Slytherins (was Re: /Hurt/comfort/Elkins post about Draco

[Steve]

No: HPFGUIDX 156402

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, James Sharman <jamess at ...> wrote:
>
> I do not believe that DD was necessarily supporting the 
> opinion that Slytherin was inherently bad. He was making
> a point about Harrys choices being the significant factor,
> young harry had come to Hogwarts with a lot potential in
> various directions. We must accept that he had potential
> to go down a very dark road (above all else He has an 
> unnatural connection to the Dark Lord). 
> 
>  
> 
> Harry having heard what he had about the house system 
> made his choice. It was not about the actual house 
> choice, it was about Harry deep down insidechoosing 
> the path of good. I believe it was this that DD was 
> commenting on, not the houses.
> 
 
> 
> wynnleaf
> I agree completely. Further, note that the Slytherins
> are almost entirely described in negative physical 
> terms. Most people can't help their degree of physical
> beauty. Since that's mostly true, why arethe Slytherins
> generally described as ugly or very plain, if not to
> basically say, "being Slytherin is bad?"
> 
> Further, remember when DD told Harry that it was his 
> choices that were important? But he said that about 
> Harry begging the Sorting Hat notto put him in Slytherin.
> Yet most kids probably weren't up there on the stool 
> begging to avoid particular houses. DD made it sound, at
> least on the surface, as though being in Slytherin as a 
> bad "choice," rather than simply the decision of the Hat.


bboyminn:

I'm favoring James (jamess) view on this. I think Wynnleaf has
misinterpreted that scene. The point Dumbledore is making is not that
Slytherin is bad, but that Harry has chosen to be selfless rather than
self-serving. He has chosen to serve others rather than serve his own
ambitions of status and wealth. 

Now we are all selfserving and ambitious to some extent, as is Harry,
and that is not a bad thing. This has been pointed out before, that
none of the Slytherin characteristics are bad in and of themselves.

Further, we see a very warped view of Slytherin in only seeing it from
the view of Draco and the people closely associated with him. The
truth is we can't judge /most/ Slytherins because we don't get to see
/most/ Slytherins. 

To the idea that Slytherins are uniformly depicted as 'ugly', in
return I must ask 'By who?'. They are depicted that way by rivals. For
example, when Cedric Diggory was a rival to Gryffindor, he was
depicted as a useless airhead pretty boy. Once Gryffindor got to know
him, and found out he was fair minded, the preception by our
point-of-view and point-of-view influencing characters changed for the
better.

If Harry and friends meet Slytherins who show more positive character
and characteristics, they will probably have a more positive view of them.

Further, most of this is 'schoolboy' rivalry. The negative stereo type
of Slytherin doesn't seem to carry over to the same extent into the
Adult wizard world. Schoolboy rivalries are set aside for more
practical aspects of everyday business life. 

I think the 'schoolboy' aspect is very big when it comes to
influencing our preception. Rival schools always have negative and
dark opinions of each other. Yet, as they grow up, these petty
'schoolboy' rivalries are set aside. I think that will happen in the
Potterverse as well.

Just a few thoughts.
Steve/bboyminn