Likeable Slughorn (was: Villain!Dumbledore )

[sistermagpie]

No: HPFGUIDX 177863

girnius:

> By including both the kids that are going to be successful out in 
the 
> big world by virtue of their connections or wealth whatever 
Sluggie 
> does, and the talented kids who may have neither, he is furthering 
> the success of the talented kids in a way that simply inviting 
them 
> to parties with other talented kids would not. He is facilitating 
the 
> process whereby those talented kids *become* connected.

Magpie:
Yes, I know that's how it works. There is the world of the 
connected, into which many kids are born, but some kids are talented 
enough that they are also included in that circle despite not being 
born there. It's not a club for the talented, it's the club for 
people who are or will be connected. It's not about honing talent 
either. It's based on a mixture of things with one goal in mind: the 
club of the rich and famous. You need a balance of some kids 
bringing talent, some kids bringing the right background (if you had 
too many of the wrong sort the snobs would look down on it). This 
can lead to a talented kid becoming connected. It can also lead to a 
less talented person being given a job over one who is more talented 
because he's in the Slug Club for his connections. He needs kids who 
just bring "connected" as well as kids who are just talented, 
because talent alone or intelligence along is just the math club, 
and he couldn't care less about the math club. 

All of which still doesn't change that Slughorn's idea that being 
Muggle-born means less likely to be talented magically is either 
right or wrong (I thought the books tried to make a point that he 
was wrong, but I could be wrong) and that imo the way Slughorn runs 
his class as an extension of his Slug Club is not good teaching, and 
that I think his attitude about the potential of students based on 
blood would absolutely influence the experience many kids negatively 
in his class. Sometimes when people are surprised to see kids 
succeed in areas they're not supposed to do as well in based on 
their ethnicity, it goes back to different encouragement, 
expectations and treatment.

-m