Problem with OotP? (was: Pampering)

[Hannah]

No: HPFGUIDX 118899


> Renee wrote:
> "In a fairy tale you can have a bunch of easily identifiable, no-
good
>  kids who show their true colours at the age of eleven. In a more 
> realistic story, an element like this is somewhat disturbing; it
> smacks of predestination. Nor can it be countered by having one or 
two
> 'good' Slytherin students - unless these can act successfully as
> advocates of the true values of their house (as opposed to all the
> Pureblood nonsense) and effect a change in attitude towards their
> house in general. Maybe that's what the Sorting Hat's new song is
> pointing to. I do hope Book 6 will undermine the idea that one out 
of
> four kids chooses to be a potential terrorist at the age of 11."
> 
> Del replied :
> I completely agree.
> 
> I was particularly dismayed in OoP when not a single Slytherin 
became
> a DA. That points only to 2 possibilities as far as I can see :
> 
> - Students from Gryffindor, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff don't 
associate
> with the Slytherins. Or at least, those students that became DA 
don't
> associate with Slytherins.
> 
> - Some of the DA associate with some Slytherins but those DA 
members
> didn't deem those Slytherins trustworthy enough to tell them about 
the DA.
> 
> In either case, it implies that Slytherin is indeed an evil House 
out
> of which no good can come. Needless to say, I don't like it. And I
> REALLY hope a good Slytherin will integrate Harry's circle in HBP 
(not
> necessarily the inner circle -the Group of 6-, but the DA for 
example).

Hannah: Yes, and add to that the 'evil' Inquisitorial Squad seems to 
be made up entirely of Slytherins.  Why?  Is it because their 
reputation preceded them, and Umbridge chose just Slytherins out of 
the old fashioned house prejudice no doubt instilled into her as a 
child at the school?  Or was it because the only 'nasty' students in 
the school happened to be in Slytherin?  

The IQ irritated me for that very reason - did we really need 
another vehicle for showing Slytherins in the worst possible light?  
Why not have a Hufflepuff loyal to Umbridge, a Gryffindor who could 
bravely tackle anti-Umbridge trouble makers, or a Ravenclaw to 
cleverly think up ways of stopping students reading the Quibbler?  
By having only Slytherins side with Umbridge, it's the same 
bad=Slyhterin formula that some of us are starting to get fed up 
with.  

I also agree with Renee that I hope the 'good' Slytherin isn't just 
an exception to prove the rule, and that there isn't just the one, 
token nice student.  It's time that we were shown what it is about 
Slytherin house that has justified its existence over the past 1000 
years.

Hannah