Slytherins are bad (was:Re: Severus as friend)

[pippin_999]

No: HPFGUIDX 183445


> Betsy Hp:
> But these are exotic 10th century Britons.  They're founding a school 
> their world had never seen the like of.  And the idea of educating 
> young muggleborns beside their wizardborn counterparts *must* have 
> come under discussion since Salazar made a point of saying "*no* 
> muggleborns in my house, thank you."  (For example, I doubt signs 
> saying "Irish need not apply" didn't pop up in the States until the 
> Irish did. *g*)

Pippin:
If anybody founded a country today mirroring the laws and practices of
the US circa 1789, we'd see  it a reactionary pariah state and call
for sanctions. But the US was considered incredibly progressive for
its time. Or look at the way the Hebrew bible treats slavery. It was
progressive for that time just to allow that slaves had certain
rights. Cultural norms change, and a subculture that doesn't change
with them can go from progressive to reactionary without altering its
philosophies at all. The WW has cut itself off from Muggledom, and in
the process it's fallen behind the times. 
 

Salazar was initially  willing to cooperate in educating Muggleborns
alongside wizards. We don't know why. Perhaps he was genuinely open to
the idea that Muggleborns could be trained up as the equals of
pureblood wizards, but didn't want to risk too much in case he was
wrong. Perhaps he presumed the experiment would fail and the others
would be convinced of his position. Worst case, he intended to
sabotage it from the beginning. That's obviously the fear that haunts
Hogwarts to this day.

 But I'd bet in the beginning the other Founders were overjoyed to
find a Blood-ist who was willing to teach Muggleborns magic and only
insisted on a segregated dorm. 


Present day Hogwarts is still progressive for its world, where
Muggleborns are  not admitted to Durmstrang at all. But there are
obviously much more serious abuses of Being rights
*cough*House-elves*cough* at present day Hogwarts than discrimination
against Muggleborns or prejudice against Slytherins, and  much more
serious insitutionalized abuse against Beings in the WW as a whole
than there is at Hogwarts. 

There's an excluded middle in concluding that if people aren't working
against something they're fine with it. I don't think the Trio are
oblivious to the bad things about the Hogwarts system, (well, Ron was,
but he learned better.) But I think they've learned they have to
choose their battles. 

Pippin