I hate Ron because of the lie the books tell; that if you just ask, you'll be forgiven, being poor is inconsequential.

I hate Ron because his relationship with Hermione is a lie; it says that in the end, even if you're a loser who has the nerve of a three year old, the girl of your dreams will overlook the Viktor's, Harry's, Cormac's of the world. And that his little delusions of Hermione choosing him over Viktor, Harry, or Krum, were just his way of coping to get over just how much of a loser he really is.

I could very well imagine him waking up one day to find out that his entire life was nothing more a dream, that magic doesn't exist, he's not special, he didn't help defeat a terrorist, and the the Hermione of the real world, his crush, is married to a rich and famous Football player. And he's nothing more than a clerk for some thrift store in Atlanta, Georgia.

 

I don't hate Ron. He's a bro. He's also the closest thing to a real character the series have.

 

It sounds to me like you have terrible self-esteem and you're projecting your issues onto Ron.

 

Ron is the best character in the series. Hate him or love him, he's the most like a real human, flaws and all.

Is there something you need to work out for yourself here?

 

People tend to judge Ron against impossibly high standards. Ron puts his life on the line for Harry so many times - something that most friends don't do even once. The level of friendship required to risk your life for another person is pretty high. Most friendships will be tested by things like calling in the middle of the night to take you to the hospital, shit like that... risking your life is just on a whole other level.

Ron fails to be a perfect friend twice. I think those failures are, in the grand scheme of things, quite insignificant compared to his friendship as a whole.

 

No shit; the dude is totally average, just like me.

 

In no way is Ron average. He may be average in abilities, but he is certainly not average in temperament. He's the magical equivalent of those US soliders who wrestled the gunman to the ground on the French train - literally a hero. He has helped save many lives, and did so at great personal risk against a far superior foe.

 

Being average is just a mentality. A choice you make everyday. Do something to change your life instead of just sitting around feeling bitter.

 

I don't see how he is better than Neville, who I don't consider average.

Sure, Ron put himself at risk, but we could probably name nearly a hundred other characters in the series who did as well.

What is Ron when compared to James, Remus, Sirius? Hell, even Peter Pettigrew was a better wizard who accomplished more, however deplorable those accomplishments were.

With all of the stand out characters in the story, what is Ron? Just an average wizard who never stood out when others were in a similar position as himself.

 

Ron's brave and loyal, for the most part. He's just horribly immature. I'm not going to deny I had a few moments in the series where I fucking loathed him, because I've known a few people who had a tendency to turn against friends the way he does.

But honestly, he has... What? Two bad moments in the series? Fourth year and Seventh. A bit of whinging in book five, but honestly, who wasn't being emo as hell in that bloody book?

He's also standing with Harry in the face of certain death several times.

Obviously he can't be compared to Neville, who's awesome.

 

After you have personally travelled to Syria and hunted the leadership of ISIL with two friends from high school, you can say this.

 

Leaving aside your issues with Ron, which I basically disagree with...you seem to have a curious mental image of Cormac if you're lumping him in with Krum and Harry. Cormac is the stereotypical jock, talented at sport but at little else other than being a self absorbed, obnoxious little jerk. He is the magical equivalent of the boys you see in that Nando's meme, a proper ledge up for some wicked bantz.

 

"Brave"

Sure, and so were all the Hufflepuffs who joined the Battle of Hogwarts.

So was Colin Creevey.

So was Lavender Brown.

Let's be honest, here. Being "Brave" in the Harry Potter series is not that big of a deal.

Hell, even Peter Pettigrew showed tremendous bravery.

Because a only a brave or stupid fool would have the balls to look for Voldemort... after having betrayed him.

 

Are you really judging a character by his magical talent? do you really believe that this is all that's important in a man?

Hermione isn't the girl of his dreams. Fleur is. Hermione is the little annoying, plain looking nerd who bosses him around that he has strangely grown fond of. If anything is a lie here, it's her Ugly-Duckling act, which was more of a fan-service for nerdy female readers, or wish-fulfillment as Rowling's self-insert.

I don't like Ron, but he's not worse than the other main characters, who all suffered from character-assasination-in-the-name-of-plot.

 

So...bravery is only worthwhile in correlation to it's rarity? Logical argument has officially abandoned this thread.

 

Eh -- comparisons with fantasy and real life can only extend for so much.

I wouldn't dare judge someone like Ron, if they actually were real... without magic and having participated in a real war.

But I'm talking about Ron, who lives in a fantasy world where PTSD doesn't even exist. And the leader of their army thinks "love" will help them win the war.

 

To state what should be blindingly obvious (but apparently isn't): bravery is not a binary property. There are degrees of bravery. Just because two people are both brave, it doesn't follow that they are equally brave. Lavender was brave for staying to fight, yes, but this comes nowhere near the bravery Ron has shown over and over again. (Similarly, nothing Ron has done really compares to Harry going into the forest to let Voldemort kill him).

 

Why'd you have to remind me of that? I was trying to forget.

Yes -- is bravery such a big deal when your species does nothing but fight?

When I judge characters in stories, I judge them based on how they relate and compare to the others in the story as well.