I myself always just said what I thought-- er-- unless I'm feeling shy and clammish. But it never occurs to me to either be rude or 'polite'-- I'm neither. I've never been intentionally mean to anyone in my life that I remember, and neither do I go out of my way to be 'nice'-- but people think I am because I just don't think in... er... rude 'terms' if that makes sense? So I never thought Draco said what I was thinking-- I mean, no one in HP says what I'm thinking, but then I totally identify with the pov character in every book no matter who they are. So I'm thinking what they're thinking anyway. (...I don't remember bothering to fully read a book about a character I couldn't stand enough to identify with-- this is why I'm a sucky English major.)
Anyway, so the idea of saying rude-but-really-almost-innocuous things doesn't appeal to me-- that's normal. I like witty/snarky people because they mean to amuse-- saying the truth means you're an idiot as often as not. Like... I do have a certain respect for the boy in `The Emperor's New Clothes', y'know, who pointed and said 'HEY! the KING IS NAKED!' but. Yeay? So what? He was an innocent, as is Draco, I think. Does Draco think of consequences? No. He's just a) trying to be mean; b) doesn't care about people's reactions unless they have power over him. He's not... self-aware enough to make me actually care that he's truth-speaking, even though I really do respect fearless speech more than almost anything. That is to say, Draco is not fearless in his speech.
So... people who're most concerned with others' feelings just kind of... frustrate me too (I totally know what you mean!) because they're just... completely differently focused than asocial hermitic introspective little me (as I'm sure you understand, ahahah). I don't care what people think (while Draco does). To me (...and, I think, to you) it's not a big deal to say the obvious. To Draco-- Draco thinks he's All That, which is... funny. Pathetic and cute and... funny. But identification with him, for me, stops at the understanding that he doesn't understand (whereas I grew up understanding and not caring, which would be totally alien to Draco, I think). So really, I'm meaner than he is in a completely different way >:D
I think Ron says exactly what he thinks (and yet is actually witty/cute in how he phrases it) too, but what he thinks is just not as... er... uncharitable. It's still stinging a lot of times, but it's not... blunt and black&white and 'so what'-like as a lot of Draco's so-called observations are. I mean, I'm like you in that I'd avoid Draco but I don't think what he says is a Big Deal or anything-- sure, fine, it's obvious-- and...? It just rarely seems like it's important truth so much as... petty truth, I guess...?
The people who don't really say what's on their mind and are calculating and concerned with others' reception-- their priorities don't mesh with mine at all, but neither do Draco's... though Draco's endearing for his innocence and persistence and dorkiness (since I do like the stupid little brat... sorta). I just think that elevating Draco's apparent pov as 'truth' means elevating that petty mindset... the 'little' truths, for lack of a better term. Meh, I'm getting carried away with my annoyance at Draco.
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Date: 2004-11-18 07:17 pm (UTC)I myself always just said what I thought-- er-- unless I'm feeling shy and clammish. But it never occurs to me to either be rude or 'polite'-- I'm neither. I've never been intentionally mean to anyone in my life that I remember, and neither do I go out of my way to be 'nice'-- but people think I am because I just don't think in... er... rude 'terms' if that makes sense? So I never thought Draco said what I was thinking-- I mean, no one in HP says what I'm thinking, but then I totally identify with the pov character in every book no matter who they are. So I'm thinking what they're thinking anyway. (...I don't remember bothering to fully read a book about a character I couldn't stand enough to identify with-- this is why I'm a sucky English major.)
Anyway, so the idea of saying rude-but-really-almost-innocuous things doesn't appeal to me-- that's normal. I like witty/snarky people because they mean to amuse-- saying the truth means you're an idiot as often as not. Like... I do have a certain respect for the boy in `The Emperor's New Clothes', y'know, who pointed and said 'HEY! the KING IS NAKED!' but. Yeay? So what? He was an innocent, as is Draco, I think. Does Draco think of consequences? No. He's just a) trying to be mean; b) doesn't care about people's reactions unless they have power over him. He's not... self-aware enough to make me actually care that he's truth-speaking, even though I really do respect fearless speech more than almost anything. That is to say, Draco is not fearless in his speech.
So... people who're most concerned with others' feelings just kind of... frustrate me too (I totally know what you mean!) because they're just... completely differently focused than asocial hermitic introspective little me (as I'm sure you understand, ahahah). I don't care what people think (while Draco does). To me (...and, I think, to you) it's not a big deal to say the obvious. To Draco-- Draco thinks he's All That, which is... funny. Pathetic and cute and... funny. But identification with him, for me, stops at the understanding that he doesn't understand (whereas I grew up understanding and not caring, which would be totally alien to Draco, I think). So really, I'm meaner than he is in a completely different way >:D
I think Ron says exactly what he thinks (and yet is actually witty/cute in how he phrases it) too, but what he thinks is just not as... er... uncharitable. It's still stinging a lot of times, but it's not... blunt and black&white and 'so what'-like as a lot of Draco's so-called observations are. I mean, I'm like you in that I'd avoid Draco but I don't think what he says is a Big Deal or anything-- sure, fine, it's obvious-- and...? It just rarely seems like it's important truth so much as... petty truth, I guess...?
The people who don't really say what's on their mind and are calculating and concerned with others' reception-- their priorities don't mesh with mine at all, but neither do Draco's... though Draco's endearing for his innocence and persistence and dorkiness (since I do like the stupid little brat... sorta). I just think that elevating Draco's apparent pov as 'truth' means elevating that petty mindset... the 'little' truths, for lack of a better term. Meh, I'm getting carried away with my annoyance at Draco.