fandomsecrets | [ SECRET POST #2191 ]

⌈ Secret Post #2191 ⌋

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I'd also consider the possibility that the relationship is more correlative than causative. Bravery and ambition in particular are associated with individualism (and people with high intelligence stand out as well), while Hufflepuff traits are more useful in a collective setting. I would argue that in modern Western society, individualism is much more highly valued than collectivism, although that itself might be because those two things are also gendered (but is that gendering as old as sexism itself? They both go back to time immemorial, so maybe we can't be sure). What I'm saying is, maybe it's less that the traits are gendered and more that both the traits and the genders are associated with different philosophies, one of which is more valued than the other.

Either way, I think you may have a point.

This after the secret/discussion about Japan's collectivist culture makes me wonder how different cultures value and perceive the various houses.

I thought of that as I was writing my comment! I would be interested to find out too.

i always thought the "bad" rep was due to hufflepuff being the charity house, more or less.

not "good" enough for any of the other houses? no worries, helga'll take ya! no one wants to be "the rest".

Edited 2013-01-02 01:34 (UTC)

That definitely didn't help, but it wasn't canon until the Sorting Hat's song in Order of the Phoenix. Before that book came out, there was a lot of discussion in the fandom about what happened if you didn't have any signature House traits, and Hufflepuff definitely wasn't considered a catch-all at the time.

really? i was in fandom circa 2002/03 and i remember back then that it already FELT like a very clear catch-all. mostly because younger me thought huflepuff's defining traits were pretty vague. more so than the other houses', i mean.

Hmm, that's the time period I was thinking of too. Possibly different parts of the fandom had different ideas? (What am I saying, this is never not the case.) Anyway, I totally agree that that's at least part of it.

OP here
This is what I meant. I didn't mean Hufflepuff gets a bad rap because women are gross and stupid, and aren't capable of bravery or whatever the other houses have. I meant it as, considering females are stereotyped as having the same sort of traits or personalities; gentle, soft hearted, giving, avoid competition. Those are all stereotypes put upon women.

None of those traits are bad, BUT, people have grown to view them as weak and useless traits to have in a patriarchal society. They think you are not going to have success if you aren't competitive. They think you are a doormat if you have even the slightest gentleness in your personality. I could go on and on.
It is an interesting point on Western society putting emphasis on Individualism. I think that really does play highly into it as well.

I just didn't want to make a tl;dr secret, but I guess I should have known better when it comes to anything with supposed hate on women.

Okay, that's fair.

I'm sure if you'd explained in detail you would have had a lot of tl;dr complaints, but I appreciate the clarification. :-)

This would actually be a good thing to ask JKR about, because I think more than anything else, people have taken their cues about the Houses from what the characters think, and they are strongly dismissive of Hufflepuff. As JKR is someone who seems conscientious and is known to make pro-feminist public statements, I wonder whether she's given any thought to it.

That's . . . odd. I always saw the Hufflepuff house virtues as primarily loyalty (valued in anyone in the one-down position, whether female, lower-class, the colonized, etc.) and justice/fairness (not traditionally considered a feminine virtue, at least not in English-speaking Western culture). "Gentle" and/or "giving" wouldn't have crossed my mind.

Well obviously those are traits Hufflepuff shines in. But they are not traits that make people who dislike the house, dislike it. I said Giving and Gentle because those are traits I often see used to describe the house when people are talking about why they don't like it/belong in it. It doesn't necessarily apply to the house, but it has been perceived by many that they do, and it is a stereotype on women which is another reason I included them. So it just adds another interest layer of why they have.
Is it because the other traits Hufflepuff are defined as ring as pertaining to a certain type of individual to many people? And that type is the kind that possesses gentleness and charity?(the charity might also come from the house being believed to accept everyone)

[ SECRET POST #2191 ]

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