, as someone to be 
romantically attracted to. Or am I the one completely off base on 
this one? If I am, sorry, Hermione is one of my favorite characters 
and I feel compelled to defend her. 
> 
> 
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]