There's a massive difference between thinking badly of Slytherins (which is basically the norm) and thinking badly of people with lesser blood status
Is there though? Especially pre-war? Because most all prejudices start as "the norm". I don't see how "everyone thinks that way" makes it right.
It's the difference between thinking badly of someone because they're a member of a rival school/fraternity/club and thinking badly of someone because of their race.
I think both are stupid. If you're going to bully someone for attending a different school I will think less of you, just as I would if you bullied someone for being a minority. Of course, there's a history of oppression to account for, I get that, but at a certain point baseless prejudice is baseless prejudice.
He considers Snape as less than because he thinks he's an evil git
Yes but why? Because Snape engages in worse behaviors than he and his friends do?
Him being a Slytherin doesn't help matters, but as with Malfoy it's more of a contributing factor than the main reason...no evidence that he had some kind of extreme prejudice toward Slytherin that went beyond the normal rivalry.
When James, Sirius, Lily, and Snape all met on the train, from the get-go James was talking about how he'd leave if he were in Slytherin and suggested Sirius wasn't a good person because he was in Slytherin. I don't think we can discount that as the start of the prejudice.
He believed that useful friendships were more important than genuine ones, and he paid the price.
Well, I suppose I don't see anything wrong with that. Genuine friends let you down too. But that's just a difference of opinion.
James' best trait is arguably the lengths he will go for his friends and loved ones, and Draco does not display that trait.
But I'm saying he does. He tries to kill Dumbledore because he knows if he doesn't his whole family will be murdered. Sure, his actions were less "good" in the name of loved ones than James, but he and his family would do anything for each other. That's made pretty clear in the books.
Also, I think James best trait is his light-heartedness/eagerness. Draco certainly doesn't have that =]