Why do we always gang up on Sirius?

[cubfanbudwoman]

No: HPFGUIDX 105298

Theresa wrote:
> > But I do think he was not the innocent victim all the time and 
> > can be nasty too - he wanted to feed Sirius' soul to the 
> > dementors afterall.
> (snip)
> > James is as bad as Sirius in the pensieve scene and in my 
> > opinion worse in some ways.
> (snip)
> > Anyway, I guess my point is...I think both James and Sirius, were 
> > cocky pinheads but basically loveable loyal good-hearted 
> > pinheads. 


Val:
> Ok, I have to strongly support that. Why is everyone so against 
> Sirius? Even after we have seen that James is the more arrogant, 
> bullying, etc, one of them.
> 
> Yeah, James went to save Snape but I really doubt he did it FOR 
> Snape, I think he did it to save Sirius's and Remus's behinds, 
> think of how much trouble they would have been in! And Remus would 
> never be able to live with it, I think that was James's motivation 
> rather than Snape.

> I think people aren't blaming James as much as Sirius in the 
> Pensieve scene because, well, he's dead and deserves some respect. 
> If I wasn't in denial, I'd say so is Sirius, doesn't he deserve 
> some respect?
> 
> Anyways, my point is: Sirius is not a bad person, he's not evil and 
> I really wish people here would stop portaying him as a bad guy 
> most of the time...


SSSusan:
I don't think "everyone" *is* against Sirius or portraying him as a 
bad guy most of the time at all.  I don't see why pointing out a 
problem, flaw, arrogance, whatever you want to call it, with Sirius 
is necessarily being "against" him or portraying him as a bad guy.  
Lots of us have been arguing for quite some time that these 
characters are GREY and complex.  It's easy to "like" a character and 
still see his failings.

I also don't see how James comes out as MORE arrogant and bullying 
than Sirius.  In THIS scene, perhaps.  Overall?  No.  Whatever the 
motivation for it, James stopped Snape; Sirius did not.  James also 
managed to do *something* to win Lily over, and from what we see in 
the Penseive scene, I think he'd have had to do a nearly complete 180 
in some areas to convince her he was worthy.

Siriusly Snapey Susan