Evil Slytherins: a generalization?

[nibleswik]

No: HPFGUIDX 84355

"There's not a witch or wizard who went bad who wasn't in 
Slytherin." -Hagrid in PS/SS

Can this be true? I don't think it can. For one thing, Hagrid is 
biased in matters of the houses; for another, he is given to 
hyperbole and often dangerous generalizations.

The obvious example to the contrary is Wormtail. Did JKR ever say 
what house(s) the Marauders were in? I assume they were all in 
Gryffindor, but I suppose this might not be the case. James we know 
to have been in Gryffindor, but what of the others? Pettigrew seems 
entirely unsuited for it. He can be called many things, but brave is 
not one of them. What house best fits him?

And really, why is there this stereotype of evil Slytherins? The 
criteria for being one are cunning and ambition, neither of which 
are inherently evil traits. Why shouldn't Ravenclaw yield just as 
many baddies? A thirst for knowledge could lead a wizard to study 
the Dark Arts, and he could be drawn in. The same is true of 
Hufflepuff and Gryffindor. Hufflepuff is the house of the loyal, 
right? Well, misplaced loyalty could lead someone to follow an evil 
wizard. Loyalty towards a person in need could drive someone to do 
anything, regardless of the moral implications involved, to better 
that person's life. As for Gryffindor, bravery does not equal honor. 
Barty Crouch the younger was quite brave to hide right under the 
nose of the only wizard who ever frightened Voldemort himself, 
wasn't he?

I wonder when Slytherin became associated with evil. And how much 
are the non-Slytherins exacerbating the problem by treating all 
Slytherins as though they're Voldemorts-in-training? Especially the 
sanctimonious Gryffindors! If there's a disproportionate number of 
evil Slytherins, is this due to the expectations of the rest of the 
wizarding world?

I also wonder what parallels JKR may be trying to draw with this. If 
Wormtail was a Gryffindor, is this a warning against thinking evil 
people are easily identifiable monsters -- the Slytherins, as it 
were? That evil can be, and is, among us? What do you think?

Cheekyweebisom