Responses of children (Re: In Defense of Molly Weasley (Long))

[Steve]

No: HPFGUIDX 176284

--- "Jen Reese" <stevejjen at ...> wrote:
>
> > Sharon:
> <snipping>
> > 
> > When I asked my daughter (now aged 14, but started
> > reading them aged 8) what messages she got from the
> > books she said:
> > * friendship/love is more important than anything
> > * sometimes good people do bad things but that 
> > doesn't make them bad
> > * you should always try to do what is right rather
> > than what is easy
> > * unselfishness, courage, modesty, friendship and 
> > sacrifice are the  kinds of  virtues that we should
> > try to develop
> > *snogging means kissing (LOL!)
> 

bboyminn:

Definitely a cool list, right in the spirit of things.


> Jen:  
>
> 
> After reading the part in the Epilogue ..., my son's
> reaction ... response was, "Harry was saying Slytherin
> is good now, right?"  I wasn't sure how to respond 
> .... I ended up muttering one of those patently 
> useless parent things when it's hard to explain 
> everything you're thinking, "Yeah, I think maybe 
> that's what he's saying there - that's what you see,
> right?" ...
> 
> Jen
>

bboyminn:

Not trying to discredit your son's opinion of anything,
just trying to expand on the thought.

I don't think Slytherin's are suddenly 'good' now, 
I think they are better; better than they were. 

I think anytime you get a large group of 'ambitious'
people together, they are bound to be a degree of
corruption, even if only corruption of thought. But
that is also true of many other groups, though perhaps
to a lesser degree.

Slytherins are always going to be plotting and planning
ways to get ahead in the world, some perhaps even 
skirting the edges of what is ethical. But still, I
only see them as collectively slightly worse than
any other group of people. 

I think now that Voldemort has lost, and the adult
Slytherins of the world have had time to think and
quaffed a few ales, I'm sure they've concluded that 
Voldemort would have been bad for business, and what 
is bad for business is bad for Slytherins. 

Stability breeds prosperity. So, it is too the 
advantage of Slytherins, who want to prosper, to
promote stability in the world. So, collectively
they have a new set of priorities.

I know I have really said much and what I did say 
was all speculation, but I find it hard to see
peace time Slytherins as being any more than slightly
more ambitious, and therefore only slightly more
corrupt than the world at large. 

I have expressed this opinion before several times,
and didn't get much support. I will point out that 
I'm not a big Slytherin fan or big Slytherin 
supporter or defender, but I do think, the general 
'badness' of Slytherin has been exaggerated both by 
imaginations and by circumstances. 

Not worth much but there it is.

Steve/bboyminn