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

[darrin_burnett]

No: HPFGUIDX 62640

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Jenserai Bariman" 
<jenserai at h...> wrote:
> Kewpie:
> >Agree. How was Snape's "mudblood" racist slurs any different from
> >James hexing "oddballs" whom he considered inferior?  James's 
picking
> >on Snape is also based on no apparent reason and bigotry, it's 
really
> >just the same kind of attitude. If James is so "good" for not
> >thinking muggle aren't inferior, why won't he realize people who 
came
> >from different background, and not born with privilege (looks, 
wealth)
> >or having preference in "occult things" are NOT filths, they're 
human
> >being with feelings too. I just don't see how people defend James 
as
> >if suggesting "well at least he's not racist" made him any more
> >morally superior to Snape.
> >
> 
> My spin on this:
> So James didn't like oddballs, and Snape didn't like Muggle-borns. 
I'm not 
> sure Snape's apparent racism was anything more than a reaction to 
the 
> humiliation he was feeling at the moment, but I'll admit it's a 
possiblity 
> and leave it for now.
> 
> The point I want to make about this scenario is that I hardly think 
the Lily 
> would be defending Snape if he went around hexing muggle-borns as 
James did 
> with outcasts.
> 
> -Jens


Me:

But her attitude towards Snape certainly changed. After he dropped 
the "mudblood" on her, she insulted his underwear AND called him 
Snivellus and said she wouldn't bother trying to help him any longer. 
(I doubt that last one came true, since James made a point of keeping 
his future spats with Snape away from her.)

Perhaps Lily didn't fully get what Snape was about until he dropped 
that "mudblood" on her.

Does that justify being attacked by wizards far superior in this 
case? No, it doesn't. 

But it is also possible that Snape was more than just a poor little 
Goth boy, listening to his Nine Inch Nails and rolling dice for his 
new D&D character and minding his own business for five torture-
filled years.

Darrin