[HPforGrownups] Re: JKR's lesson on prejudice

[Bart Lidofsky]

No: HPFGUIDX 180513

Elizabeth Snape wrote:
> Oh, of course HRH and Neville deserved to be awarded those points!  
> Who on earth has ever argued against it?  No one that I can recall.
>
> What I found disturbing about that scene in PS/SS was the Slytherin 
> flags on display indicating they had definitely won the house cup and 
> *then* DD awards the points, claps his hands, "We need a change of 
> decoration" and the pennants change to Gryffindor.  Sounds like 
> deliberate humilation to me. 
>   

Bart:
There was an episode of CHEERS which had a similar idea, with a better 
ending. I'm going to word this so that those unfamiliar with the show 
will understand it. One of the lead characters was a bartender/owner who 
also happened to be quite handsome and a pick-up artist. A more 
temporary character was a Frenchman with similar characteristics. They 
make a bet as to who could get the most women's phone numbers in a 
single night; the stakes being bragging rights. The bartender needs just 
one phone number to win, when his target reveals that she has been badly 
injured by men who were just using her. The bartender has an 
uncharacteristic change of heart, and refuses to take advantage of the 
woman, losing the contest. The woman then reveals it was a test, which 
he passed, and she and two of her equally beautiful friends wanted to 
have sex with him as a reward. He leaves, arm in arm with the 3 
beautiful women, telling the Frenchman, "Oh, and as for that silly 
little bet we had; you win!"

Getting back to PS/SS, Harry realizes that real life is more important 
than a house cup. However, as the house cups continue to be a plot 
point, rather than having Slytherin win the House Cup with 
acknowledgment that the Gryffindor Four had done something much more 
impressive, JKR had Gryffindor win the House Cup as well. After all, 
those nasty snobbish Slytherins DESERVE IT! (am I the only other person 
who noticed a similar problem in Disney's HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL, where the 
message seemed to be, "Just because you are already a winner doesn't 
mean that you can't stop others from being winners, too!")

Bart