Argument: Actually, Slytherins are good

There’s a moment in the latter half of the final Harry Potter movie, just before the Battle Of Hogwarts begins in earnest, where Professor McGonagall sends the entirety of Slytherin House to the school’s dungeons. The decision is met with uproarious applause and, as a viewer, you’re left thinking, “Hell yeah. Slytherin sucks. Why didn’t they do this earlier?” But, as a new video from ScreenPrism suggests, Slytherin House might not actually be pure evil. They might just be the victims of a story that’s told from an inherently anti-Slytherin perspective.

Though the films would lead you to believe that the predominant characteristics of Slytherin House are racism and a penchant for goth fashion, real Potter-heads know that Slytherins are ambitious, cunning, and goal-oriented. Michael Corleone, Tyrion Lannister, and Tony Stark would all be sorted into Slytherin, ScreenPrism argues. They’re emotionally complex but they’re able to look at things from a cold, rational perspective. They’re incredibly accomplished, willing to do the things others wont, and are unabashedly narcissistic. We may not like the choices they make sometimes, but we still like them as characters.

So, instead of writing off every Slytherin as evil, a more accurate label to use might be “complicated.” The other houses all seem a bit one-note when compared to the depth and diversity of character among Slytherin students. Sure, there are some Nazi wizards in the bunch, but there is also a lot of potential. Maybe if everyone stopped telling 12-year-old Slyherins that they got sorted into the Nazi house then there would be more of a chance for that potential to turn into something positive.

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