No more "Voldie" nickname?

[lauren_silverwolf]

No: HPFGUIDX 98704

Geoff Bannister wrote:

> In the late 18th/early 19th century, Napoleon who, at that time 
> occupied most of Western Europe, was known to us as "Boney" and it 
> was quite common in the late 1940s/early 1950s to see Stalin being 
> referred to as "Uncle Joe" and these weren't meant as plaudits.

And indeed, more recently, the use of "Comical Ali"?

I think we are meant to take these comments as tongue-in-cheek. All 
throughout the series there are examples of where words could be 
taken differently, if it were not for the context. For instance - 
right at the very start of Philosopher's Stone:

..."in fact, Mrs Dursley pretended she didn't have a sister, because 
her sister and her good-for-nothing husband were as unDursleyish as 
it was possible to be"...

It's already clear, from the previous unflattering descriptions of 
the Dursleys, even halfway down the very first page of the very first 
book, that we're not meant to be sympathetic towards their viewpoint, 
and to already question whether James is truly a "good-for-nothing".

With such examples as this, in addition to witnessing her previous 
use of names such as "Lord Thingy" and "Voldything", I firmly believe 
believe that it was meant ironically, and she meant us to appreciate 
the knowing humour in her website comments.

Perhaps it's reactions to the use of irony in humour that are 
different on both sides of the pond, as opposed to name calling?