Sportsmanship/legitimacy

[cubfanbudwoman]

No: HPFGUIDX 151994

a_svirn:
> > And what *is* the big picture in question? Does it feature 
> > Dumbledore devising a task that can result in death of four 
> > children, should champions prove to be too slow in saving them? 
 
Pippin:
> I see my old friend the excluded middle has raised its bifurcated
> head. When I go to pick up my child from school, I am not showing
> callous disregard for their safety by not picking up the other 
> children, neither am I unaware that they might be in trouble
> if they aren't picked up. What I am doing is assuming that if there
> is a problem with one of the other children, someone else will be
> available to deal with it. That is a reasonable assumption in 
> civilized times, and it is the one which Krum and Diggory make, IMO.


SSSusan:
YES. This is sort of how I'm thinking of it, too, Pippin.  

ASSUMPTIONS are such a big part of all of this, and we, alas, can't 
be certain what those assumptions were for each champion.  Certainly, 
what Pippin's said here about "reasonable assumptions in civilized 
times" seems... well... reasonable. <g>  We do also have a few clues, 
such as Fleur's "hysterical" reaction (she clearly assumed the 
hostages were in real danger).  

As for Cedric, I keep thinking back to the canon Alla provided in 
151976, and I think it points to a what I think is a very important 
assumption that Cedric made:

"Got lost!" he [Cedric] mouthed, looking panic stricken. "Fleur and 
Krum coming now" - GoF, p.300.


SSSusan again:
To me it's not an issue of Cedric not *caring* about the other 
hostages; it's that he thought they were all *taken care of!*  If 
Harry's already there, and if Cedric saw Fleur & Krum coming, then in 
Cedric's mind, when/if the question of everyone's safety even popped 
up, the answer would have been:  all hostages' rescues are imminent.

True, Fleur ended up *not* making it, and true, Harry looked at it 
all differently than Cedric did from the start, but at that moment, 
Cedric believed everyone's rescuer was on his/her way.  With that 
assumption, why NOT just grab Cho and go?  Harry's got Ron... Fluer & 
Krum are on their way... he's got Cho... it's all good!  

Was that not reasonable??

Now as to why Harry saw things differently, Pippin said:
> But Harry has never known civilized times. He has suffered 
> grievously from the assumption that if there is anything wrong 
> someone else will take care of it, and he does not make that 
> assumption himself.

SSSusan:
Yes, this *does* differentiate Harry from Cedric and Krum.  Does it 
also mean that Cedric & Krum were "wrong" or monsters or displayed 
behavior on a par with Voldemort's if they didn't see things this 
way?  No, it doesn't, imo.  I think it's simply that the others: 
1) somehow knew there was no real danger; OR
2) assumed (these being "civilized times") that the "overseers" had 
some magical means of bringing the hostages to the surface if they 
weren't rescued at the end of the hour; OR
3) as I'm proposing here for Cedric (don't know if it'd fit Krum), 
that they had *reason* to believe all hostages were being taken care 
of.

Just my two knuts.
Siriusly Snapey Susan