Slug Club: Discussion [TERM XIII-VI]

[djmayhem-aubrey.livejournal.com]

Activity: Slug Club Discussion: Criteria for Slug Club Good or Bad?
Points: Long debate: Participation 10pts, Additional comment: 2pts
Deadline: Saturday, April 11 @ 11:59 PM EST.

Details: We all know how Slughorn chooses the members of his club. Now we face an interesting dilemma: some people think this is terribly selective. Some people think this is a good thing. This is not a debate. This is a discussion on what everyone thinks about Slughorn's criteria, and if there is anything you would personally do differently while keeping the ultimate goals of giving the Slug Clubbers' decent job prospects intact.




CLUB LEADER NOTE: Since I feel it needs to be said in light of some of the bollocks going on in other posts, if you cannot discuss something without getting your feelings hurt, this is probably NOT the activity for you. That said, do not personally attack anyone else for their opinions. We all have them, we are all entitled to them. I'll be watching the post and making sure things don't get out of hand.

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Comments

[rhye.livejournal.com]

I approve of the way Ginny was included in the club: even though her family is poor and not wizarding elite, her skills were so great that Slughorn saw great promise in her future and figured that people would benefit from knowing her. The fact that this is a criteria over the selection of someone like Draco, who is less talented but has better connections, is refreshing. It sounds bad, but if people are chosen on their own merits, it's almost like an honors class or club, or a honor society.

Jess//Gryffindor

[the-gubette.livejournal.com]

The fact that this is a criteria over the selection of someone like Draco, who is less talented but has better connections, is refreshing.

I'm not sure that this means that Draco is less talented than Ginny. There are several instances where Draco is described as intelligent and academically successful. However, his father was in prison, thus eliminating a lot of his connections, which would have made him look less desirable as a club member in Slughorn's eyes. If Slughorn continued his Club through Harry's seventh year under Snape as Headmaster and Lucius out of Azkaban, I feel sure that Draco would have been included in the club, because his power, and by extension Slughorn's power, would have increased.

I'd also like to point out that Ginny was not originally invited to the club; she was only included after Slughorn saw her curse. I could also go on at length about how this is yet another pathetic attempt by JKR to make Ginny Weasley a Lily Evans clone, but I digress.

However, Slughorn's inclusion of Hermione in the club does make your point. She was a Muggle-born with no connections in the wizarding world (besides Harry), but her skill and intelligence got her noticed by Slughorn.

Samantha-Hope//Slytherin

[et-tu-lj.livejournal.com]

I've often wondered why Draco wasn't included. While I don't think he's necessarily the brightest kid, I certainly don't think he's untalented. My personal theory (and us such, it is only an opinion), is that it's because his dad's a Death Eater. Slughorn, after the horcrux conversation, gave up his teaching position and fled. Since he didn't come back the entire time between wars, I believe he remembered just enough of the conversation to know LV would return, whether consciously or not. He disguised himself as a chair to avoid coming back, so I think that fear's still there. Lucius is in prison for being a DE, so Draco's familial connection isn't exactly hidden. I always interpreted Draco's exclusion as Slughorn wanting to stay as far as possible from anything to do with Voldemort.

Kimberly / Claw

[rhye.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I see your point. But I also don't think Slughorn really "screened" people for his club. He sort of relied upon stumbling upon their talents. If someone was talented but not talented around Slughorn, he would never see it. I think Kimberly is right that he wanted to stay as far away from anything having to do with Death Eaters, but also, if he hadn't by chance seen Ginny cast the bat-bogey hex, he wouldn't have chosen her, so a lot of it was chance as well. I didn't mean to imply that Draco was stupid, just that Slughorn hadn't seen direct evidence of his talent. That's a big difference between Slughorn's club and an actual honor society; in an actual honor society, everyone at least has the chance to apply.

Jess//Gryffindor

[the-gubette.livejournal.com]

Oh I totally don't think that Slughorn screened students for the club. He simply chose people he thought it would benefit him to have influence over. Slughorn's character always kind of creeped me out. It seemed like he was a sexual harassment case waiting to happen.

Samantha-Hope//Slytherin

[et-tu-lj.livejournal.com]

Yeah, he creeped me out too. He seemed to be equally oily and solicitous to everybody, so not necessarily sexual harassment, but that's definitely a possibility. Call me old fashioned, but I never felt comfortable with that level of socialization between students and faculty. Several of the students definitely showed a reluctance to attend, but because of his position as an authority figure, they didn't feel they had the ability to turn him down.

Kimberly//Ravenclaw

[accountingwitch.livejournal.com]

Inviting a select group of students to his office after hours to socialize? Does this not sound like a lawsuit waiting to happen?

(I'm a registered teacher: while this may be reasonably harmless here, such as a study club, it does raise questions if done in a place that other authority figures can't monitor.)

Elaine//Ravenclaw

[et-tu-lj.livejournal.com]

Yes! I'm guessing the rules would have to be slightly different for a residential school, but it still seems highly suspect. At least at the Christmas party, there were former students there - meaning legal adults and alumni - but there were regular meetings throughout the year with no such supervision.

Kimberly//Ravenclaw
*is glad Adam is much less creepy than Slughorn* XD

[et-tu-lj.livejournal.com]

I agree with your assessment of Slughorn's methods. It seemed to me like someone's connections/status might make him seek them out, like Harry. But he sought people out on a wider set of criteria than just social status, as when he found out who had the highest grades and made a point of meeting Hermione. And he was always open to chance encounters and first impressions as well, as with Ginny.

Kimberly//Ravenclaw

[malfoymercy.livejournal.com]

I have to agree with everything you said as I pretty much have the same belief. One should be honored for what they can do, what they've done. NOT just who they are or the people they know.

Becky//Slytherin