Snape, Harry, Dumbledore, and flaws in the books

[pippin_999]

No: HPFGUIDX 105943

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "dumbledore11214" 
<dumbledore11214 at y...> wrote:
> Pippin wrote previously:
> > >  It's also perfectly consistent with a Dumbledore who 
believes in  letting people make up their own minds and would 
 rather have people disagree with him and be wrong,  than agree 
 only because he's Albus Dumbledore and he said so.
> > > 
> 
> 
> Dzeytoun:
>  
> > This, however, raises problems when compared to JKR's 
statement  about  Dumbledore "is goodness."  I'm sorry, but 
standing back and  watching  somebody else bully and 
emotionally torment kids just because you  would "rather them 
disagree and be wrong than agree just because I  said so" isn't 
goodness to me, and I'm willing to bet real money it  isn't 
goodness to most other people.
> > 
>    
> 
> Alla:

> What can I say? I would say that it is at least consistent 
> with 'teaching students how to deal with nasty people" routine.

 If Harry and Neville were showing some sign that they were 
suffering "emotional torment " from Snape, I agree Dumbledore 
would have to intervene. But they aren't. Dumbledore doesn't 
know that he is goodness, so he can't *know* that his values are 
superior to Snape's, though he doubtless believes they are. 

In the absence of empirical evidence that Snape's teaching 
methods are causing harm, what right has Dumbledore got to 
experiment on the students by demanding that the teachers 
abandon what are, in the WW,  accepted ways of teaching?

 I understand you are saying that Snape is wrong on principle. 
The trouble is, the wizarding world doesn't recognize that 
principle. For Dumbledore to impose his personal values  on  an 
employee who is not in a position to disagree with him is also 
an abuse of power.  In a society that is threatened by Voldemort, 
blind obedience to authority is not a trait I would encourage. 

Pippin