HOL Ravenclaw

Was Umbridge right?

On one hand, we have the fact that 'her right to be that way is her right', and morality doesn't come into play. Additionally, she was extremely ambitious and did what she believed in throughout her whole life. Is this enough to justify her being 'right'?

On the other hand, she was sadistic, and her morals were clearly skewed to the reader and to many characters in the Harry Potter books. She also stopped at nothing in accomplishing her goals, including discriminating against others.

Please be respectful of each other and acknowledge that we are not debating to 'destroy' or convince each other, we are debating to have a discussion and to have fun while doing it. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. Try and support your arguments with evidence, and have fun!!

Umbridge had her right to believe these things and she thought that she was doing what was right. I accept that and support people doing what they believe in. That is all good and all but when Umbridge starts hurting students at he place of work is where I feel it becomes unacceptable. I don’t think that you should be hurting other people just because. In book 7 it is mentioned that Harry still has scarring from when he wrote lines with her. Even worse she was a teacher and yet she hurt her students.

As far as I can tell, Dolores Umbridge always wholeheartedly supported the current Minister of Magic, right or wrong, whenever she was working for the Ministry. So as a teacher in Harry Potter's fifth year, she took great pains to support Minister Fudge's version of the truth - up to and including thoroughly quashing opinions that contradicted that version (e.g. Harry Potter talking about his seeing Voldemort return) and punishing people who made those opinions.

While I could imagine this support working for good if she somehow had her position under, say, a Shacklebolt administration - opinions that change with the person in power do not seem to match any sort of inherent 'rightness' in my universe. And, as a teacher, she completely failed at teaching her subject effectively (to the point that her students had to form an inter-house study group to counteract that) and acted to make tensions among the student body worse than they already were via the Inquisitorial Squad!

I agree with Prof. Will in that Umbridge always supported the Minister, but the way she went about doing so was... immoral, and yes, sadistic. She was a cruel woman who dosed students with Veritaserum and forced them to use blood quills for detentions, which is illegal.
As well as her stance on creatures such as centaurs, 'half-breeds', werewolves, and others that aren't 'pure.' Which is ironic considering she claimed to be pureblood (if I remember correctly) despite never providing proof of it. I believe she was a half-blood, but I suppose you could make an argument that she is a pureblood, but perhaps not a highly admired or respected family and as such wanted to distance herself from that reputation.