Discriminatory admissions process (Re: OOP: Sorting hat's song)

[Milz]

No: HPFGUIDX 63301

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "darrin_burnett" 
<bard7696 at a...> wrote:
> Milz:
>  
> > The three had definite ideas on what kind of student Hogwarts 
> should admit.
> 
> No, SLYTHERIN only wanted to admit purebloods. The rest were 
willing 
> to admit others, but then set categories for their houses.
> 

Yes, so you agree with me. They each had a definite idea of 
the "kind" of student they wanted in Hogwarts and had an exclusionary 
policies.

> There is no evidence that Rowena Ravenclaw, for instance, wanted to 
> kick Hufflepuff kids out of school. She just had certain qualities 
> she was looking for, not unlike a master seeking an apprentice.
> 
> Rowena and Godric and Salazar grabbed the kids they wanted to bear 
> their name and Helga took the rest. But there is no evidence that 
> Godric and Rowena wanted to kick the Hufflepuff kids out of 
Hogwarts 
> entirely.
> 
> Helga didn't set any standards. I suppose that does give her a leg 
up 
> morally, perhaps.
> 
> But it's still a long, and I believe inaccurate, leap from that 
> to "Gryff, Slyth and Ravenclaw wanted to kick them all out." Slyth 
> probably wouldn't have had a problem with a pureblood Ravenclaw, 
for 
> instance.
> 

I never said in my post The 3 "wanted to kick them all out": you're 
mis-quoting me. I said they had definite ideas about the kind of 
student Hogwarts should teach: Slytherin the "pure bloods", 
Gryffindor the "brave" and Ravenclaw the "intelligent".

I'm not going to reproduce the Sorting Hat song here. But Notice the 
pronoun The 3 use, "We". I interpret that as The 3 had ideas on the 
type of student Hogwarts should admit. According to the Sorting Hat, 
that difference was settled because each founder set up their own 
house and admitted their ideal kind of student.  UNTIL "several 
years" later, a power struggle came about and the 4 Founders began 
fighting among themselves. Quoting the Sorting Hat: 

"The House that, like pillars four, had once held up our school. Now 
turned upon each other and divided, sought to rule. And for a while 
it seemed the school must meet an early end, what with dueling and 
with fighting and the clash of friend on friend". The Sorting Hat 
goes on to say that the fighting only ceased when Slytherin left.

> Those kids all got their Hogwarts letters. The 
only "discrimination" 
> is in where they'd live once they got there. It was Slyth, and no 
one 
> else, who wanted to stop certain kids from getting those letters.
>

I have my doubts about that. The Sorting Hat specifically says in 
that Ravenclaw, Slytherin, and Gryffindor had an specific type of 
student in mind for Hogwarts. Quoting the Hat: 

"Together we will build and teach.....Said Slytherin,"We'll teach 
just those whose ancestry is purest. Said Ravenclaw, "We'll teach 
those whose intelligence is surest. Said Gryffindor. "We'll teach all 
those with brave deeds to their name. Said Hufflepuff, "I'll teach 
the lot and treat them just the same."

That sure looks like The 3 wanted only specific children gracing the 
halls of Hogwarts to me and it was "solved" by the formation of 4 
distinct Houses.

Quoting the Hat again:

"For instance, Slytherin took only pure-blood wizards...And only 
those of sharpest mind were taught by Ravenclaw.....while the bravest 
and the boldest went to daring Gryffindor....Good Hufflepuff, she 
took the rest and taught them all she knew."

Why would Ravenclaw "only" teach the smart kids, if she didn't have 
an exclusionary vision of Hogwarts? Ditto for Gryffindor.
 
> -- Elitist snobs? We're talking Godric Gryffindor here!

The one thing about elitist snobbery is that it doesn't discriminate.

~Milz