James and Intent

[pippin_999]

No: HPFGUIDX 186971


> Annemehr:
> The thing is, it isn't only the readers' view that's subjective.  JKR's view of what makes a "great guy" is completely subjective also.  
> 
> I'm sure many of us basically see the James that JKR had in mind, and still think he's a jerk.
> 
> Take that snippet where James et al make fools of the muggle cops, while they're adult members of the order.  I just wanted to smack him one.  I'm pretty sure JKR intended him to be cool.
> 

Pippin:
What's cool got to do with being a good person? Did the snippet make you think that was JKR's idea of treating Muggles with kindness and respect? 

Everything was so simple back in GoF. It looked like all  Harry had to do over the next three books was kill the monsters and straighten out a few misguided people, himself no doubt among them.  And hey presto!, the wizarding world would once again be just as wonderful as it appeared to be when Harry first discovered it.

Only it turns out that there is no magic for straightening out misguided people. There's only kindness and respect, and they're so slow.  You can hardly blame people for thinking there's got to be another way, especially when telling people what jerks they are makes you feel better, and making people look and feel like the idiots they are  makes you look cool,  and is a lot easier anyway. 

Treating the monsters kindly gets you nowhere, and while canon shows that most  people do have it in them to be more decent than they are,  they aren't likely to get over the effects of years or centuries of abuse and neglect and misguidance and be instantly transformed. 

They'll probably be nearly as obnoxious and dangerous tomorrow as they were the day before. It could take years to see any result, they may never recover completely, and who wants to put up with them that long? 

But which does canon make you think is worth fighting for...the  world that James fought for, where people are at least trying to treat each other with kindness and respect, or the one where everybody wants to be the biggest bully on the playground?

Pippin