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A Harry Potter pet peeve
Oct. 8th, 2011 03:43 pmI like fanfiction. I read a lot of it. However, my older son, who is desperately looking for work but can't find it, reads a lot of fanfiction because he likes it and he has a lot of free time. Since we both read it, he tends to tell me about fanfiction he likes, but we have a major disagreement about the Harry Potter fanfictions.
I hate, absolutely hate, the huge group of fanfictions that bash Dumbledore. They get my goat in a major way.
Most of them have Dumbledore as a manipulative bastard who is convinced that he is right in everything he does and who is risking Harry for
"the greater good." They use the statements of Dumbledore's brother Aberforth, as absolute truth and exaggerate them out of proportion. I told my son that what they are really doing is justifying the flaunting of authority because people in charge are always wrong.
Aberforth, in the seventh and last chapter, is Albus Dumbledore's brother. He is bitter because Albus' friend, Grindenwald, killed their sister while they were fighting, and I believe that he is also bitterly jealous of his brilliant and respected brother. His view is warped, and reading the novel it is clear that his view was warped.
Yes, Albus Dumbledore did talk to Grindenwald about gaining power, with the excuse that it was for the 'greater good'. However, before they acted on these plans, his innocent sister was killed, and he came to his senses. From that moment, he did not trust himself with power. He could have had the job of Minister of Magic anytime he wanted it, and those who held the job knew it. He led the Order of the Phoenix, but he did not use it to gain power; they worked behind the scenes. He did not put Harry in danger; he did his best to shelter Harry from it.
Most people point out that Dumbledore did not give the Dursley's a choice in taking Harry in. They point out that Harry was a minor and did not consent to taking part in the Triwizard Tournament. They point at the fifth book, where Dumbledore began Harry's training.
First, by the Durley's own admission on the first and fifth novel, they did have a choice in taking Harry, and they agreed to do so. As Dumbledore said, Petunia did not want to, but she did take him, because otherwise Harry had almost no chance of surviving when the Death Eaters came for him, and they would have gone for him out of spite if for no other reason. Moreover, while Harry was neglected, it is clear he was not abused. I was a social worker for twelve years, and believe me, there is a huge difference between the two. Unfortunately, I can remember a large number of children who would tell you that they would trade places with Harry in a second. I'm not saying his situation was good; Dumbledore admitted that, but I agree with his statement that Harry was better off than Dudley until in the last book, when Dudley showed he learned something from his encounter with the Dementor.
The Triwizard Tournament was set up to take names from volunteers. The assumption was that everyone who entered agreed to the Magical Contract. It took a great deal of power to circumvent the precautions on the Goblet of Fire. If there was any way to get Harry out of the Tournament, Dumbledoor would have used it.
Dumbledore trained Harry in the fifth book because he was dying. He wanted to give Harry the best chance he would get. He admitted in the last book that not only did he care about Harry, but he risked the final outcome of the inevitable confrontation between Harry and Lord Voldemort because he loved Harry too well and wanted him to have as much of a childhood as he could possibly give him before Harry had to risk his life.
In the first few books, Dumbledore is something of a Gary Stu, but in the last two books we see his weaknesses and his mistakes. He was a powerful wizard, only too aware of his shortcomings and with a great deal of responsibility on his shoulders that he did not even get public credit for.
I get tired of seeing a good character bashed because a bunch of idiots like bashing authority. I like Dumbledore's character a great deal, because, strangely enough, he reminds me of a lot of people I met doing social work, mostly foster parents, teachers and other social workers. There are a lot of people like him, who work their tails off to help other people, and are often underpaid and overworked. They almost never get appreciated for their work.
It's only fanfiction, but it still gets me riled. Why can't people find someone else to inflict their nastiness on?
I hate, absolutely hate, the huge group of fanfictions that bash Dumbledore. They get my goat in a major way.
Most of them have Dumbledore as a manipulative bastard who is convinced that he is right in everything he does and who is risking Harry for
"the greater good." They use the statements of Dumbledore's brother Aberforth, as absolute truth and exaggerate them out of proportion. I told my son that what they are really doing is justifying the flaunting of authority because people in charge are always wrong.
Aberforth, in the seventh and last chapter, is Albus Dumbledore's brother. He is bitter because Albus' friend, Grindenwald, killed their sister while they were fighting, and I believe that he is also bitterly jealous of his brilliant and respected brother. His view is warped, and reading the novel it is clear that his view was warped.
Yes, Albus Dumbledore did talk to Grindenwald about gaining power, with the excuse that it was for the 'greater good'. However, before they acted on these plans, his innocent sister was killed, and he came to his senses. From that moment, he did not trust himself with power. He could have had the job of Minister of Magic anytime he wanted it, and those who held the job knew it. He led the Order of the Phoenix, but he did not use it to gain power; they worked behind the scenes. He did not put Harry in danger; he did his best to shelter Harry from it.
Most people point out that Dumbledore did not give the Dursley's a choice in taking Harry in. They point out that Harry was a minor and did not consent to taking part in the Triwizard Tournament. They point at the fifth book, where Dumbledore began Harry's training.
First, by the Durley's own admission on the first and fifth novel, they did have a choice in taking Harry, and they agreed to do so. As Dumbledore said, Petunia did not want to, but she did take him, because otherwise Harry had almost no chance of surviving when the Death Eaters came for him, and they would have gone for him out of spite if for no other reason. Moreover, while Harry was neglected, it is clear he was not abused. I was a social worker for twelve years, and believe me, there is a huge difference between the two. Unfortunately, I can remember a large number of children who would tell you that they would trade places with Harry in a second. I'm not saying his situation was good; Dumbledore admitted that, but I agree with his statement that Harry was better off than Dudley until in the last book, when Dudley showed he learned something from his encounter with the Dementor.
The Triwizard Tournament was set up to take names from volunteers. The assumption was that everyone who entered agreed to the Magical Contract. It took a great deal of power to circumvent the precautions on the Goblet of Fire. If there was any way to get Harry out of the Tournament, Dumbledoor would have used it.
Dumbledore trained Harry in the fifth book because he was dying. He wanted to give Harry the best chance he would get. He admitted in the last book that not only did he care about Harry, but he risked the final outcome of the inevitable confrontation between Harry and Lord Voldemort because he loved Harry too well and wanted him to have as much of a childhood as he could possibly give him before Harry had to risk his life.
In the first few books, Dumbledore is something of a Gary Stu, but in the last two books we see his weaknesses and his mistakes. He was a powerful wizard, only too aware of his shortcomings and with a great deal of responsibility on his shoulders that he did not even get public credit for.
I get tired of seeing a good character bashed because a bunch of idiots like bashing authority. I like Dumbledore's character a great deal, because, strangely enough, he reminds me of a lot of people I met doing social work, mostly foster parents, teachers and other social workers. There are a lot of people like him, who work their tails off to help other people, and are often underpaid and overworked. They almost never get appreciated for their work.
It's only fanfiction, but it still gets me riled. Why can't people find someone else to inflict their nastiness on?
