OoP: I'll do it: In defense of James

[pippin_999]

No: HPFGUIDX 62474

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "darrin_burnett" 
<bard7696 at a...> wrote:
> Another poster suggested an "In Defense of James" post, and 
I'll take up the 
> slack as best I can. What the hell. It's only flames.
> 
> First, something still doesn't track. Snape came to school 
knowing more  curses and hexes than any seventh-year, and 
here we are in the middle of  fifth-year and James clearly 
outclasses him, even with a bit of the element of 
> surprise going on.<<

Lupin the Prefect was there. So what happens if Snape makes a 
pre-emptive strike? Lupin reports him, and maybe gets him 
detention or expelled. The same thing happens if Snape fights 
back hard enough to actually do James and Sirius some 
damage. There were other witnesses, but James and Sirius are 
popular...nobody's going to stick up for Snape.

Secondly, while Snape's racism is odious, to parphrase Sirius, 
the world isn't divided into good people and racists. James 
doesn't consider Muggles inferior--good for him! But he doesn't 
mind mistreating people he does consider inferior, so I can't 
think he's morally superior to Snape here.

Pippin