Inexcusable Behaviors (Was: Apology...)

[meboriqua at aol.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 22523

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., koinonia02 at y... wrote:
 
 What I object to is  making excuses for people when they do wrong.  
Voldemort suffers from  a certain type of mental illness so we can't 
hold him responsible.   Poor, poor Peter.  Surely he suffered some 
mental childhood abuse so  we must understand why he became the way he 
did.  Barty Crouch Sr and  Jr ---the same thing.  Good grief!  
Everyone is suffering from some  type of mental disorder. The fact is 
some people are just plain mean  and some people just choose evil.>

I have to disagree with you here, even though you made some excellent 
points.  First, I don't think that most people are excusing the 
behaviors of these characters.  I know I'm not.  Understanding why 
someone does something is different than excusing them for it.  Some 
of my student do some nasty things.  I understand that their lives are 
rough and their parents are not necessarily showing them love, but 
I'll still make sure a student is punished for inappropriate behavior 
- even my favorite students cannot always escape my wrath :-).

I think the Crouch family in general sucks.  Crouch Sr. was a power 
hungry zealot, Jr was an insane DE, and mom was a weak sniveling wimp  
(gosh, that sounded harsh).  There are reasons why they are the way 
they are, and some of the reasons for Jr's behavior were revealed to 
us.  I understand why he thought he could find acceptance and a 
substitute family in the DEs, but it disgusts me all the same.  For 
that reason, I don't think some people just "choose" evil.  There are 
reasons for almost everything, whether it be childhood abuse or 
abandonment or jealousy of peers.

--jenny from ravenclaw****************************