Danger in designating an "Other" / Bad magic (wasRe: Deathly Hallows Reactio...)

[houyhnhnm102]

No: HPFGUIDX 174388

Sean:

> I don't think that choosing Slytherin is the same 
> as choosing evil or that Slytherin itself is a racist 
> ideology. I am disappointed that Slytherins weren't 
> shown united with the other houses at the Battle of 
> Hogwarts which would have continued the theme of 
> unity that was emphasized in the previous books. 
> I was especially disappointed because I greatly 
> enjoy reading the various Slytherin redemption 
> fanfics on the web.  Rowling does not give very 
> many detail about why Slytherin opposed the admission 
> of Muggleborns and why he left Hogwarts. The 
> pureblood supremacy ideology of Voldemort and 
> his Death Eaters may have been a distortion of 
> Slytherin's teachings. Here is a link to an essay 
> from this website where the author speculates on 
> Salazar Slytherin.

houyhnhnm:

I had a late cousin who spent all of her retirement 
years going to graveyards, libraries, and county 
courthouses researching family history.  She was 
also one of the most progressive members of my family 
in terms of peace and justice issues.  I have other 
relatives who have absolutely no interest in genealogy.  
I don't see a passion for family history as being connected 
necessarily to prejudice.

So I see Slytherins as those who would always have a 
great interest in their ancestry and place a great deal 
of emphasis on kinship, but I do not see bigotry as 
one of their essential traits.  I believe the bigoted 
pure-blood ideology of the Death Eaters came about as 
the result of three generations exposure to the 
malignant influence of Tom Riddle, not necessarily 
as the legacy of Salazar Slytherin.

As the author of the essay points out, in spite of 
the views of Slytherins as seen through the biased 
eyes of Gryffindors (including Arch-Gryffindor and 
one-time avowed Wizard supremacist Albus Dumbledore), 
in spite of the wizard-of-the-month card on Rowling's 
web site, the black letter canon on Salazar Slytherin 
comes from Professor Binns who said nothing about 
Muggle inferiority, only that Slytherin considered 
Muggle-borns untrustworthy.

Why might Salazar and even present and future 
Slytherins (after the evil influence of Voldemort 
has worn off) have a distrust of Muggle-borns?  I 
think it may be connected to the Slytherin allegiance 
to family.  The Malfoys, whatever their sins, are 
intensely loyal to one another.  Harry won Fleur's 
devotion (can anyone doubt that "Phlegm" would have 
been sorted into Slytherin had she grown up in Britain?) 
by rescuing her sister.  Phineas Nigellus grieved for 
the death of his great-great grandson in spite the the 
fact that he had been disowned and blasted off the 
family tree.

Muggle-borns, on the other hand, have to leave their 
families behind when they enter the Wizarding World, 
even if they are not all as ruthless in doing so as 
Hermione Granger.  *We* can see that they transfer 
their allegiance to the WW and marry into wizarding 
families, but to a Slytherin, for whom loyalty to 
family forms the basis for loyalty to the community, 
this may be incomprehensible.  How could anyone who 
would abandon their family ever be trustworthy? How 
could their ultimate loyalty not remain with their 
Muggle families?

I, too, was disappointed with Rowling's portrayal of 
Slytherins.  It may be that the influence of Voldemort 
was still too much upon them at the end of DH.  Still 
I wish we had seen a bit more of the virtues of water.  
She did a good job with fire.  She showed the vices 
(recklessness, impulsivity, bullying) and the virtues 
(courage and strong heart).  No too bad with earth.  
Air got shortchanged, IMO.  Luna *is* friendly, but 
Xenophilius, the lover of strangers, turned out to be 
somewhat sinister.  For the most part the Ravenclaws 
were flighty, pointy-headed tin hats.

But where are the virtues of water, at all?  And what 
are the virtues of water? Different sources list 
various traits.  I settled on this one because it 
seemed just as good as any other:

http://www.asiya.org/watercorrespondences.html

>>Virtues - compassion, tranquility, tenderness, 
forgiveness, modesty, fluidity in creativity, receptivity, 
influence, graciousness, sensitivity<<

We really don't see any examples in HP.

But wait.  Down at the bottom of the page I found this:

>>Emotions - love, sorrow, *courage to continue on a 
difficult path with no end in sight*, enduring rage born 
of long, silent suffering, hope that springs eternal.<<

Is that spot on or what?