Pureblood Pretenders and Sorting Hat Was (Re: Motivations for Joining DEs )

[zgirnius]

No: HPFGUIDX 140980

> Elyse:  
> But as you say, if students were sorted according to their 
> personality, then pro-pureblood views would have emphasised the 
> ideology of the student under the sorting hat. If so then it 
depends 
> on which founder's basic philosophy and world view the student 
> agreed with that mattered, more so than the students' individual 
> qualities like cunning, cleverness etc.

zgirnius:
It makes more sense to me this way. Would you really want to be the 
poor Hat if you had to decide whether Hermione Granger's defining 
innate ability is courage, cunning, cleverness, or hard work? While 
she appears to have all 4 in spades, she values courage the most 
highly.

Elyse:
> But if this is so, why is it such a big deal for Ravenclaw
> students to be intelligent,and Gryffindors to be brave?

zgirnius:
Well, if the Hat matches people to the House which their 
values/personality fit best, they would want to bee seen as fitting 
that House. Ravenclaws value intelligence, they would hope others 
would see tham as intelligent (for example). 

Elyse:
> And if our choices determine which house we are sorted into, cant 
we 
> change these choices? Cant a Slytherin take the high road? Or a 
> Hufflepuff choose laziness, or a Gryffindor choose cowardice?

zgirnius:
Once you're Sorted, you're Sorted, but this does not (apparently) 
mean you are rendered incapable of actions contrary to the image of 
your House. (Peter Pettigrew, Gryffindor, anyone?) 

> Elyse
> who is thoroughly confused about the function of the Sorting Hat by 
> now and thinks that the House system may not be such a good idea 
> after all

zgirnius:
Hear, hear! Confusion, bad idea, all that. I agree!