My piece on Gryffindor Stereotypes.
Ok so I’ve been here a while and I've never done a long-winded text post but I fell down a harry potter house rabbit hole and I got unreasonably angry :P as people often do on Tumblr, so now I have to say my piece. I’ll start with my own experience in this sorting-debacle.
Let me preface by saying that although some people/ characters might be TEXTBOOK examples of the houses MOST people in the world fall in the cracks.Nevertheless, you can only have one house in the potterverse and I had been torn between Ravenclaw and Gryffindor for a very long time.Most times I took the test (and answered honestly because Im a nerd and this is important to me) I would get Gryffindor over Ravenclaw. I never really understood why. I’m a massive bookworm and have often chosen to neglect a social scene in favour of a book. I have an overactive imagination, I believe in the power of wit and intellect over brawn and, in many cases I tend to think and analyze a situation instead of rushing in.
I realize now that I’m a Gryffindor overall because of who I am at my very core. And thats a child who consistently talked back to an abusive parent and refused to be silenced or intimidated by bullies, I would rather do my own thing and start my own club than take it lying down. Despite an initial terror in public speaking I read the pieces I wrote allowed, published them and got INTO public speaking overall because saying my piece and standing up for justice and what I believed in was more important than anything else and because of the power and rightness I felt coursing through my veins doing so. Its because when people cant be bothered to take a stand and get involved in an issue I FEEL people should be fighting for I step up, take charge and do it myself, even if its unpopular, even if I’ll be judged and have to face adversity and conflict for it because it matters to me and I think it matters for the world and YEAH I want people to know me as someone that fights for what is right (not necessarily to show boat but because thats who I want to be remembered as) its because when I can feel Im right about something noone can shake me. I’ll listen to you with an open mind and I'll even concede to some of your points but overall my opinion on matters to do with the generic concept of morality and the generic concept of ‘what’s right’ is very rarely swayed Its because I ALWAYS look up to the badass fighters and rebels who refuse to give up and carry on no matter the odds because of their belief, their determination and their power of will. Its because to me, loyalty and fighting for my friends and family is the single most important thing in the world.
I value these traits and the idea of justice, my interpretation of TRUE justice above all and I KNOW that these are, at their core, GRYFFINDOR traits which is why I know this is my house (my affinity for forests, my love for lions and an overall tendency to go for shades of red and gold aside)
Im proud of my house. Sure, we produce a couple of cocky jackasses (I’m CONVINCED Gaston is a Gryffindor, don’t do the Slytherin’s dirty like that) some ruthless pioneers for the sake of’justice’ (@ Dumbledore) and yh some reckless people that aren’t necessarily classified as the “brightest” and fit into the “dumb jock” stereotype but THAT IS NOT WHAT DEFINES US AS A HOUSE.
I saw a post a little while ago saying: the difference between Slytherins and Gryffindors is that Slytherins are brave not stupid but COME ON?! whoever wrote that, just seemed like a convenient way of explaining why Slytherin’s may choose to not fight for something that truly matters/ the greater good as per the events of the book (NOT SAYING THATS THE CASE OVERALL)
Or another one saying that ‘Courage’ is a Hufflepuff trait when its LISTED on Pottermore as a Gryffindor trait and Hufflepuffs are known to be, in my opinion, the superior quality of people in terms of GOODNESS overall because they’re ruled by fairness, hard work, kindness and also loyalty.
I've seen heroes I’ve aspired to for large parts of growing up like Mulan and Rose Hathaway that are primary ruled by courage, bravery and stubbornness even in the face of adversity, true Gryffindors, be scoffed at because “Mulan’s too smart to be a gryffindor” or ‘Rose is too loyal and self-sacrificing to be a Gryffindor (NEVILLE? RON? HERMIONE? REMUS? LILY?!?)
All im saying is that I KNOW the other houses deserve more recognition, respect and awe and of course every house can show INCREDIBLE amounts of bravery, courage, nerve and daring (Luna is my all time favourite example of this along with Lucy Pevensie from Narnia) honestly, sometimes I wish I was able to have the badass vibe that comes from being a Slytherin but just as you ask us to focus on the KEY TRAITS that define your house, and that define you to your core, I ask you to stop stereotyping Gryffindors as trigger happy hotheads that impulsively rush into things and act stupidly....the phrase “he’s too stupid to be a Gryffindor” goes AGAINST cannon Gryffindors because the truth is that, at its core, true bravery is a choice and if you choose it above all else you’re a Gryffindor, WHICH, as the books have shown us, leads to a VARIETY of different Gryffindors.
You can be shy and be a Gryffindor. You can be anxious and have fears and be a Gryffindor. You can love to read and be able to manipulate people to suit your needs AND be a Gryffindor, you can analyze situations cautiously most of the time and STILL be a Gryffindor because when THAT moment in your life comes, a true Gryffindor will pick bravery and charge into doing what is right before all else and that doesn’t necessarily mean bursting into a battlefield with no though of the consequences, it means knowing the consequences, knowing your odds, knowing your fears and charging ahead anyways because you’ll be damned if if you don’t give everything you have to keep “evil” from winning.
Anyway...all this to say, please don’t give us the dumb jock hothead stereotype, when we deserve a lot more than that. Be proud and stand up for the friends who would have your back in a fight and stand up for you and with you without question. And we’ll celebrate your incredible intellect, your go-getter attitudes and ambition, your kindness, your strength and your dignity because everyone deserves recognition for the traits they’re most proud of.
