Was Hagrid guilty of blood prejudice?

Question

After Mr Weasley and Mr Malfoy have their fistfight in Flourish and Blotts, Hagrid says:

"Yeh should've ignored him, Arthur...Rotten ter the core, the whole family, everyone knows that. No Malfoy's worth listenin' ter. Bad blood, that's what it is. Come on now - let's get outta here."
_{(Chamber of Secrets, Chapter 4, At Flourish and Blotts).}

Now I've always understood Hagrid to be saying, in effect, "Don't concern yourself with the Malfoys. They're just a bunch of troublemakers." 'Bad blood' here would refer to the Malfoys' natural proclivity for starting arguments with their taunts and insults. Or he could mean that there is bad blood (i.e. ill-feeling, enmity and hostility) between the Malfoys and the Weasleys - and that that's the way it's always going to be.

Then it struck me that he could mean something else. He could be saying that the Malfoys are inherently spiteful, argumentative or disdainful simply because they are pure-bloods. In other words, he thinks that the 'blood' of the Malfoys makes them what they are.

Ordinarily, I would dismiss this interpretation as over-thinking Rowling/Hagrid's choice of words, since prejudice of this sort is out of character for Hagrid. However, it's difficult to gloss over Hagrid's statement when you consider the following fact:

Discrimination based on blood purity is the main central theme of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.

It seems impossible that Rowling or her publisher could have simply slipped this sort of phrase in without thinking about it, considering the subject matter of the book. Purebloods like the Malfoys discriminate against half-bloods and Muggle-borns. The 'good guys' like Dumbledore don't differentiate between people based on their ancestry. So, as I say, Hagrid's language here doesn't fit. Yet are we really to suppose that it was entirely coincidental?

So is there any way of supposing what Hagrid actually meant when he said "bad blood"? Has Rowling commented on this at all?

Note: I'm not suggesting that Hagrid was prejudiced against purebloods in general. I'm just asking whether he was in this instance.

Answer 1

He does not discriminate.

How many times have we seen him say it doesn't matter? Granted, that's usually in the case of Muggle borns being equal, but...

Consider who he's talking to. He's talking to the Weasley family, who are pure bloods (yeah, yeah, I know) themselves. He was a friend of many pure bloods and Muggle borns alike.

Also consider the entire paragraph again:

Yeh should've ignored him, Arthur...Rotten ter the core, the whole family, everyone knows that. No Malfoy's worth listenin' ter. Bad blood, that's what it is. Come on now - let's get outta here."

The whole paragraph is demeaning the Malfoy family. How are families related? Blood. The whole thing is just him decrying the Malfoys. Nothing more.

Answer 2

"...prejudice of this sort is out of character for Hagrid."

That's... not entirely true. There are many examples in which Hagrid engages in casual racism, and is shown as prejudiced against some groups, but as he is introduced as a sympathetic character who opposes bad people the reader tends to skip over and justify his behaviour. Just to give a few examples:

Hagrid on centaurs:

‘Never,’ said Hagrid irritably, ‘try an’ get a straight answer out of a centaur. Ruddy star-gazers. Not interested in anythin’ closer’n the moon.’ ~Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone: The Forbidden Forest

Hadrid tells this behind the back of a centaur with whom he is in a friendly terms to a group of first years. Good teacher material, isn't he?

Hagrid on muggles:

‘I’d like ter see a great Muggle like you stop him,’ he said. ‘A what?’ said Harry, interested. ‘A Muggle,’ said Hagrid. ‘It’s what we call non-magic folk like them. An’ it’s your bad luck you grew up in a family o’ the biggest Muggles I ever laid eyes on.’ ~Harry Potter and the Philosopher's stone: The Keeper of the Keys

Notice - not the 'worst people' but 'the biggest Muggles'. As the Dursleys are terrible people who abused a minor who was under their care, the reader feels that Hagrid's behaviour is justified.

Hagrid on house elves:

“It’d be doin’ ’em an unkindness, Hermione,” said gravely, threading a massive bone needle with thick yellow yarn. “It’s in their nature ter look after humans, that’s what they like, see? Yeh’d be makin’ ’em unhappy ter take away their work, an’ insutin’ ’em if yeh tried ter pay ’em.” “But Harry set Dobby free, and he was over the moon about it!” said Hermione. “And we heard he’s asking for wages now!” “Yeah, well, yeh get weirdos in every breed. I’m not sayin’ there isn’t the odd elf who’d take freedom, but yeh’ll never persuade most of ’em ter do it—no, nothin’ doin’, Hermione.” ~Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

I am not saying that Hermione's single minded approach is the right one, far from it. But the issue is more complex than Hagrid's 'they like it'. Hagrid has his racial stereotypes he's comfortable with, and it will be difficult, if not impossible to convince him otherwise.

On the other hand, one could claim that Hagrid in general uses derogatory language and expressions when he is irritated with someone. Some of those aren't racial slurs:

Uncle Vernon said sharply, ‘Don’t touch anything he gives you, Dudley.’ The giant chuckled darkly. ‘Yer great puddin’ of a son don’ need fattenin’ any more, Dursley, don’ worry.’ ~Harry Potter and the Philosopher's stone: The Keeper of the Keys

Which probably could mean that Hagrid insults people in general when he dislikes them, using his limited vocabulary and insults he is familiar with. As it happens, many insults in the wizarding world tend to be about race and blood, so that's what we hear from him.

It was probably the case when Hagrid used the 'bad blood' expression - he wanted to say something negative about a family he disliked and pulled out a slur from his vocabulary.

It is ironic, really, that Hagrid uses loaded 'purist' terminology so popular with death eaters to describe the very group/family he disagrees with - but as we know, Hagrid is not the sharpest tool in the shed... and using inappropriate terms by people who oppose the ideology behind those terms happens more often than you would think.

Answer 3

Then it struck me that he could mean something else. He could be saying that the Malfoys are inherently spiteful, argumentative or disdainful simply because they are pure-bloods. In other words, he thinks that the 'blood' of the Malfoys makes them what they are.

You forget that the Weasleys are pure blood as well. It is just an English expression.