OOP: James( was:Two-way Mirror and other frustrations)

[M.Clifford]

No: HPFGUIDX 64090

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Diana Williams" <diana at s...> 
wrote:
> > --- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "M.Clifford"
> > <valkyrievixen at y...> wrote:
> > >
> > > No decent person would respect James for being a cruel bully.
> > Agreed.
> > > But, imagine the charismatic rebuttal he would give comments
> > > on "mudblood filth" throughout his school life.
> > > Snape wasn't an *innocent* victim. On the day of his memory he 
was
> > > already guilty of a cruelty and bullying of his own more 
insidious
> > > kind. Hating people for something they cannot change 
regardless of
> > > their innermost character.
> > > James earned a degree of repect for this: his spite was 
directed
> > at
> > > someones choice to hate, not merely someones inability to 
defend
> > > themself, as was Snapes attack on Lily. For what defense has a
> > > muggleborn witch against such comments, but a charismatic
> > pureblood
> > > displaying such characters for the fools that they are.
> 
> 
> I'm not quite following your argument here.  It sounds like you're 
saying
> that James is justified in his attack because Snape is a bigot and 
that he's
> defending Lily from Snape's bigoted comment.  That doesn't wash.  
Snape
> didn't call Lily a mudblood until *after* James had attacked 
Snape.  At this
> point, he had taken away Snape's wand, bound him, washed out his 
mouth with
> soap, and hung him upside down.  Before the attack, he didn't say 
to Sirius
> "there's that bigoted creep who insulted X yesterday - let's make 
him pay."
> He said that he had a cure for Sirius' boredom.  PLUS, when Lily 
asked why
> he was attacking Snape, he didn't say "because he's a bigoted 
jerk" he said
> "because he exists".  The fact that Snape (who I agree is *not* an 
innocent
> lamb) comes out with a bigoted remark *after* James attacks him 
does not
> then justify James' actions.  It would be like my saying that I was
> justified in burning down my neighbor's house now because I think 
he might
> be a redneck and might say something sexist in the future.  In 
addition, I
> doubt that Lily needed to be defended against Snape's comments by 
a white
> knight riding to her rescue - she seemed to be doing just fine 
defending
> herself.  (Plus she heartily disliked James and appears to have 
continued to
> dislike him for at least another year.)
> 
> Diana Williams

Not Really. Is my answer to your question.
I hadn't proposed that the remark, of Snapes, was a justification 
for James actions, but rather more, an insight into who exactly 
James was targeting and possibly why.
In this memory we see only a lonely student Snape, and are compelled 
to have some sympathy for his cause. In all fairness, I do. Snape 
was minding his own business and James' most certainly caused him 
terribly, undeserved distress. However, trying hard to look at the 
practicable situation unfoggily, Snape was a target for *existing*. 
There is definite overtones of Severus personifies a thing that 
shouldn't exist, in that statement. Which is the crux of my 
argument. Childish and cruel a display as it were what I see in 
James is a righteousness, that is not becoming of his actions, but 
may be behind them.
I am not convinced either that his dissent of Lily was purely a 
reaction to the former embarrassment. Though, on its own its stands, 
in context of the obvious dissapproval he has of Hermione's talent I 
would say there is evidence he believes what he says about "Mudblood 
filth".
I am sure it will, in future books, become evident why James was 
such a beast to Severus. I am supposing that it is also likely we 
will see how James came to care for him at some later stage, and 
recognise him as a human with feelings.
Though, of course, remembering that Lupin said he still secretly 
taunted Snape in seventh year the latter situation is unlikely, IMHO 
to be truly redeeming for Severus' character. 
Whereas James' character is rather more redeemed by his selfless 
protection of Boy Severus from his dangerous friend and in doing so 
his defiance of his dearest mate Sirius.
Valky