/The WW seems to have a really inconsistent attitude towards criminal justice. On the one hand, their punishments are often extremely excessive (yes, let’s lock people up surrounded by depression-inducing, soul-devouring monsters for petty theft);/
Who thought that was a good idea? Again, why didn't the Ministry just come up with a way to temporarily strip convicted wizards and witches of magic and then toss them into a regular prison? It wouldn't be any worse than what they have to deal with in Azkaban.
/As far as Ron knows, Hagrid’s just killed someone, and he thinks Tom shouldn’t tell anyone? I’ll freely admit that I never got this whole “no snitching” rule in school stories, but this just seems ridiculous. So it’s better to let people die than tell a teacher?/
Not only that, but it's better to suffer in silence while you're being abused than tell a teacher. Harry didn't tell any of the staff about Umbridge's detentions, remember? I don't know if the whole "no snitching" rule is supposed to be about personal pride and independence (and the idea that if you confide in a teacher, you're automatically a cowardly crybaby), but you're right; there comes a time when those two things are meaningless when lives are at stake.
/Ron’s being really hypocritical, too, unless he’d been planning to sit on his arse and do nothing once he got proof that Draco was the Heir of Slytherin./
Unless Houses make all the difference. Sure, Ron doesn't know anything about Tom Riddle at this point, but he does know that Tom was in Slytherin (if Harry told him that much about the memory). Draco is also in Slytherin. Ron and Hagrid are not. So, it doesn't really matter if Hagrid actually was responsible for Myrtle's death instead of Tom. According to Ron, because Tom was a prefect and reported Hagrid's behavior to the authorities, he was being a nosy killjoy. Whereas Ron and Harry are righteous for trying to find out who the Heir is, so they can stop him/her.
/* Note how Percy says “non-magical community”, instead of using some demeaning slur like “muggle” or “mudblood”. Bloody pinko! It’s no wonder he ended up going bad!/
It was probably Penelope's "pernicious" influence on him, which is why she had to be Petrified later on.
/* For all that wizards think of Muggle Studies (Christ, what a patronising name) as a “soft option”, they seem to have real difficulty learning anything about Muggles./
Which doesn't make sense, considering that many of them live right next door to Muggles.
/Apart from the Malfoys, for some reason, who seem to know loads./
Which makes even less sense. It'd be as if Neo-Nazis knew everything about bar mitzvahs and Passover and the like, while the people ostensibly against their ideals and movement were utterly clueless about Jews to the point of treating them like some mysterious, exotic animal and being super-excited at the sight of a menorah.
/* “Yes, perhaps you’d better come too, Weasley.” Even when his best(-ish) friend has just been attacked, Ron’s still an afterthought behind Harry Potter./
Poor Ron. Just for once, can we have a fantasy story in which the best friend *isn't* treated like disposable baggage?
/* Erm, Lee, given that only four people have been attacked so far, the fact that the Slytherins are all fine isn’t exactly that surprising./
And given that the monster seems to be attacking only Muggle-borns, why would people think that Slytherin was exempt? Just because the Heir of Slytherin is responsible for the attacks? Does everybody in school think that Slytherin House is only made up of pureblood students?
/* Does Hagrid not realise that pointing his crossbow at anyone who comes knocking just makes him look like the sort of violent person who would set a monster on the school?/
No, just like he won't realize that putting his students' safety at risk for the sake of indulging his preference for dangerous creatures just makes him look unfit to be a teacher.
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2010-12-18 05:00 am (UTC)Who thought that was a good idea? Again, why didn't the Ministry just come up with a way to temporarily strip convicted wizards and witches of magic and then toss them into a regular prison? It wouldn't be any worse than what they have to deal with in Azkaban.
/As far as Ron knows, Hagrid’s just killed someone, and he thinks Tom shouldn’t tell anyone? I’ll freely admit that I never got this whole “no snitching” rule in school stories, but this just seems ridiculous. So it’s better to let people die than tell a teacher?/
Not only that, but it's better to suffer in silence while you're being abused than tell a teacher. Harry didn't tell any of the staff about Umbridge's detentions, remember? I don't know if the whole "no snitching" rule is supposed to be about personal pride and independence (and the idea that if you confide in a teacher, you're automatically a cowardly crybaby), but you're right; there comes a time when those two things are meaningless when lives are at stake.
/Ron’s being really hypocritical, too, unless he’d been planning to sit on his arse and do nothing once he got proof that Draco was the Heir of Slytherin./
Unless Houses make all the difference. Sure, Ron doesn't know anything about Tom Riddle at this point, but he does know that Tom was in Slytherin (if Harry told him that much about the memory). Draco is also in Slytherin. Ron and Hagrid are not. So, it doesn't really matter if Hagrid actually was responsible for Myrtle's death instead of Tom. According to Ron, because Tom was a prefect and reported Hagrid's behavior to the authorities, he was being a nosy killjoy. Whereas Ron and Harry are righteous for trying to find out who the Heir is, so they can stop him/her.
/* Note how Percy says “non-magical community”, instead of using some demeaning slur like “muggle” or “mudblood”. Bloody pinko! It’s no wonder he ended up going bad!/
It was probably Penelope's "pernicious" influence on him, which is why she had to be Petrified later on.
/* For all that wizards think of Muggle Studies (Christ, what a patronising name) as a “soft option”, they seem to have real difficulty learning anything about Muggles./
Which doesn't make sense, considering that many of them live right next door to Muggles.
/Apart from the Malfoys, for some reason, who seem to know loads./
Which makes even less sense. It'd be as if Neo-Nazis knew everything about bar mitzvahs and Passover and the like, while the people ostensibly against their ideals and movement were utterly clueless about Jews to the point of treating them like some mysterious, exotic animal and being super-excited at the sight of a menorah.
/* “Yes, perhaps you’d better come too, Weasley.” Even when his best(-ish) friend has just been attacked, Ron’s still an afterthought behind Harry Potter./
Poor Ron. Just for once, can we have a fantasy story in which the best friend *isn't* treated like disposable baggage?
/* Erm, Lee, given that only four people have been attacked so far, the fact that the Slytherins are all fine isn’t exactly that surprising./
And given that the monster seems to be attacking only Muggle-borns, why would people think that Slytherin was exempt? Just because the Heir of Slytherin is responsible for the attacks? Does everybody in school think that Slytherin House is only made up of pureblood students?
/* Does Hagrid not realise that pointing his crossbow at anyone who comes knocking just makes him look like the sort of violent person who would set a monster on the school?/
No, just like he won't realize that putting his students' safety at risk for the sake of indulging his preference for dangerous creatures just makes him look unfit to be a teacher.