Salazar, Slytherins and Bigotry

[Steve]

No: HPFGUIDX 179982

---  "Goddlefrood" <gav_fiji at ...> wrote:
>
> > bboyminn:
>  
> > Keep in mind that Britian still has the Aristocracy, they
> > still have the House of Lords. But that doesn't mean that
> > Lords and Ladies think that all common people should be 
> > killed, only that the Aristocracy is intellectually 
> > superior and therefore  necessary to effectively rule the
> > country. 
> 
> Goddlefrood:
> 
> On opposite sides of the pond,... The Aristocracy is actually 
> considered by many people in the UK to be a bunch of inbred 
> loons with the intellectual capacity of gnats. Centuries of
> marrying your cousin will do that to you.
>

bboyminn:

Yes, but is that the Aristocrats view? Certainly it is very
likely the common person's view, but I am writing from the
perspective of Slytherin. He most certainly view himself
as the aristocracy of the wizard world. But there is a 
difference between believing yourself superior, and believing
all inferiors should be killed and/or enslaved.

> Goddlefrood:
> 
> The House of Lords has had no real function since around 
> 1911, and prior to that since 1689, ... With the more recent 
> amendments to the structure of the legislature in the UK 
> the House of Lords can be ignored altogether ...
> 

bboyminn:

Not being from or ever having been in England, I confess my
knowledge is limited, but I am aware that the House of Lords
exists. It mere existence is proof of something. Further
being a 'Lord' must still carry some weight in England as
there was a recent scandal about what in essense was Titles
for sale. 

> Goddlefrood:
>
> ... The WW, and more specifically Salazar Slytherin, has a 
> superiority complex where muggles are concerned. In the case 
> particularly of the House of Slytherin, one of its underlying 
> tenets is that of the inferiority of the muggle-born.

bboyminn:

This is the part that I dispute, though not fully. Slytherin
certainly believed purebloods were superior. I'm sure he 
believe that muggles were immensely inferior because of the
lack of magical ability. However, we don't know that he
didn't accept muggle-born into magical society. Yes, he
distrusted them as a whole for the potential danger they
presented. But we have no evidence that he was not willing
to work with them and teach them if the danger had not been
there.

> Goddlefrood:
>
> Salazar's professed aim was to rid the school of muggle-
> borns and only accept pure-bloods. The entire second book
> was largely about that. 

bboyminn:

Not really and that is my very point. We know what people
are saying about Slytherin, but we must also acknowledge 
their self-serving motives in making those claim. The only
account we have from a reasonably neutral historian (Prof.
Binn) indicate nothing of this extreme muggle/muggle-born
hating bigotry. 

What Binn's says by implication is that Slytherin had a very
justified distrust of muggleborns.

So, again we have people's claims of what Slytherin did or
didn't stand for, but Slytherin isn't there to speak for
himself. Just as Christ wasn't there to speak for himself
during the Crusades and just as Mohammed isn't there today
to tell fanatic Muslims to knock it off.

> Goddlefrood: 
>
> The movement towards more tolerance between the houses has,
> ..., hardly come along ..., despite there being small 
> signs that certain wizards and witches tolerate Slytherin. 
> The fact remains that as at 2017 the WW is little different 
> in its overall philosophy than what it had been during the 
> time of Salazar or more recently that of Lord Voldemort.
> 

bboyminn:

I see your point, but don't fully agree. Let's face it
Houses are about schoolboy rivalries and they never die down.
Harvard and Yale are still at it as I suspect Oxford and
Chambridge are, even after centuries.

But notice that we see little 'House Rivalry' amoung the 
adults. Once out of school and away from the House Cup, 
Quiditch Cup, and House Quiditch Games, those rivalries
die down. Yes, to some extent it is still there, but more
in the interest of fun and curiosity than true rivalry. I
suspect asking 'What's your House? to adult wizards is about
like asking 'What's our sign?' to modern muggles. It's a
great conversation starter, and good to stimulate reminiscences
about the good old days over a beer or two.


> Goddlefrood, not off to find the deeper meaning of life in 
> the Deeper Meaning of Liff.
> 
> NB - In the language of the monarch - one's tongue has 
> been firmly ensconced in one's cheek throughout much of 
> the preceding post. No deeper meaning is intended than 
> that the House of Lords is incomparible to the WW.
>


bboyminn:

Well, this speculation can never be more than fun since
we are essentially trying to prove the unprovable. We can't
say with any certainty what happened a thousand years ago
to real people, much less to fictional people.

While I'm sure Slytherin was convinced of his own pureblood
superiority, I don't think we have enough real proof to 
brand him the flaming bigot that some would brand him as.

Just one man's opinion.

Steve/bboyminn