Let's burn down the Houses

[delwynmarch]

No: HPFGUIDX 106878

I, Del, wrote :
> I think it's high time someone takes the decision to burn down the 
> Houses and rebuild a new system based on something arbitrary, like 
> putting the (new !) names of the 4 Houses in that stupid Hat and 
> having the students pick one blindly, for example."

Meidbh answered :
> Hmmm. Homogenise Hogwarts. Whatever would the founders say?

Del replies :
Nope, quite the opposite in fact. It's the Houses as they are now
which are too homogenised. I want to break that homogeneity. The 4
Houses would be much more identical, sure, but inside they would be
ripe with much more differences than they present now.

Meidbh wrote :
> The Houses provide a substitute for the family (these are children 
> after all) and most family members share a certain common view of 
> the world.

Del replies :
I disagree strongly on both points. IMO, the Houses are not supposed
to substitute for the kids' family in any way (where are the parents ?
Are Snape and McGonagall supposed to be substitute parents ?), and
family members can be as diverse as it comes (Percy and the Twins ?)

Meidbh wrote :
> It's probably quite a good idea to put children who are 
> likely to have a lot in common into the same Houses - it is after 
> all their home for most of the year. They should still find more 
> than enough challenges to their worldviews during the years they 
> spend in the school. 

Del replies :
I agree on the concept. But I strongly oppose the way that concept has
been put into practice at Hogwarts. Slytherin House in particular is
simply *wrong*. Those kids are put together *precisely* because they
are prejudiced, attracted to the Dark Arts and/or too consumed by
their ambition to keep it in check. Too many of them were raised in
families that steered them on dark paths, and when they come to
Hogwarts, they are grouped together in a House that will only
encourage them even further on those dark roads. And *yet* they are
nonetheless *expected* to come to the realisation that those paths are
wrong !? On their own, and against everything they've always been
taught !? At the risk of losing their friends and enraging their
families !? I'm sorry, but I call that *cruel* and *irresponsible*. 

Meidbh wrote :
> While the concept of competition between Houses could be seen as old 
> fashioned, the idea of four Houses each with it's own distinct 
> personality is timeless. We all want choice, to be able to choose 
> the philosophy under which we or our children are educated. In the 
> wizarding world there is only one place to go to school in Britain 
> (as far as we know). It is probably a very good thing that within 
> that school there are some choices. Each with its own flavour.

Del replies :
Yes, I understand and I agree with that *in theory*. But when one of
the flavours is Dark Arts, I don't think the choice is healthy. If I
had 4 kids and someone offered them free ice-creams but I was told
than one of the kids *will* end up with an ear wax flavoured
ice-cream, I would simply *refuse* the offer.

Meidbh wrote :
> A far more intersting question is what happens if you enter school 
> with the heart of a Slytherin and then change? Can you then change 
> Houses?

Del replies :
Another question is : why would a Slytherin have a change of heart to
start with ? Take Draco for example : raised in the Dark Arts, and
Sorted in a House that doesn't mind them. Why should he ever come to
realise that he's had it wrong all his life ? Why should he suddenly
start doubting his 3 most important authority figures : his parents
and his Head of House ?

Meidbh wrote :
> It's the Slytherins in life that give Gryffindors the opportunity to 
> be courageous! We need them :-)

Del replies :
Well, that's *precisely* what irks me : it looks exactly as though
Hogwarts was growing those little Slytherin pests just so that the
good Gryffindors (and others) could show up. After all, if Snape and
Draco had been Sorted into Gryffindor instead of Slytherin, they would
most probably not have become as insufferable as they did, and they
wouldn't have been such good arch-enemies to James and Harry, right ?

It stinks. IMO.

Del