Reacting to DH (was:Snape Reduced LONG(was: Re: Villain!Dumbledore...

[Tiffany B. Clark]

No: HPFGUIDX 178014

Amy:

Um, Slytherins and Gryffindors aren't divided by any standards that 
can actually be used in the real world: beauty vs. ugliness, rich vs. 
poor, race, etc. "Judge people by the colour of their tie" is not an 
underlying message of the HP series, because most people in the real 
world aren't walking around wearing green or red ties. So how exactly 
is this message divisive, *except* for character? By real-world 
standards and prejudices, Slytherins and Gryffindors are exactly 
alike, which I think may have been JKR's point. What else are kids 
supposed to divide them by, besides character?

Tiffany:

I agree because there's no real obvious reason except for character 
going on in the actual Sorting itself.  It's true there are some 
underlying biases like Harry coaxing the Hat into not putting him in 
Slytherin.  I can't help but think how different the stories for the 
books would've been if Harry would've been in Slytherin instead of 
Gryffindor.

It's also important to note that not evil people wear red ties or 
black hats & not all good people wear green ties or white hats.  I 
think that was a real coming of age moment for Harry when his ideas 
about Gryffindor & Slytherin were drastically redefined.  It's all 
about judge folks by their character & actions, not by what house 
they are in or anything like it.