Blame, blame, blame....

[mnaper2001]

No: HPFGUIDX 100706

Ann:

> What bothers me about these Harry-Snape-Sirius debates is that 
everyone is so quick to condemn the character they don't like and 
defend the one they do...and yeah, we all do that, but some of the 
sheer *venom* that gets thrown at the other character taht is painted 
as 'the Bad Guy' bugs me. 'Well, they deserve what's coming to them!' 
is a common attitiude, and I always think when I read that 'Oh, 
really...? Have you stopped to consider that that's exactly what 
people like Voldemort think right before they kill someone for 
being...'different'.
> 
Im saying is this:
> 
> Either they are both to blame, or no blame should be assigned, 
because quite frankly, it was a cluster-fuck all the way around, and 
everyone made mistakes, and were simply doing what they thought was 
right, even if they were wrong.
> 

Ally:

You know, I have just been kind of smacking my head over the same 
thing.  People who love Sirius apologize for his faults or gloss over 
them but really put the microscope to Snape's faults and hold him 
fully accountable for them.  People who love Snape are quick to 
reference his bad childhood and easy to forgive his mistakes.  And 
everyone who loves Harry gives him a pass b/c he's a kid.

I personally love Snape, and in my heart of hearts hate Sirius and 
like Harry but don't think he's all that.  But when I take a 
reasonable, rationale look at them, they are really not so different -
 all grew up in less than nurturing environments and all have 
character flaws that, at least for Sirius and Snape, have not gone 
away in adulthood.  None of these people are without issues and none 
really deserves to be judged more harshly than the other.

What KILLS me is the hypocrisy of people - in all fandoms - who will 
assassinate one character while totally ignoring the faults of their 
fave.  I don't mind people being fans.  We all are.  I know of very 
few HP fans who don't have a favorite character they love above all 
others.  

But if one character was clearly right in, e.g. the occlumency 
situation/Sirius' death, it would mean JKR wasn't that good of a 
writer to begin with.  What makes these scenes great is that every 
character messes up in a way that is totally consistent with that 
character's flaws - Snape flips out, DD is too protective of Harry 
and optimistic about Snape, Sirius ignores Kreacher and acts 
impetuously and Harry betrays Snape by looking into the pensieve - 
and it all comes together into a tragic event.

This is what good writing does - it doesn't judge.  Unfortunately, 
most readers do not follow their writer's example.