The good Slytherin

[horridporrid03]

No: HPFGUIDX 131388

>>Alla:
<snip>
>I would absolutely agree that for plot purposes Harry and us, 
readers, do not see good Slytherin, but I think that those 
Slytherins which Harry already SAW are evaluated quite objectively, 
be it Harry POV or not.<

Betsy Hp:
Yes, but what Slytherins have we seen?  Other than Draco and Pansy 
have we heard any of the Slytherins of Harry's class say one word?  
Has Pansy said anything that implies a blood bias?  Has any 
Slytherin said anything that implies a blood bias?  IIRC the *only* 
Slytherin we hear saying anything about blood purity is Draco, and 
we've been clearly shown, IMO, that Draco learnt all of his bias at 
his father's knee.  (I'm not including Death Eaters in this because 
it seems like a blood bias is a prerequisite to joining up.)

So yes, we've evaluated what Draco has said objectively, and it's 
certainly a bad ideology -- but do we know for sure that it's a 
specifically *Slytherin* ideology?  Do we know for sure that it's 
the *defining* ideology of Slytherin? I would submit that we know 
neither of those things, because Harry doesn't really know *any* 
Slytherin at all.

>>Alla: 
>I mean, we primarily saw  Draco and his chronies as representatives 
of Slytherins, right?<

Betsy Hp:
We see Draco and friends as *members* of Slytherin, but when Draco 
(who again, is I believe the only Slytherin we've heard spouting on 
about blood bias) says what he says is he really speaking for his 
entire house?  Do Slytherins strike you as the sort of people to 
elect a twelve year old (the age Draco really starts to let loose 
his venom) to be their house representative?

>>Alla: 
<snip>
>So, yes, I think what Harry saw in Slytherin House he evaluates 
quite objectively.<

Betsy Hp:
But what has Harry seen of Slytherin house?  Nothing, really.  He 
barely knows the names of his Slytherin class-mates.  (Pansy 
apparently has a whole circle of Slytherin girls she runs with and I 
don't think we know a single name.)  The Slytherin he *does* know 
sort of is Draco.  And he judges the entire house on him.  Not very 
fair to my mind, and not really all that objective.

>>Alla:
<snip>
>Look, regardless of who would be describing Draco's 
spitting "Mudblood" at Hermione, be it  McGonagall, Hagrid, Harry, 
or Snape, it would be quite enough  for me to  think that 
Slytherin's ideas  equal "BAD" ideas.<

Betsy Hp:
But how do you know that Draco's ideas are supported and encouraged 
by Slytherin?  Again, we have more evidence that Draco's bias has 
been taught to him by his family than his house.  We've heard Lucius 
Malfoy tell his son that he should be ashamed of being beaten by a 
muggle-born.  We've never seen a Slytherin prefect or Snape telling 
Draco that muggle-borns are bad.  So why should we assume that 
Draco's ideas come from his house?

>>Alla: 
>It may be unfair to think of the whole house when I only hear 
Draco, but again, I have not met other Slytherins yet, not really.<

Betsy Hp:
Exactly!  It's just as fair to judge Slytherin solely by Draco's 
actions as it is to judge Gryffindor soley by, for example, how we 
saw Percy acting in OotP, or by Hermione's actions with regards to 
the Hogwarts house-elves (trying to trick them into their freedom).

>>Alla:
<snip> 
>And believe me, I had absolutely no negative feelings towards 
either Ravenclaws in general or Hufflepuffs in general before we met 
Luna or Cedric.
>Slytherin House pretty much stood up to me as house of racists, 
fascists, antisemits ( pick any RL equivalent you want).<
<snip>

Betsy Hp:
Because *Harry* never had any negative thoughts towards Ravenclaw 
and Hufflepuff, except to think both houses rather spiritless and 
boring.  But he did and does have huge negative thoughts towards 
Slytherin.  And Draco fulfilled his worst imaginations.  But since 
Draco *is* Slytherin to Harry, no other view point stood a chance.  
And as such, we've not heard from a single other Slytherin *except* 
for Draco.  And it's a bit much to judge an entire house based on 
one member, IMO. 

Betsy Hp