by Finn Cullen » Tue May 22, 2018 9:17 am
I think I would have ended up in Slytherin if not in Ravenclaw. I know Slytherin get a bad rep in the books but they are largely told from Harry Potter's point of view and he is hardly an unbiased observer, lol, plus the fiction works better with easily identifiable baddies and goodies.
Ultimately Slytherin isn't the "Evil House"; how sociopathic do we think the Founders would have been to try to bottle up all the worst elements in a single House where they would form the Hogwarts equivalent of an internet echo chamber where they just feed on and amplify their own negative attitudes, reinforcing their shallow and controlling behaviour with a feeling of superiority over others and a desire to inflict their wills and standards on other people just for expressing themselves differently? They would be odious little toads indeed if that was the case! Running sneaking to Snape every time they saw something they disapproved of that didn't fit with their own privileged and small minded ways.
To an extent this is how they were portrayed in the books for the reason I mentioned above but I think that if Slytherin existed in reality they would exemplify the positive aspects of ambition and drive, a proactive and imaginative group of people determined to succeed but not at the cost of others, indeed by helping each other out and to succeed as a group. After all if you are determined to be successful you want to have successful allies around you don't you?
I like the idea of a House of people who would find ways to overcome obstacles together, that would forge friendships and alliances that would last a lifetime (or more! Pureblood families live a long time after all and generational influence is important to them) and I think I'd rather belong with them than with the Rugby mob of Gryffindor or the patchouli scented group huggers of Hufflepuff (not that I am knocking those esteemed houses and their approaches - they are perfectly fine and valid, just not for me. If you can't say anything positive, dont say anything at all, that's my maxim).
But on the whole I am happy to be a Ravenclaw - ideas and words are my forte and I can well do without the oneupmanship and intrigues and backbiting that might attend some of the Slytherins.
Hello everyone my name is Finn Cullen and I'm a Ravenclaw!