Draco and Sirius (was Re: Apologies and responsibility)

[rlai1977]

No: HPFGUIDX 139243

- Lady Indigo said:

> And while we're at it, and just so I'm talking about more than one
thing on 
> this list, let's brush on this with a slightly less loaded character:
> I don't like Draco at all. I think he's a one-dimensional pampered
bragging 
> brat and I make no allowances for his behavior save that prejudices can 
> sometimes get passed on from the parents before kids even know the 
> implications - but Sirius shows that this doesn't have to happen and
it can 
> definitely come down to just strength of character, which Malfoy
doesn't 
> have.


Snape is one of my favorite character, and Sirius I began to like a
lot post-OOTP, so the fact that I am writing this at all is an
indication of how much I disagree with you.

Firstly, prejudices not only can 'sometimes', but 'very bloody often'
get passed on from parents to their children. The kid almost have no
chance at all to form an opinion that goes against that of their
parents before he or she has become old enough to think independently,
or to have been exposed to other opinions from sources they *have
reasons to trust*, *especially*, when the kid loves his parents/has a
good relationship with them.

Have we *any* evidence from canon that Sirius ever had a pleasant
relationship with his family, supposedly before he came to the
conclusion they were all muggle-born-hating racists and thusly
unlikeable? Wasn't it much more logical and easy for a kid to reject
values that the parents he doesn't like hold? And don't forget Sirius
was sorted into Gryffindor, and whatever he and James bonded over
(maybe the fact they were both the risk-loving sort), it required no
"strength of character" to take on the values and beliefs a person you
like holds.

Then we come to Snape, who some people cut a much fatter slack for
than they are willing for Draco because unlike materially-spoilt
Malfoy, Snape had an unhappy home life and was bullied at school. I
don't know where he got his blood prejudice from, but I just don't see
how just because his life has had a much poorer childhood his
prejudice was more forgivable than that of Draco. Do you suspect the
mudblood slur was somehow beaten into his system? That he was punished
 whenever he voiced doubt about the blood inferiority belief? As for
his turning into a bully while he himself was a victim of abused power
as a kid, I find it a great weakness of his (like Draco's lack of
independent thinking), for instead of fighting to NOT become people
who have done him injustice, he chose to become similar to them- just
with different victims.

RP