I finished HP1 yesterday, and, man, awarding those last-minute Gryffindor points is such a dick move! I mean, yes, they deserved them, but, geez, Dumbledore, way to crush the hopes and dreams of Slytherin House and rub it in their faces.

Are there any good Slytherins? This has always seemed to be a major flaw in the books. All the Slytherins are evil jackasses. Snape is a non-evil jackass, but still, there aren't any Slytherin characters that are decent human beings, are there? I think there was maybe one. The Potions teacher in Book 6, I think?

I also started HP2, and Mr. Weasley totally mentions Mundungus Fletcher!

In conclusion, the Dursleys are so entirely awful I CANNOT STAND IT.

Are there any good Slytherins? This has always seemed to be a major flaw in the books.

I concur.

Incidentally, P-Cow I saw your picture in a magazine the other day. 7x7 San Francisco, the current June issue with the Best of San Francisco. They have a piece on the cheater's spelling bee and show your team.

P-C,

Since the Slytherin house is so linked to Voldy, I think the kids who are Slytherin are those who see Voldy at least as a neutral person, if not are an active supporter, so yeah, I think they are evil.

the Dursleys are so entirely awful I CANNOT STAND IT.

Indeed. I am beginning to think it's kind of a flaw in the writing, or at least the way in which the Dursleys are awful is a flaw.

The bigotry in the Wizarding world is a bigotry we can recognize, in the way it blights the entire society. It's name-calling and "passing" and people being unemployable because they're half-breeds or muggle-born. Drago calling Hermione "mudblood" is seen as equivalent to the use of any one of many ethnic slurs we know now.

But then there's the Dursleys, and I see them as JKR flipping the situation over: muggle bigotry against the wizarding, with the added fillip of childish wish-fulfillment (I'm secretly a wizard and when I'm grown and powerful, won't all you bullies be surprised?). Except they're just so ridiculous in their antipathy, it's not really dangerous, not evocative of current cultural problems, it's just out of a fairy-tale. The annual Christmas gifts, for instance: why send anything at all?

Additionally, the bigotry against muggles by wizards is seen as a real threat to the long-term stability of the wizarding world, because they do draw members from muggle families, and they are grossly outnumbered by muggles: if they get too obvious, they will be overwhelmed by the response.

Whereas the bigotry of muggles against wizards, as shown by the Dursleys, is toxic to those individuals subject to it (Harry and Tom Riddle), but it seems to pose no risk to muggle-dom itself. It is of course a risk if heightened, as witnessed by the history of witch-burning, but nobody ever seems to consider that possibility.

Anyway, the increasing gravity of Harry's situation w/rt Voldemort and the looming war is undercut (and not, I think, balanced) by the ridiculous nature of the Dursley's behavior toward him. And maybe that's the point, but it strikes me as unbalanced and increasingly awkward.

there aren't any Slytherin characters that are decent human beings, are there?

Regulus, Sirius' brother, who started treading the wrong path then had a change of heart. I am a bit sad that his story got shafted in the HP7 part one. He's a reasonably important character in the narrative, I think.

And yeah, Slughorn is weak, but not evil.

The problem I have with the Slytherins is that all of the Slytherin kids leave Hogwarts before the battle in HP7. If JKR is trying to assert that house-membership isn't really a statement on inherent goodness/evil, she failed, there.

Which makes Slughorn and Regulus anomalies and thus ignoreable.

I don't have a problem with the Dursley's portrayal since that's such a commonplace in British children's literature. Without horribly abusive adults there'd hardly be any kids stories in England.

Also, real people generally try to pretend they are standing up for traditional values, or trying to teach Harry values/protect him from his magical nature when they mistreat their kids. At the very least, as the understanding of other things in the books evolves, the Dursleys ought to be less of a set of cartoon villains, cause isn't that what happens when we grow up?

Exactly, erika! Nobody uses "But what will the neighbors thing?" as their sole justification for bad behavior. (Even if it really is, that's not how we justify it to ourselves.)

Incidentally, P-Cow I saw your picture in a magazine the other day. 7x7 San Francisco, the current June issue with the Best of San Francisco. They have a piece on the cheater's spelling bee and show your team.

Whaaaat. Where can I find this? I must see it.

Except they're just so ridiculous in their antipathy, it's not really dangerous, not evocative of current cultural problems, it's just out of a fairy-tale. The annual Christmas gifts, for instance: why send anything at all?

Right? And, for that matter, why keep Harry at all? They hate him SO MUCH. You'd think they would be GLAD to get rid of him for the summer, send him away to the Weasleys or something, ship him off to Hogwarts. What is so awful about magic, really? It's like they want to imprison him just for the sake of having control over a small boy.

Additionally, the bigotry against muggles by wizards is seen as a real threat to the long-term stability of the wizarding world, because they do draw members from muggle families, and they are grossly outnumbered by muggles: if they get too obvious, they will be overwhelmed by the response.

I'm finding the Muggle bigotry really annoying too. Maybe because I'm a Muggle myself, but, geez, wizards are like, "Oh God, not a MUGGLE." Like it's the worst thing in the world.

Whereas the bigotry of muggles against wizards, as shown by the Dursleys, is toxic to those individuals subject to it (Harry and Tom Riddle), but it seems to pose no risk to muggle-dom itself.

Exactly! I DON'T GET IT.

And yeah, Slughorn is weak, but not evil.

That's his name! Yeah, he was okay.

The problem I have with the Slytherins is that all of the Slytherin kids leave Hogwarts before the battle in HP7.

And, of course, many people have pointed out the ridiculousness of keeping around a house from which ALL EVIL WIZARDS HAVE SPRUNG. I mean, come on, guys. Maaaaaybe you should just let them have their Evil Hogwarts or something? You know, like Pigfarts.