Who is the adult (Was: Who's to blame for Occlumency?)

[dumbledore11214]

No: HPFGUIDX 100797

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "darrin_burnett" 
<bard7696 at a...> wrote:
> > 
> > 
> > Alla previously:
> > 
> > 
> > Darrin, I love your posts, especially because I agree with the 
> > majority of the points you make, but I want to ask you the same 
> > question, I asked another poster earlier.
> > 
> > 
> > Why, why, why do you find the hatred of Harry Potter to be 
> disturbing?I am genuinely curious.
> > 
> > If poster states that he/she loves/hates the character to me it 
> says absolutely nothing about the poster except his/her literary 
> > preferences.
> > 
> > Just as much I am entitled to scream till my face is blue how 
much 
> I 
> > hate what Snape does to the children he teaches, people who hate 
> > Harry entitled to do the same. :o)
> > 
> > Why is it disturbing?
> 
>

Darrin: 
> I really do wonder about people who find such fault with Harry, who 
> seem to speak of Harry with such disdain, who adore everything 
about 
> Snape and sometimes, the other Slytherins - (Please note that I am 
> not applying all of this to this particular poster - I simply have 
> not read enough of his/her thoughts to know) 
> 
> It makes me wonder what they get out of the books, if they are 
> cheering for the bad guys.
> 
> And this gives me the chance to post one of my other moderately 
> infamous rants, which my young friend Talia Dawn will remember.
> 
> The Slytherins ARE the bad guys.
> 
> They aren't the underdogs. They aren't misunderstood. They aren't 
> just waiting for a big old hug from some goth teen to redeem them.
> 
> They are thinly veiled cariactures of Nazis and KKK and Hitler 
Youth 
> rolled into one.
> 
> I'm sure there are those who would find fault with me saying this, 
> but the books are titled "Harry Potter and..."
> 
> Not "Draco Malfoy and..." Or "Severus Snape and..."
> 
> So maybe I give Harry more slack than other characters. Not only 
> because he has gone through more grief at a younger age than any 
> other character -- I'll grant that Snape was bullied in school, but 
> did he have to fend off a version of V-Mort four times in five 
> years? -- but because at the core, he's the guy to root for.
> 
> Darrin


Oooo, I understand now. Well, here is where we differ. I 100% agree 
with you that Slyhterins ARE the bad guys,. but to me it is perfectly 
normal to root for the villains in the book.


Now, please don't get me wrong. If person tells me that he/she likes 
Slytherin house in general or Draco Malfoy in particular, I 
understand that. It is entertainment. Villains can be liked for 
entertainment value. If the person tells me that he/she shares 
Slytherin values AS APPLIED TO REAL LIFE (and yes, I believe that 
Rowling had very real life things in mind, when she wrote about 
Slytherin pureblooded bigotry), than the best reaction that the said 
person can expect from me is that I will stop associating myself with 
th at person completely.

Yes, Slyhterin values are the caricature of all the worst traits 
possible - racism, antisemitism, etc. 


But to me it is still has nothing to do with our real life values.


I adore Harry, I will jump to defend him quite often and will 
continue doing so, but he is just as fictional as all other 
characters and I think that people are entitled to hate him. :o)


Alla