Passwords (was Re: Does Snape hate muggleborns?)

[gingersnape1966 <gingersnape1966@yahoo.com>]

No: HPFGUIDX 51329

Becky wrote: 
> Well, there is one indirect piece of evidence that Snape does not 
appreciate "muggle borns" very much.  Remember when they went into 
the Slytherin common room to find out if Malfoy was the one opening 
the Chamber of Secrets?  Well, the password was "Truebloods."  This 
certainly has anti-muggle connotations and since Snape is the head of 
the house I cannot believe they would have passwords that he would 
object to.   
> 
Me:  My book says "Pureblood".  May be a translational thing, but 
same meaning.

We are not directly told how the passwords are made, but in PoA, 
Neville makes Sir Cadogan give him all the passwords he was going to 
do that week.  It also says that Cadogan "spent half his time 
challenging people to duels, and the rest thinking up ridiculously 
complicated passwords, which he changed at least twice a day."  It 
would seem that the portraits themselves come up with the passwords, 
but that the head of the house knows them (McGonagall got in twice 
when she needed to).  

As for "pureblood", it would seem odd that a potentially offensive 
word or phrase would be used if it would offend anyone in that 
house.  Not that purebood is in itself offensive, it is merely a 
description.  But in context of a password, it would be like 
Gryffindor using "white people" when we know of 3 blacks in 
Gryffindor.  Not that there's anything wrong or offensive with being 
white (or any colour, for that matter), just that it would be a slap 
in the face to those who weren't by making them say it to gain access 
to their own room, implying that they didn't belong there. 
 
In that context, can we assume that the bigotry, or at least the 
makeup, of Slytherin house is pureblood?  Surely, someone would have 
spoken up had it offended them, or they would have had a private 
conversation with either Snape or the "bare, damp patch of stone 
wall" to which Draco spoke the password (would be like talking to a 
wall in either case)and it would have been changed.  Or maybe Snape 
allowed it to keep his cover.

Thoughts?

Ginger