Harry and respect

[Eric Oppen]

No: HPFGUIDX 53905

To put it bluntly, learned colleagues, I don't blame Harry a bit for not
always being perfectly respectful of his elders.  Quite a few of those
elders do not behave in ways that deserve respect, and I have always
believed that respect must be earned, not just "strewn gratis on the common
ground,
like pearls before grunting swine."

The Dursleys have long since forfeited any claim to Harry's respect.  About
the only way they haven't been abusive to him, as far as we know, is
physical abuse---beatings, s*xual assault, and the like.  Otherwise, they've
treated him worse than they would a servant, and made it very clear to him
that they resent him and wish he wasn't there.  Frankly, had I been
pre-Hogwarts-letter Harry, I'd have been of the opinion that I'd be better
off as one of Fagin's apprentices in _Oliver Twist_ than at the Dursleys'.
(The unbiassed reader of _Oliver Twist_ can come away with the feeling that
there are things to be said for Fagin's establishment, from Oliver's
POV---enough food, a fair chance of not being wantonly flogged, and cheerful
companions count for a lot.)

As for Professor Snape---from the first day of classes with him, Professor
Snape goes out of his way to behave like a complete, utter jerk to Harry.
While we fans have a lot of theories to defend, or excuse, the man
(LOLLIPOPS springs to mind here), it doesn't change the fact that,
unprovoked by Harry, Snape deliberately embarrasses him in front of his
classmates.  As the series goes on, Professor Snape repeatedly behaves in a
way unworthy of an adult, much less a professional and a teacher.  While
there may well be good reasons for his behavior, _Harry doesn't know about
them!_  (Poor Harry---if he could only subscribe to HP4GU!)  To Harry,
Professor Snape is an obnoxious bully, less of a physical threat than
Dudley's gang, but otherwise not dissimilar.  I "hae me doots" that
Professor Snape is anything like as much of a jerk to his colleagues, if
only because they _aren't_ forbidden to strike back, and are full-fledged
wizards and witches themselves.  If, for example, he tried treating
Professor McGonagall as obnoxiously as he does the Trio, he might get a
chance to find out what being bounced off walls in ferret form would feel
like--and serve him right.

"Miss Manners" has said, in one of her books, that merely because someone's
younger than you and related to you does _not_ make it open season on them
for rudeness.  That goes double, triple and with horseradish sauce on it for
teacher-to-pupil interactions.  The essence of bullying, after all, is doing
things that one normally would not, because of a perceived lack of risk of
retaliation in kind.  A bully does not have to be an overgrown street kid,
although that is one common type.  Anybody who abuses a position of
superiority is IMNSHO a bully.  And yes, that does mean the Dursleys, and
Professor Snape---and, for the record, Fake-Moody when he bounces
Draco-the-ferret off the walls.