[HPforGrownups] Pansy/ Re: House characteristics

[IreneMikhlin]

No: HPFGUIDX 150646

zgirnius wrote:

> You must have missed the quotes from OotP, when Umbridge was 
> observing Hagrid's class. In it Pansy does not display any 'pureblood 
> supremacist' views, but she certainly plays right along with 
> Umbridge's bigotry against the sentient non-human magical creatures. 
> (Which in my opinion is an equally objectionable form of bigotry, I 
> see no evidence that Olympe Maxime or Hagrid are of sub-normal 
> intelligence or unusually prone to violence). It is at this point 
> public knowledge that Hagrid is half-giant. And Pansy tells Umbridge 
> that she can't understand Hagrid's explanations in class because 
> he 'grunts'. I'd say this is displaying a form of bigotry.
> Or exploiting it, at any rate, which I find equally objectionable.
> 

But Hermione is as prejudiced against Firenze as Pansy is against 
Hagrid! We can't use it to compare the two girls in Hermione's favour.

I'm not saying that Pansy is a sweet little girl. Rowling has all the 
insider information, and if she says Pansy is a nasty piece of work, she 
must have her reasons. But it's not coming across in the books.

And anyway, about the whole "let's get Hagrid fired" campaign - do we 
honestly think that if it wasn't Umbridge inspecting Hogwarts, but, say, 
Lupinlore or Eggplant - Harry and the friends wouldn't use their chance 
to get Snape fired? :-)

I know JKR considers disliking one of her favourite characters to be a 
crime, after all the only reason Zacharia Smith is "eeeevil" is not 
being a fan of Harry's, but I think a Hogwarts student can have 
legitimate reasons for disliking Hagrid and wanting him out.

Irene