[HPforGrownups] Re: House points and Dumbledore

[Scott Northrup]

No: HPFGUIDX 51193


Maria:
> I was really sorry for Slytherin at the end of PS. Not only did they lose
in such a "humiliating" way, but even more - >*everybody* is incredibly
happy to see Slytherin lose. I don't think anyone deserves that.

Me:

Sorry, I'm in rapid fire post mode I think.

Anyway, did anyone stop to contemplate that there was a very good reason
that everyone /wants/ to see Slytherin lose?  I mean, if Hufflepuff had won
the house cup seven years in a row (btw, did anyone check to see if that
seven was right?  I know that Slytherin won the quidditch cup for seven
years running, but I can't recall if it was seven for the house cup as
well), would anyone have cared?  I'm sure people wouldn't have been unhappy
to see somebody else win it, but would the degree of exaltation been the
same?  We have no way of knowing for sure, but somehow I doubt it.  If
Slytherin was composed of students who were all great guys/girls and
gracious winners, would anyone have given they're right arm to see Slytherin
lose?  I doubt it.

And before you say that I'm stereotyping Slytherin, let's have a look at all
of the Slytherins, past and present, who have been introduced into the
series.  I'll categourize them as "Jerks" and "Not Jerks."

Jerks: Draco Malfoy, Lucius Malfoy, Crabbe, Goyle, Pansy Parkinson, Marcus
Flint (really anyone on the Slytherin Quidditch Team), Millicent Bullstrode,
Severus Snape, VOLDEMORT.

Not Jerks: ...

Now, I have a selective memory, so if I've forgotten anyone who we know was
in Slytherin (canon only! not your weak marauder fantasies!), who can be
construed as "Not Jerk" in anyway, please call me on it.

Okay, now, I'm not totally against there being a Not Jerk Slytherin.  I'm
sure that out of all of them, there may be several who are not jerks.
Clearly however, they are a minority.  I truly believe that if JKR had
wanted us to know that there were a large majority of Slytherins who weren't
jerks, she would have at LEAST introduced us to one Slytherin who was not a
jerk.

Note, I'm not saying jerk == evil.  Obviously, Snape fights the good fight,
but he's still obviously a composite of every a**hole that JKR has ever had
the pleasure of meeting (especially the subset of teachers), which indicates
that not everyone can be Gandalf, Aragorn, or Samwise.

-Scott

PS A lot of the posts defending Snape (and Draco) over the past few days
have piqued my curiosity.  Snape-defenders: do you stick up for Wormtongue
and other slimy folks in literature in movies?  Do you say to your friends
"Grima was a good guy! He just hung around with the wrong crowd!"