Plugging my theory (was Re: A BIAS in the Pensieve: A Batty

[Lyn J. Mangiameli]

--- In the_old_crowd at yahoogroups.com, "pippin_999" <foxmoth at q...> wrote:
 
> Pippin:
> major snip of one of the best posts I've read<
> 
> IMO, the theme is not the Disneyish sugar-coated "Tolerance 
> is easy if you would only try."  The message is "Don't kid your 
> self. Tolerance is horribly difficult.   It's also our only hope of 
> peace, because all the things we can find to despise in the 
> Other, they can find in us."
> 

Lyn:
Being very (perhaps mercifully) brief as I should already be off to an out-of-town 
conference. 

Just a wonderful post, Pippin. Which touches on why I think it is quite possible (not 
necessarily probable) that Snape will have some vampire heritage or other association. In 
Lupin, JKR has generated a character which for many is seen as a nice guy and JKR labels 
him so in her interviews (I know, you are not of this camp). So any prejudice based on an 
unchosen characteristic is played against other overt characteristics that make many 
sympathetic towards him (ultimately deserving or not). Dislike in this context is presented 
as unfair prejudice.

Thus I think it would be quite in keeping with your remarks that JKR would include a 
character whose overt characteristics aren't very likable, and who is found to have at least 
an association with some innate or otherwise unchosen characteristic that is repugnant. 
Does repugnance towards this innate characteristic become unfair prejudice, in a character 
may already find despicable ? But what if despite these characteristics, he turns out to do a 
very noble and important thing. Does the prejudice become revealed more for what it was? 

So I suggest that Lupin and Snape combine to offer a (hopefully subtle) moral lesson. That 
you can't overlook typically prejudicial characteristics in folks you like, and find similar 
characteristics confirmatory of the "badness" of people you don't like, and have a 
consistent moral stance against prejudice based on personal characteristics unchosen and 
unchangeable.

Running off, literally,

Lyn