Hermione, Snape and all that jazz

[jdr0918]

No: HPFGUIDX 69847

The Sergeant Majorette says:

First off, let me state my qualifications for the following ex 
cathedra rant: I spent 12 years from the mid-fifties to the mid-
sixties in parochial school (scary entities in black robes who 
thought nothing of throwing one kid at another kid); 12 years in the 
US military (yeah, I really was a sergeant -- staff, not major); 
several years taking ballet class from various crazed Russians; I 
have been diagnosed as a schizoid personality (not *schizophrenic*, 
just means I don't relate well to people); I was a four-eyed braniac 
in school.

Which means I have witnessed abuse from authority figures; I have 
been a victim of some such abuse; I was not scarred by it because I 
already had an image of myself when I got to school.

So let me explain Hermione: her parents find her a perfectly 
satisfactory daughter. When they find out she is a witch, it doesn't 
faze them in the least; they're tickled that she was invited to a 
prestigious school. When somebody insults her looks she's unbothered 
because pretty isn't her job. When somebody insults her heritage 
she's unbothered because she's secure in her upbringing. She doesn't 
always notice that she's been insulted because she had her nose in a 
book and wasn't listening. She cries when she's angry. If you *see* 
her cry, step away smartly. She has a vicious streak you don't want 
to see. Chart her cycles, because if you push her buttons during her 
late-luteal phase dysphoria, she will ream you a new one and stand 
over your bleeding body daring anyone to help you. She would publicly 
express regret with a straight face if the centaurs had killed 
Umbridge, but she's not sorry and she won't apologize.

Now Snape: back in the day, all a teacher had to do to be a 'good' 
teacher was know his/her stuff, which Snape clearly does. He's not 
the school shrink; not his problem if feelings get hurt. The tooth 
comment was a cheap shot, but hey. He had to say something. (Why? 
Because, okay? Nothing in life is more important than a good line.)

I've said it before and I'll say it again: we Americans are *way* too 
fragile psychologically, and we project that onto our children in a 
manner that does them no favors. Too many of us on this forum are 
allowing non-existent people to open up old wounds and pour salt in 
them. Book V is teaching us a lesson which will stand us in good 
stead in life: dig in, because if you thought it was bad up to now, 
well, it's about to get *real* ugly...

--JDR