Defending Percy ( was Percy Weasley )

[anthyroserain]

No: HPFGUIDX 105022

Pam:

> > I see Percy as imperfect, and not without strengths--not evil, but 
> > having very befuddled values. 

Del:

> In fact, Percy does *not* have befuddled values at all, quite the
> contrary ! He's got very clear values, and he sticks to them very
> stricly. And they are not even bad values : he believes that hard work
> brings success and that you should respect those in power. What's
> wrong with that ??
> Not to mention that he's always been reinforced in his beliefs by
> everyone that counted. He was a model student and got only praises for
> that : his parents were proud of him and DD made him Head Boy. How
> could he figure that there might be something wrong with hard-working
> ambition ? (I want to emphasize the fact that Percy associates success
> with hard work, at least for himself. He doesn't try to find himself a
> big friend, unlike Peter Pettigrew, he works to achieve his goals.) 
> 
> So what's wrong with Percy ? I'm not sure but I'd say he's horribly
> insecure. Too insecure to dare and change his own rules and risk his
> identity. Sticking to his values has always worked before, so he can
> surely rely on them again, right ? Well, wrong, but how could he see
> it ? After all, he's asked to believe Harry with no proof whatsoever,
> and in the process, to risk what he's worked for all his life : his job.


Katie:

I should preface this by saying that I'm probably quite biased. I 
dislike Percy probably more than any other "good" character in the 
books. (The reasons for this are detailed below.)

I see JKR setting Percy up as the classic "collaborator" figure- 
someone who will follow the rules and try to please those in 
authority even when it becomes obvious that the rules are wrong. I 
think Percy is highly intelligent but doesn't have an advanced grasp 
of morality. (For what it's worth, I think Percy could be said to be 
stuck in the "conventional" stages of Kohlberg's model... but I'm 
sure y'all don't want to hear any more HP psychoanalysis from me ;))

There's nothing inherently wrong with respecting those in power.
It is, however, VERY important to realize when those in power are 
corrupt or acting from the wrong motives. I don't think Percy 
understands this. Even if Fudge were ousted, I think Percy would 
rationalize this, severing his loyalties to Fudge and clinging to 
the Ministry's decisions. I don't see him losing reverence for the 
MOM's policies unless it threatened someone he deeply loved. If we 
do see a Percy-turnaround later on, I'd bet it would be preceded by 
the Weasleys being in serious trouble, probably even by the death of 
a Weasley.

So, where do I get this in canon? Well, particularly from Percy's 
letter to Ron. I get a real "don't rock the boat" vibe from Percy's 
advice, and he seems far more concerned about the possibilities of 
Ron's future career than the morality of the situation. In fact, he 
doesn't really even seem to consider the moral implications of what 
he is saying.

I think the Percys of this world are much more dangerous than the 
Siriuses (Sirii? ;)) Percy (and those like him) seems to be 
extremely productive and admirable when his source of authority is 
positive, but when that authority is negative, he can't recognize 
the difference and will continue to rationalize "official" decisions 
until something severe happens.

-Katie