Likeable Slughorn (was: Villain!Dumbledore )

[dumbledore11214]

No: HPFGUIDX 177856

Magpie:
<SNIP>
If
you're a regular Muggle-born you lack the advantage of a regular kid
with magical relatives, and he's assuming you have less potential
than the non-Muggle-born. And for canon that he treats students
differently, I don't see how that could be any more clear than
scenes where Slughorn is comically different in the way he treats
any kid he thinks can do something for him and kids who can't. JKR
even has him invite a kid to his cabin and then when it turns out
he's not in contact with his cool relative he passes him over for
cake.
<SNIP>

Alla:

But where is the canon that he treats differently the kids who can or 
cannot do anything for him depending on whether those kids are 
purebloods or muggleborns? Not thinks about it, but acts on it as 
Mike said.

Sure, connections ARE criteria  by which he selects his club members, 
it is clear to me in canon. I would **prefer** that he would have 
selected only on talent, no question about it, but to me the bottom 
line is that he will select you if you only have talent and no 
connections, and I like that.

He has no problem giving Draco Malfoy a door, pureblood with 
connections and all that. 



> Magpie:
<SNIP>
> Yeah, that seems to basically be it. I couldn't agree more strongly 
> that this is the central issue. I not only think it's plausible but 
> logical that Slughorn can promote Muggle-borns for his own 
advantage 
> while being a bigot. Yes, he can select students he's bigoted 
> towards. There is nothing unusual in that whatsoever. I also would 
> not just say the club is something he does "above and beyond" his 
> duties as a teacher. His club to me seems like something that 
> interferes fundamentally with his duties as a teacher.


Alla:

So, what IS bigoted in his attitude towards Muggleborns if he can 
select them as you seem to agree?

His thoughts? Okay, I really could care less about what he thinks as 
long as he does not act on it and I really do not see him do.

To go back to Snape for a second, if Snape kept his hatred of Harry 
and Neville to THOUGHTS and neither Harry nor Neville knew anything 
about it, I could care less about his hatred as well. IMO of course.

I mean, not that I would prefer Slugghorn or  Snape NOT to think 
those thoughts, but as long as they do not act upon them, I do not 
care.

Again, of course he takes students with connections in  his club, not 
something I would do, but I think he has a right to do so, I do not 
see how he somehow implements his prejudice against Muggleborns in 
action, I see him implementing preference for people with 
connections/ and OR talent. IMO of course.

And of course by the end of the book I think it is fair enough 
speculation that Slugghorn prejudices may have ceased to exist too.



Montavilla47:
<SNIP>
I do like Slughorn for extending his favoritism to
people like Lily and Ginny. They are (or were) both
talented witches who benefited from his networks.

Alla :

He does pick the talent, no? Hermione too.

Montavilla47:

But JKR takes pains to show us the dark side of
Slughorn's methods. The students who don't
impress him are essentially invisible to him.
Unimpressed with Ron, he can't be bothered
to learn the boy's name. Discovering that
Belby isn't well-connected enough, disrespects
the boy obviously enough that Harry notices. Just do not see that he 
disrespects muggleborns in actions.

Alla:

Absolutely.

Montavilla47:
He cultivates the talented, but not so much because
he values talent, but because he values influence.
He's not pushing social change, he's simply canny
enough to see that change is constant and takes
advantage of it by providing small favors that seem
large to people who are moving up. <SNIP>

Alla:

And that I do not care – WHY he cultivates the talent. To me it is 
enough that he **cultivates** the talent. If he gets something for 
himself as well, I say more power to him. I think that his talented 
students also get a lot out of it and I like it.


JMO,

Alla