Scapegoating Slytherin (was:Punishing Draco )

[Jen Reese]

No: HPFGUIDX 144113

> Potioncat:
> But we have JKR saying that all four houses are important; that
> not every Slytherin is bad; that there are DE children in other
> Houses. To use an example from my RL, (and a point that gets made
> here from time to time) while most KKK members came from the
> South, not every Southerner supported the KKK. So if the four
> Houses of Hogwarts had been determined by which section of the US
> the child came from, the Dixie House might produce more....oh, you
> get my point.

Jen: JKR said it would be 'too brutal for words' if all the children 
in Slytherin were like Draco/Crabbe/Goyle etc. and I believe she's 
not pursuing that line. We also know that not all people sorted into 
Slytherin are pure-blood, and DE's come from all the houses. So the 
pure-blood prejudice which does exist in the WW is not solely a 
Slytherin house issue.

There's a possibility we will get backstory about Grindelwald from 
Gryffindor, who split the WW back in his time for some reason other 
than blood prejudice, and we will have an 'aha' moment. Suddenly the 
story will be about how any characteristic tied with power can cause 
prejudice and dissension. We'll realize Slytherin tainted his house 
with the COS, and Voldemort is the current incarnation of that, but 
the other houses have been painted with the same brush across the 
centuries. Maybe the real story is about how generations of magical 
people were doomed to repeat history because no one listened to 
Binns or his equally boring predecessors! 

I really don't think the end message will be about Slytherin house 
or even blood prejudice, but how splitting off parts of ourselves or 
society provides fertile soul where evil can grow. Voldemort 
splitting off his compassion and love, then his heritage and name, 
and finally literally splitting off his soul would be the most 
extreme example. Then we see more incomplete forms of splitting like 
house-elf slavery or werewolf segregation in the community, or Harry 
splitting off his Slytherin characteristics in the individual. The 
houses will merely become another example of the theme. 

Potioncat:
> I think we are taking JKR's plan a little too far, or rather
> working it out too deeply. 

Jen: Erm, no, analyzing too deeply doesn't happen around here, does 
it? ;)

> Potioncat:
> Yes, I think racism is an issue in the book, and an important one. 
> And a "me too" to whomever pointed out that DD berated Fudge about
> it. And, as I only like two Slytherins in the book (two known
> Slytherins) I don't know how I ended up supporting the House so
> often!

Jen: It was Nora, for the record, as "we all like appreciation for 
our own hard work." I do, anyway.

Not speaking for you, but I support Slytherin house because they are 
kids. No matter his flaws, Dumbledore refused to split off people 
and societal institutions with undesirable characteristics until 
such point they proved incapable of change. The story outlines the 
tragic results of a person who could *not* change for many reasons, 
but there have surely been other children, Slytherins included, who 
entered Hogwarts under Dumbledore's watch and decided to reject the 
pure-blood superiority philosophy. They just don't make as 
intersting of a story <g>.

Jen
"Do you think we're going to have to go into the lake?" 
"Into it? Only if we are very unfortunate."