One Big Evil Weasley Family

[author_by_night]

Yes! They are EVIL!

Common accusations I see made towards them await.


1. "They used the money Arthur and Molly won to go to Egypt, instead of doing something useful!"

Let's say you're Arthur or Molly, and win the money. What would you put first: the possibilities of your kids having the latest robes and eating expensive foreign food, or the possibility of going on a nice vacation, seeing your son you hardly ever see, and also being to a place you never thought you'd go, and giving the kids an experience they'll never forget?

(Besides, do we have any proof they didn't put money aside? Methinks they were just wise and discreet about it).

2. "Ginny is a slut!"

I think Ginny says it best in HBP: "Last time I checked, Dean was one boy."

(Oh yeah, and Michael and Harry make three. Within several months).


3. "Ron abuses Hermione!"

I don't know about you, but I have several people I love - family, friends, the like. We all have things we point out about one another, and all have inside jokes. Sometimes, it goes too far and one or more of us get upset. 

Is that abusive? Um, no. 

I know someone who was, at one point, in a relationship that was abusive (not physical, but it got close - that person realized, and dumped the 
jerk). The guy would tell her what to wear, talk her out of doing things with her family, belittle things she cared about (and no, not the same way
Ron points out when Hermione's getting paranoid or selfish), and I actually saw him glare at me once when they were hugging and I was going to ask the person something. In short, he didn't want anyone else near her, and he wanted her only thinking about him.

I know another person who was in a similar situation. The guy told her she was fat, and made fun of some people she was friends with because
of stuff they really couldn't help. 

Ron is not those people, nor will he ever be.


4. "The Weasleys are as biased as the Malfoys!"

I'll be the first to admit that the Weasleys do have some thoughts that are slightly prejiduced. But they seem perfectly willing to rethink them. And
for that matter, I don't see the Weasleys killing Muggles.

5. "Molly's a fat, overbearing housewife!"

Yes, I've actually seen this, usually in correspondence with "JKR is sexist" and/or "JKR hates people who are overweight."

Molly is overweight, yes. No, she doesn't work. I admit I don't understand the latter, but I'm sure it's something to do with having to stay home for
ten years of her life anyway, and now she's probably tired from raising all those kids. And we don't know she doesn't have non-paid work. 

Then there's the overbearing factor. Again - she has seven kids to worry about during a war, and lost her family in the one before. That's going to 
make anyone overprotective. Plus, that's the way some people are; it doesn't make them bad people. People are allowd to have flaws.

And in some ways, they're a LOT more lenient. How many of you would have been able to have a friend of the opposite sex visit during the summer?



6. "Bill and Charlie moved to Romania for a reason!"

If I had a choice between working for the Ministry of Magic and not working for them, I'd pick the latter. Besides, there is only so much room to work
in at Gringotts, I'm sure, and do you see any Dragons in England's wizarding world? <strike>Except for the ones Hagrid keeps illegally.</strike>


The only Weasleys I don't have excuses for are the twins and Percy, because quite frankly, I'd be lying if I didn't say I have issues with them.

But I don't think the entire family is evil, and I don't think even they are evil. They just have flaws, which will probably be a part of the next book if
it already isn't.



(Side note - I really hate when people talk loudly in the library).

Comments

[ronluvshermione.livejournal.com]

I would say that Molly stayed at home for a lot longer than 10 years, since Ginny left at 11 and is the youngest. I guess it would be at least as long as Bill is old, whatever his age is. Anyway, I don't mean to critisize. You have great points, and I enjoy reading your arguments. The Ginny/slut one really kills me... three boyfriends in the same number of years is nowhere near as much as some people I know have had.

[melusinahp.livejournal.com]

Good lord. People just amaze me in their desperate efforts to tear the characters apart. How sad.

You make really good points.

It's like half the people critcise the characters for being flawed, and the other half criticise them for being too perfect. It's ridiculous.

[the-jackalope.livejournal.com]

The thing that reallly bugs me about people saying Molly is a housewife, and meaning it detrimentaly, is that I don't see what is so bad about it. Ok so the Weasley's probably could have used the extra income, but I personally don't see what is wrong with being a housewife if you can, and want to.

[parakletos.livejournal.com]

Here, Here!

My wife (not me) made a lifestyle choice when our third arrived that her priority was raising the kids so that was her 'job' for five years or so. Our income suffered accordingly but our kids seemed to think it was the right choice as well.

Mind you, I would imagine with seven that there is no other option.

[tiny-wings.livejournal.com]

Also: in Europe it is much more common than it is in America, for a woman to be a housewife, especially a woman who is married and has children.

[lanjelin.livejournal.com]

No, it isn't! Here in Sweden it's very rare.

Not sure about South and East Europe though.

[discord-harmony.livejournal.com]

All I can say is: Hear, hear!

*hugs for you!*

[sea_thoughts]

(I hate it when people talk loudly in the library as well. I wish I could beat them over the head with books like Madam Pince. :3)

I think Bill and Charlie working abroad is a mark of how well they've been brought up! They've been encouraged to find jobs that they love, those jobs happen to be abroad, that's all. At least they're not hanging around, sponging off their parents like a few young men I know.

Ginny went out with Michael for at least six months - they got together at the end of GoF and were going out for almost three quarters of OotP. She and Dean went out for four-five months. It's not like she's going through them a week at a time. *sigh*

As for Molly - maybe she just prefers to stay at home and keep things running. Some women just prefer to be housewives - that's their choice. And isn't that what feminism is all about? Women being able to CHOOSE what they want?

[lilacsigil.livejournal.com]

Word! Sometimes people forget that "choice" means "people can choose things that you personally don't like".

[stmargarets.livejournal.com]

You know, Arthur works really loong hours at the Ministry and in the summer at least there seems to be a lot to do what with the gardens and the chickens, etc. . . I just think they would both be crazed if Molly worked full-time outside of the home. I also have this fond theory that Molly is taking care of Great-aunt Muriel once a week, etc . . . From the way Order members run in and out, it sounds like she's always feeding someone - even when the kids are in school.

Oh yes - Ginny-the-slut - she's going to be in a rap video next. *rolls eyes* Honestly, she's gone out with two boys and then her one true love. Give me a break. It's not like she's going to play the field now - even though they broke up.

[jamc91.livejournal.com]

(Side note - I really hate when people talk loudly in the library).

Um. *cough* Oops? >_< It's unintentional, I promise. And I do try.

I can't remember Bill ever moving to Romania. I thought only Charlie did. I always wondered where Bill went, and assume he'd stayed in England or something.

I have this weird bright red dot on my wrist and I can't figure out what it is because it doesn't hurt at all. o_O I do know it's not ink, though.

With the 'three boys within several months' thing though, I'm going to take her brothers' view (but not Ron's) on this. I don't like Ginny very much. She's too pretty. :P

I 'WTF' at anyone who says the Weasleys are evil, though.

[schemingreader.livejournal.com]

How do we even know that Molly is a housewife? She could be an Unspeakable, or have another job that doesn't require her to leave the house. After all, JKR and I are both moms who work from home.

I do get quite annoyed at JKR's use of Molly sometimes though. Must she be the eternal symbol of maternal noodging?

I like the Weasley family's flaws, very much.

[lunafish.livejournal.com]

I came this way via the daily_snitch; hope you don't mind me putting in my two knuts. I actually posted this in a comment a while back on sneaky_rhea's journal in reply to her comments on JKR and feminism (http://sneaky-rhae.livejournal.com/25801.html):

Oddly enough, though she's often villified, I really like and respect Molly Weasley. Yeah, I know she makes mistakes, as she did in book 4 with thinking Hermione broke Harry's heart, but she usually acts out of concern for her family (in book 4, that would be Harry). And if you think about it, her actions toward Hermione weren't completely awful. She didn't simply blow Hermione off at Easter, for example; she merely sent her a smaller egg to show her displeasure. Nor did Molly refuse to talk to Hermione when the former came to visit Harry during the tournament; she was simply reserved, a reservation she immediately abandoned when Harry let her know that Hermione was innocent of playing with his heart.

While I'm at it, I should probably address the other complaint people have about Mrs. Weasley: that she's shrewish. Heck yeah she's a screamer. You try keeping seven kids in check with a pat on the cheek and a whisper. And from the look of it, she doesn't get a whole heck of a lot of backup from Arthur. His mind's drifting in space somewhere as he dreams about cool Muggle gadgets. No, Molly's got her hands full, and she's got to make herself heard if the kids are to have any hope of surviving their siblings or (in the twins' case) themselves!

So why do I admire Molly? She loves her children and her husband more than life itself. She wants them to succeed. Sure, she discourages Fred and George from the joke shop idea, but she's just trying to steer them on the right path, which for most of us means finishing school and getting a sensible, safe job. Now that the boys have proved that their dreams are not all that farfetched after all, she seems to have no problem with it (aside from fearing that they may bring unwanted, dangerous attention to themselves with their irreverance).

I'm also quite taken with her for the way she treats Harry and usually Hermione as her own children. She seems to have so much love in her. Look at her Boggart if you don't believe me. Her greatest fear is for something to happen NOT to herself, but to a member--any member--of her family.

And, God, that woman works for her family. Can you imagine how difficult it must be to take care of all those kids, a husband, any Order members who happen to show up, all the extra kids who probably come around to spend time with her own popular brood? And that's another thing: her children, with perhaps the sole exception of Percy (and I'm hoping he'll come through in the end), are all nice, decent people.

Anyway, despite her fears, however, she's right in the thick of things and knows that her children must be as well. She doesn't want it to happen, but when it comes right down to it, she stands with her family in danger rather than insisting (hopelessly) that they distance themselves from the battle. She doesn't come off as the kickbutt kind of woman (though you never know; I think she does a pretty good job keeping those kids in line most of the time), but I think in a pinch I wouldn't mind at all having her by my side.

[author-by-night.livejournal.com]

Wow, great points there! :)

[koloagirl.livejournal.com]

Also here via the Snitch. Ditto on everything you say. Seriously, anyone who thinks Molly hasn't worked herself into oblivion by caring for the numerous members of her family hasn't had the experience of having full parental responsibility (with or without a partner) for multiple children.

Here from the Daily Snitch

[lanjelin.livejournal.com]

Even though I don't like all the Weasley's, and I think that some of them I do like sometimes displays bad characteristics, it doesn't mean I think they're evil. Why does everything have to be either/or all the time?

1. I agree.

2. Slut? Aren't we ever going to get rid of the silly notion that having sex is a bad thing? That word should really go into disuse IMO.

On the other hand, if you argue that Ginny treated the boys she dated badly by only using them as substitutes for the one she really wanted, you might have a point.

3. They're friends that often bicker (which in fiction is a Clue of future romance that was pretty ovbvious from the start) and I've seen no indications of abuse, though they sometimes really hurt each other. Calling either of them abusive is so over the top it's almost funny.

4. The Weasley's might be as biased as the Malfoys when it comes to House affiliation. However, the Malfoys have that "let's kill off the unworthy" philosophy that's pretty hard to match with anything the Weasleys want...

5. I think she is overbearing, and also tries to protect people by keeping them ignorant, which I don't like. It doesn't make her evil, or even a bad person, just a human being with flaws.

And in some ways, they're a LOT more lenient. How many of you would have been able to have a friend of the opposite sex visit during the summer?

Dude, I wasn't born in the fifties. I could do that whenever I liked.

6. Even if they wanted to move away to escape Molly's overprotectiveness, it doesn't mean they don't still love her. When I first moved away from home I moved to another city and loved how independent it felt to be away from my family. And my parents are nowhere near as overprotective as Molly.

Also, they might just like the adventure of learning to work and live in another country? Or, as you said, maybe it's hard to find a good place to work with Dragons and you have to take what you're offered? And how many cursebreakers do they need in the UK?

Re: Here from the Daily Snitch

[m-ho.livejournal.com]

I agree, sluttery is good as long as there's liberal condom use.

Regarding Ron/Hermione and abuse, what about Hermione attacking him physically with those birds? I always thought that was a deal-breaker, and didn't get why it's all whimsical and hilarious when juxtaposed with the Gaunt domestic violence.

Re: Here from the Daily Snitch

[lanjelin.livejournal.com]

I didn't think it was that serious; after all, the wizarding world is a dangerous place, and the fact that Quidditch hasn't been banned at school after all the times Harry (and probabaly a lot more people over the years) has nearly died playing it says a lot.

It's easier to fix damage in the WW, and most things can be healed.

I always felt it was the wizarding equivalence of throwing your drink in someones face. It can be painful and embarrassing, but will leave no lasting damage. I haven't seen any other incidents confirming abusive behaviour either.

We also have less control over our emotions when we're that young. When I was fifteen, I hit a boy in the face with my fist. it hasn't happened again since then, and now I'm 27.

Re: Here from the Daily Snitch

[tree_and_leaf]

Yes, that was how I read it too. Sure, it's not a good thing to do. But Hermione's still relatively young, and under a lot of pressure (not just with the Ron thing - she's worried about Voledemort, and about Harry, and probably about exams too - and sooner or later, something's got to give) I don't think it was pre-meditated, either. She just snapped, but I don't think it was indicative of her 'normal' personality or behaviour

Re: Here from the Daily Snitch

[(Anonymous)]

Yes, but R&H weren't going out at that point. Ron was kissing his girlfriend. That was all. He wasn't doing anything to purposely cause harm to his friends. If a boy suddenly threw his drink into my face I would be VERY angry. Those birds also drew blood. Just because one visit to the nurse can fix almost anything, it doesn't make it right. I understand that she lost her temper but she still should have known better.

Re: Here from the Daily Snitch

[tree_and_leaf]

I'm not saying it's right. I just don't think it's unforgiveable.

Re: Here from the Daily Snitch

[huehau.livejournal.com]

JKR should have written Hermione conjuring the birds and then having them crap all over Ron. That would have been funny.

[sea-of-tethys.livejournal.com]

Thank you.

We need more sane discussions like this. I don't love the Weasleys particularly, but Weasley-haters generally disturb me - particularly the people who complain about the trip to Egypt. It's a creepy kind of class prejudice.

[ladyofthesnitch.livejournal.com]

I think it's sad that people are actually complaining about these. :-/

[(Anonymous)]

They really aren't that far away from their family when you consider that they can just apperate home anytime. On that point, why is it so expensive for the family to travel to Egypt? Bill and Charlie could always apperate home and with Molly and Arther, use slide-along apperation to bring the kids back. They could even borrow a tent so they don't have to pay for an inn or be a burden on anyone. They could also shrink and carry or owl their food ahead of time so they wouldn't have to buy anything.