I hate Fudge!

[Richard]

No: HPFGUIDX 147650

<gbannister10 at ...> wrote:
> I originally posted this about 7.45 am this morning but its now 
> 2.30 pm and it looks as if Yahoomort has swallowed my message,
> so here goes again.
> 
> Having read your message, something came to mind which has never 
> occurred to me previously.
> 
> There is a curious parallelism between Bellatrix Lestrange and 
> Dolores Umbridge in the way they interact (or fail to interact)
> with young people.
> 
> They both appear to treat them as if they were not any higher than 
> about Year 1 in school and speak to them condescendingly and 
> patronisingly. A couple of canon quotes as examples just to
> support my point:
<snip> 

Richard here:
I had noticed this, but thought that there were quite different 
reasons for the behavior of each.  In the case of Bellatrix, I think 
there is method to her madness.  I think Bellatrix is pathological, 
but not the slightest bit stupid.  She knows that Harry loved his 
godfather, and she intentionally brings it up, speaks to him in a 
belittling manner and such precisely because  she's trying to get 
Harry angry enough to do something rash ... and thus foolish.

On the other hand, I think Umbridge is incapable of seeing those 
students as anything but lesser than herself.  Even if she 
understood students of this age-group, I think she would STILL 
insist upon forcing them to conform to her ideal for their behavior, 
and that includes canned responses, speaking only with a hand up and 
when recognized, etc.  I don't think it would matter to her at all 
if she were speaking to first-years or to seventh-years who were all 
legally adults.  They are all her inferiors and in her charge.


Richard, who loathes Umbridge.