That is a ridiculous statement. Like it was his choice to be a halfblood? I guess he also chose to be an orphan?

That's like saying Sirius couldn't have been a staunch Order member because he was born to the Black family. Had too many of those pureblood supremacist genes to form his own opinions, I guess.

Voldemort's mother was the one who cared more about landing her dream guy than about blood purity, and she was a pureblood (much to her detriment).

 

Haven't you heard? "The convert is the biggest fanatic."

 

Anti-muggle? Very much so. Anti muggle-born? Probably only in front of pureblood followers. I mean, for all intents and purposes, he essentially was one. It's often said that Harry, raised by the Dursleys as a half-blood, was still really no different than a muggle-born, and the same would be true of of Riddle.

Even he was able to acknowledge this, as when confronted by this very question (Neville or Harry), he decides not based upon what he sells to his followers, but based upon his own experience, which is effectively identical to that of a muggle-born's, though sees it in the context of being a 'half-blood.' The point is that he himself acknowledges that he was raised by muggles and is still the most dangerous wizard around, and that as long as one is actually a wizard, how they became one really makes no difference, or such a negligible difference that the non-pureblood could still seem more threatening.

 

Just so we're clear. You're talking about the same Voldemort during whose brief reign muggleborns were prosecuted for stealing magic from purebloods right?

 

Just about all of his minions were pureblood fanatics, and he wanted loyal minions. Also he probably like randomly persecuting people for the same reason he likes murder.

 

He did have an ideology. One where muggleborns were diluting the purity of his world. I just can't see him recruiting the muggleborns he hates on principle.

 

I think that he didn't view her as muggleborn. There's a "no true Indian" rule going on with JKR's purebloods. They'll own up to the muggleborns that they like. This is difficult to understand if you haven't lived it. Or even if you have and you're not the minority on the receiving end of such treatment. But it goes like this: the majority is willing to "overlook" a flaw in a minority that they like. In this case it was Lily's blood status that many people were willing to overlook in favor of her talent.
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Did I not say 'only in front of his pureblood supporters'? Oh, I did say that. I was speaking of how he thought on a personal basis. He didn't mind if they were persecuted. I don't think he'd mind if anyone were persecuted, so long as it wasn't him - he only cares about himself. But does he think muggleborns are inherently less talented wizards than purebloods? He clearly doesn't, or he'd have chosen to kill Neville.

 

Your argument loses water simply because Harry wasn't a pureblood. The reason he didn't go after Neville is because he saw himself mirrored in Harry ie a halfblood. Just a small question I'm gonna put up. How many muggleborns do you know who were a part of his group?

 

Loses water because Harry isn't a pureblood? That's why it holds water, because Neville is and he still decided Harry would be more dangerous. That it related back to his narcissism only means he was still able to recognise that he himself was not a pureblood. If he thought purebloods were inherently superior, he would have considered Neville the greater potential threat and gone after him.

And you have WoG stating he made attempts to recruit muggleborns, so what's the point of asking that question?

 

We are talking about muggleborns here not half-bloods. He never seemed to have a problem with half-bloods. I don't know what WoG said.
I'll admit that I look at things that clash with canon a little skeptically.
Even interviews for that matter 'cause a lot of things get lost in translation.

 

Something like Göring (supposdely) said "I define, who's a jew!"?
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It was mostly a tool for power, but what about that him killing Myrtle because she was a muggleborn (not sure, if the books said, that he killed her, because she was a muggleborn, though)?

 

I suppose my argument is just that he didn't think muggleborns are inferior. I admit he probably hated them for their connection to muggles, as he hated his own muggle heritage such that he was willing to change his identity, but I also think he considered a wizard a wizard, regardless of blood. As in, he didn't think a muggleborn, even if he hated their heritage or background, would be any less capable or talented, or have any less potential, than any other wizard simply because they were muggleborn. If he thought blood purity played any role in potential talent or ability, he would have gone after the Longbottoms.

Yes, he and Harry are technically half-bloods, but if blood purity was an indication of talent, he still would have tried to kill Neville instead of Harry. He himself would have realized that muggle heritage, or even upbringing, in and of itself, has no negative effect on potential, as he was still the most talented wizard of his age, despite his muggle parentage and upbringing. Muggle ancestry has a zero sum effect, so I doubt it would have mattered to him whether someone had one muggle parent or two when it came to judging talent. He just hated anything to do with muggles.

Not so much, though, that he couldn't recognize a muggleborns talent if they had it.

We also have WoG that muggleborns have magical ancestry, so really, there's not much of a technical difference between muggleborns and half bloods either. Because he acknowledged, even if only on a personal level, that he was half muggle, and was still able to be a narcissist, we must conclude that what he thought was special about his blood was not how pure it was, but that some of it was Slytherin's.

 

Well the fact that he never tried recruiting muggleborns from Harry's generation sort of refutes what you're saying. I think the fact that he was a half-blood was balanced by the fact that he was Slytherin's descendent. And the greatest proof of his hatred for muggleborns was his use of the basilisk to rid Hogwarts of them.

 

I just said I'm not trying to refute that he hated them.

Also, why does the generation he's trying to recruit them from refute what I said or make any difference whatsoever?

 

I'm only saying that we have nothing conclusive going by canon alone that he was recruiting muggleborns which is what we're debating.

 

Going by "canon alone"(Which as I understand it includes WOG when it does not contradict the books, particularly when it clarifies the books) Voldemort offered Lily a spot as a death eater, and she refused.

 

I don't know.... that sounds contradictory to me.

 

Canon says James and Lily defied him three times. WOG clarifies that one of those times was when they both refused to become death eaters after being offered it.
When and where does this contradict the books, keeping in mind that contradictions must be actual and not made up.

 

Defied doesn't necessarily mean turning down his offer. I can see Voldemort offering the Marauders a position in his ranks but just can't see Lily being offered one. What we do know for sure...... he hated muggleborns.