Villain!Dumbledore - Nature of People

[Steve]

No: HPFGUIDX 177715

---  "montavilla47" <montavilla47 at ...> wrote:
>
> --- , "prep0strus" <prep0strus@> wrote:
> 
> > I see where Dumbledore comes off as arrogant, and I
> > get that many people want Slytherin to actually be 
> > an equal group that has different challenges, but 
> > that's not the way the Harry Potter world is.
> > 
> > ~Adam (Prep0strus)
> >

> Montavilla47:
> 
> ...
> 
> Yes, I'm forced to admit that JKR did intend Slytherin
> to represent all that is warped and evil in the world.
> That the best they can hope for is to be diluted enough
> in their evil to remain part of the school.  But I 
> don't have to like it, or accept it.
> 
> ...
> 
> But, yes, in JKR's story, you do have a choice.  You
> can choose not to be evil. Just make that choice 
> before you're twelve.  Otherwise, you're pretty much
> stuck.


bboyminn:

The thing is, you are assigning these traits to
Slytherin as a unique group, but the traits found in
Slytherin are found to some degree in all of us, as
are the traits of Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Gryffindor.

The Choice we make in life is which of these traits
matter most to us and how are we going to apply them.

Let me ask you to take a look at any American Middle
School or High School. It is filled with sweet angelic
faced kids; kids that can be impossibly cruel and mean
to each other. The level of the torment they heap on 
each other is sometime stunning in its cruelty. Yet, 
do we classify them as absolutely and for all time 
'evil'? Do we suggest banning them from school or
life? I think not.

I think the four Hogwarts House respesent aspects 
that are found in all of us, collectively and
individually. The question is which of these universal
aspects are most important to us, and which we intend
to put the most effort into in our later lives.

There are some Slytherin-ish people who live for the
Deal. That is what makes life worth living; working
the deal and making the money. The world is filled
with people like this, and overall they add greatly
to society. However, when the 'deal' turn to the
'con', things get dicey. Even the best businessman
occasionally skirts the boundaries of ethical
behavior, and if they think they can get away with
it and if it enhances the Deal, then they may be 
willing to step across the line. But on a whole, this
type of person does benefit society even if society
looks down on them for it.

Slytherins are not universally evil; they still have
a choice, and that choice is not made for them when
they are sorted into Slytherin. Once again, I remind
people that we have only see SOME Slytherins; those
that were important to /this/ story. Snape made one 
choice when he was younger, but made another choice
when he was older and wiser; one for evil and one
for good. In the long run, he is defined by his choices,
not by his House. And, I think that is part of the
message JKR wanted to send; we are who we are, but our
choices define what 'who we are' means. 

So, I think JKR's representation of the Houses are 
actually representations of the whole. All those
characteristics exist in each of us. Which we choose
to emphasize and which serve us best, are based on a
combination of general personality and choices we
make.

There is nothing wrong with a life spent chasing 
The Deal. There is nothing wrong with a life spent 
accumulating wealth and possessions. But to do this 
and succeed, you also need intelligence, courage, 
and loyalty; all of the House traits.

I think Slytherin is merely part of the whole, and
represents what can happen when ambition overrides
the other House traits. Ambitious men chasing the
deal are all going to be greatly tempted to skirt
or even break the rules. Some will cross over and
some won't. Those who don't are more likely to be
people who are not ruled by their Slytherin character,
but let the other House characteristics shine through
when they can best serve a person.

Further, I think any of the House traits has 
potential for evil. Reckless courage, blind loyalty,
unthinking intellect, and unrestrained ambition all
have equal potential for evil. And, I think the 
books try to illustrate this. 

The Slytherins we see represent the darkest part of
our selves, and what we should get from the books is
the inward search for the answer to this question;
do we rule our Slytherin traits or do they rule us?

Just a thought.

Steve/bboyminn