Sportsmanship in Harry Potter

[horridporrid03]

No: HPFGUIDX 151779

> >>Betsy Hp:
> > <snip>
> > There's a bit of eating her cake and having it too, I think,    
> > within the school competitions.

> >>bboyminn:
> So, what you are saying is that they are acting exactly like teens 
> all over the world.
> <snip>

Betsy Hp:
Oh, I totally agree that JKR has her kids act like kids, with all 
the judgmentalism and double-standards that that implies.  And we 
may well get it cleared up in book 7 that the Slytherins have never 
actually acted in a more evil or underhanded way than any of the 
other children.  But it's almost stated as a matter of course that 
the Slytherins are low down, rotten cheaters, when in fact, the 
Gryffindor team acts pretty much the same way the Slytherin team 
does.  (Sort of like Draco's mythical bulling.  We never see him 
actually bully anybody.  Certainly no one younger than him.  Unlike, 
say, the twins.)

> >>bboyminn:
> But Harry is the underdog and he does lose, and, to some extent, he
> loses graciously. That's sportsmanship.

Betsy Hp:
Really?!?  When has Harry lost a school competition?  My goodness, 
he even wins an academic contest.  Against Hermione.

> >>bboyminn:
> In GoF, especially with regard to the underwater task under       
> discussion, Harry is well aware that he lost, and he accepts his   
> loss. 
> <snip>

Betsy Hp:
And then all of that good sportsmanship is undercut by the judges 
turning Harry's loss into a win.  There's a saying (I think it's an 
old one): "Take what you want and pay for it."  When it comes to 
school competitions Harry takes what he wants, and he's never had to 
pay for it.  Harry may *think* he's going to have to pay for it.  He 
may even head out the door thinking the transaction is complete.  
But someone (usually Dumbledore) comes running out after him with a 
full refund in hand.

That's not sportsmanship.  That's connections.  Even if Harry didn't 
seek those connections out.  (Actually, Harry *doesn't* seek out the 
little boosts and extras he gets.  They're pretty much all gifted to 
him.  From the best broom in the WW to the special notes from the 
half-blood Prince.)

> >>Magpie:
> <snip>
> Whether or not Harry ever gloats has nothing to do with noticing
> that the author never writes a competition where Harry tries and
> fails.  He's a great guy--and he also has the most points as long a
> he's physically present and awake.
> <snip>

Betsy Hp:
Exactly.  Did anyone really suffer any suspense over whether Harry's 
quidditch team was going to pull off the big win in HBP?  I mean, 
the entire team could have been out with the bubonic plague, leaving 
Filch as their only player, flying with help from a giant crane 
operated by Hagrid, against Victor Krum himself, and Harry *still* 
would have won somehow.  Gosh, even if the points hadn't been 
enough, Mdm. Hooch would probably have given the game to Harry for 
having the "moral fiber" to field a team on game day.

Dumbledore set a rather unfortunate president in PS/SS, IMO.  And 
Harry's been skating through Hogwarts ever since.

> >>kchuplis:
> Here is my lonely take on it: if you showed every student what    
> happened to Harry at the Graveyard  and said, "you can have all   
> kinds of help and a nice broom and be given extra points in games, 
> but you have to go through that or you can skip having to         
> experience that and not get quite so much help" how many students
> would choose to be tortured, cruciated, terrorized, humiliated and 
> have people killed in front of them, (only because they are  who  
> they are) and the person "came with" in order to get help and     
> extras? I'm thinking mmmm....no one would trade for that?

Betsy Hp:
I think this is exactly JKR's thinking.  It's the only explanation 
that makes sense, IMO.  Because Harry is going through so many other 
rather horrific adventures (especially as the books go along) she 
makes his school life a breeze.  I'm not sure I *agree* with the 
direction she took.  For one, it never gives Harry a chance to 
really, really shine.  To show that his graciousness can stand the 
real heat of actually taking a loss.  We never get, I think, a true 
demonstration of Harry's moral fiber.  Which is too bad, because I 
think Harry has it, and it'd be great to see it in action.  

Betsy Hp