Two-way Mirror and other frustrations! (OotP Spoilers!)

[adamjmarcantel]

No: HPFGUIDX 63434

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "M.Clifford" 
<valkyrievixen at y...> wrote:
> --- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "bibphile" <bibphile at y...> 
> wrote:
> > --- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "aliveandkickingjustabout" 
> > <aliveandkickingjustabout at y...> wrote:
> >   
> > > 
> > > 
> > > If he was such a bully, why was he so respected by all the 
> > teachers, 
> > > hagrid, Dumbledore? 
> > 
> > Because they're all thinking of James the seventh year who quit 
> > bullying everyone but Snape and hid that.  They're also thing of 
> > James to adult who probably left his hatred of Snape behind 
(when 
> > Snape turned spy and started risking his life against Voldemort) 
> was 
> > a good, brave and heroic person.
> >  
> > 
> I disagree, IMHO James earned his respect from the part of the 
> Wizarding community that did not practice bogotry.
> Snape may have seemed the innocent victim of the taunts in the 
> schoolgrounds. But remember we are seeing the time when Voldemort 
> became his angriest. Bigotry like Snapes was as despicable as 
ever, 
> but at this time it existed in the minority. In a way Voldemort 
led 
> an uprising of the bigots. 
> James was wrong in targeting the feckless Snape on that day. Cruel 
> and even disgraceful. 
> However, he was on the side of good. I am sure that was not the 
> first time Snape had displayed his colours of prejudice.
> Valky

Now we get into what is good and evil.  Was Snape a bigot? 
Probably.  But there is no indication that he ever acted on that.  I 
think it is ok to dislike someone for any reason you want..as long 
as you don't act out on that feeling (i.e. killing them, denying 
them a place at wizarding school..ya know, the usual).  James, 
however, dislikes Snape (and we're not sure why), which is fine, but 
he ACTS on that and humiliates Snape, which I think makes James 
worse.  Also, could it be that James' actions further aroused his 
feelings of bigotry and might have pushed him to join Voldemort in 
the hopes of getting rid of people like James, Lily, and Sirius 
(even though he was pureblood)?  Only when he realized the lengths 
to which Voldemort was going to go did he leave....just a thought.
Adam