[HPforGrownups] Re: Snape's many good points (and Sirius' many bad points)

[Andrew MacIan]

No: HPFGUIDX 34708

Gretings from Andrew!

George Smiley, please call the Circus....

--- Caleb Williamson <the_little_catboy at yahoo.ca>
wrote:
>   I think calling Snape brave just because he turned
> spy is not a good reason. We don't know why he did
> was
> it the goodness of his heart(stopping to laugh) or
> was
> he just caught and he turned spy to save his skin.

I take it that you've not considered what it takes to
be a 'field executive', and I would thus point you
toward John Le Carre's excellent works for a suitable
introduction to the subject.

Clancy's adolescent posturings bear no resemblance to
reality in this, so I'll beg off discussing his
wish-fulfillment fantasies.

In summary and default of your deciding not to spend
the time on non-HP literature, let me simply say that
being an agent in place requires tremendous amounts of
stamina, the ability to handle more stress than any
other 'profession' with which I am acquainted
(neurosurgery ain't innit), the parallel ability to
*perfectly* dissemble...and a host of other skills
that needed not just for day-to-day survival, but
(especially in the case of dealing with the KGB and/or
Stasi) second-to-second.  If ever you're suspected,
the axe falls rapidly.

As for being 'turned', this increases the probability
of being caught out by several orders of magnitude. 
Added to the already mentioned levels of stress, and
you have a situation that will ensure that the agent
be caught; it's all a matter of time.

To say that anyone who faces the above situation(s)
and is not brave indicates (to me) that the person
saying so is not sharing my version of reality. YMMV.

> And
> by the way he didn't do such a great job. He couldnt
> help save the Potters and/or the  Longbottoms.

Different agents have different areas of
responsibility.  Different agents have different means
of reporting, *very* few of which are real-time, or
close to it.  As I recall, there was no mention in
canon of Snape having this brief.  Please elucidate
what I've missed.

> Speaking of a Longbottom what about Neville to say
> that Snape could save his toad does not not mean
> Snape
> would do it.

This goes to Snape's bravery (or lack thereof), and
competence as a 'spy', how?

Cheers,

Drieux

=====
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