FUDGE IS A DE!!!!/Stop Making Excuses

[entropymail]

No: HPFGUIDX 79038

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Jim Ferer" <jferer at y...> wrote:
 
> We're not making excuses, but I think you're missing an important
> point that JKR is making.  She's contrasting the evil of cowardice and
> self-interest (Fudge) with the integrity, courage, and leadership of
> Dumbledore and Harry.
> 
> Fudge is an example of what happens when someone who's supposed to be
> in charge sticks his head in the sand 'cuz he likes his cushy job. 
> That's really not better than being a DE; that's the whole point.
> <snip snip snip> 
> I wouldn't say Fudge is as evil as LV; he's not an actively evil
> psychopath.   He's bad enough, though.
> 
> Jim Ferer

I think this is a very important distinction.  There is an active kind
of evil, a "dark" evil, that is just for evil's sake.  That's Voldemort.  

But then there's the egocentric "sin" of self-absorption. I think you
see this to a great extent in characters like Fudge (as well as
Lockhart and, to some extent, Lucius Malfoy). Notice how much emphasis
JKR puts on the flamboyant way these characters dress; Fudge is always
described as wearing some pinstripe-thing or another. That is, their
outward appearance is everything to them -- and prettying up any pesky
little disturbances like immorality or dark wizardry is more important
than actually taking action against them.

There's no question that Fudge is up to something. At the end of GoF,
Harry notices some strange behavior from Fudge beyond the obviously
brazen move of bringing a dementor in with him to see Barty Crouch:
("...and Harry was astonished to see a slight smile dawning on his
[Fudge's]face...Fudge's curious smile lingered...Fudge still had that
strange smile on his face..."). But his actions seem more of a
self-protective sort than an evil one.

My humble opinion

Entropy