General snottiness and as much as Harry can get away with towards a professor without being summarily expelled.

I see the genereal snottiness - most teenage boys have it in spades. But the only professor I really see him pushing the envelope with sometimes is Snape, who, well, kind of started it. He's pushed McGonagall a couple of times, but not in a classroom situation, that I remember.

My favorite thing about these books - how differently people that read the books and are fans see each character so differently.

That is actually not in the Pensieve memory - it was a memory that Harry picked up from Snape when he (for the only time) fought back during an Occlumency lesson

I thought I might be mis-remembering as I wrote that, but I couldn't be arsed to check. I need a Remembrall!

Yeah, what Aimee said about Snape pretty much starting it. Though I'd say that it's not just the teen boys with spades of snotty. Hell, I had it, damn it. (I've mellowed in my old age.)

According to my mother, there was a big deal for grade and high school graduations in America when she went to school back in the early-mid 20th century because it was not uncommon for that to be the end of any schooling that a person received.

My mother was her graduating class. No ceremony, which she's still cranky about over 50 years later, just a diploma on her desk and a see-ya. It was considered extraordinary that of the five sisters, four of them graduated and the other made it to grade 8 before dropping out to work.

The only graduation we had was high school, and anything else doesn't make sense, even as a parent.

It was considered extraordinary that of the five sisters, four of them graduated and the other made it to grade 8 before dropping out to work.

My mom mentioned that she was one of only a few women she knew who graduated high school in her neighborhood. Many of her girl friends never made it past grade school, and some did not finish then. There was no money due to the Depression and no real thought to women getting an education as a matter of course.

Emmett graduated from kindergarten which was ridiculous, but kind of worth it for me anyway because all the kids got dressed up so there were a lot of really cute pictures.

I graduated from Kindergarten and Nursery school - and I think I still have my diplomas. So it's not that new as a concept, but might be more popular.

Though anything other than high school or college graduation seems ridiculous to me.

Though anything other than high school or college graduation seems ridiculous to me.

Mr. Incredible would agree with you.

My impression was that it was being used with the intention of having the kind of impact of 'Flipping' or 'Ruddy', whereas it's a lot closer to the magnitude of 'fucking'. (Note I say closer, not the same magnitude.)

Not in Australia. They're really quite mild here. Of course, I didn't use them in high school, but I was insufferable.

I can't quite picture you being, well, a twirp, bt.(Of course I was shy in high school and cursed only reluctantly...I've gotten over both of those. Oddly enough with the same hair.)

But - billy. Dude. Does Harry Potter go to school in Australia? No. The point isn't whether it's normal in Australia, or in America, or whether there are plenty of contexts in which swearing a blue streak wouldn't make me twitch an eyebrow. It's an 11 year old English kid addressing his teacher in the Harry Potter movie. And it's one of those book->film alterations that had me going "WTF????" (Other one being Hagrid's assertion that he bought Fluffy off 'A Greek Bloke' down the pub being changed to 'An Irish Bloke'. 'Cause Cerberus is such a well known Irish myth. Not.)

::facepalm::

Yeah, in such an environment, probably rude. But we kind of like kids to be rude in movies, for that there are editorials about the end of civility and whatnot...it's one of our weird USAian dichotomies.