Is Vernon so Bad?

[greatelderone]

No: HPFGUIDX 92883

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Christopher Nuttall" 
<christophernuttall at h...> wrote:
> -Vernon provides an excellent and above-average standard of living 
>for his family and even provides Harry with enough food to live.  
>That is a better achievement than most families do in this day and 
>age.

Most families also don't abuse the children put under their care.
And he underfed Harry while feeding his son until he became fat and 
obese.

> -Vernon is a caring parent who only wants the best for his son.  
>Now, to some extent Dudley has been spoiled, but in OOP, he has 
>improved himself enormously.  Vernon was right when he said 
>that 'Smeltings' would be the making of him, although this was 
>partly against the wishes of his mother, who insisted that he was 
>only 'big-boned'.  

Improved enormously? What? You realize that Dudley is on the road 
towards becoming a criminal and a petty thug from the looks of it due 
to their spoiling of the child? In fact I won't be suprised if he 
gets carted off to St. Brutus's in one of the next books.

> -Vernon is concerned enough about his family that he is willing to 
>throw Harry out on the street (which would offer the chance of 
>punishment, whether Muggle child protection services, or 
>Dumbledore), in order that Voldemort might look for him elsewhere 
>and ignore the merely Muggle Dursleys'.  He must know (from Lily and 
>James' deaths if nothing else) that the wizarding world can kill.

Wow that really shows you how great he is. He throws out a kid who he 
has treated like crap for the last 14 years when the first signs of 
danger comes his way.
 
> Yes, Vernon treats Harry in a dreadful manner, but is that not     
> understandable?  Harry represents a clear and present danger to his 
> family - like standing next to an unexploded bomb - both by        
> attracting attention from Voldemort and by acts of underage,        
> uncontrolled, magic. 

Thats still no excuse for mistreating him especially since the child 
himself doesn't have any control over what he can or can't do.

>Further, Harry is not directly related to Vernon, stronger men than 
> he would be unhappy about providing for such a child.  Its         
> not 'right', but it is understandable.  

Stronger men? Stronger men would have taken Harry in and treated him 
like his own son seeing how the kid had no parents and was overall 
better than Dudley as an infant.

The fact that Vernon pretty much treated Harry like dirt and mentally 
abused a child put under his care after his parents died just tells 
you how bad he is. 

Seems like you need more work to become a devil's advocate. :)