What's wrong with being bad ?

[delwynmarch]

No: HPFGUIDX 101913

Jenny from Ravenclaw wrote : 
> Come on, Del, do you really believe this?  If Snape wants to be an 
> asshole, fine.  The problem is that he takes out his own "Dark" 
> beliefs on others.  

Del replies :
But isn't it what we all do : take out our beliefs on others ? Just
because we think our beliefs are good doens't change anything : we
still try and make other people act according to our own beliefs, even
if they don't believe the same way we do.

Jenny from Ravenclaw wrote : 
> I can't see how Higher Forces come into play here anyway.  Where is 
> there a culture that expects people to be cruel most if not all of 
> the time?

Del replies :
Out of the top of my head : the Hindu culture has its Untouchables,
who can be abused by members of other castes as much as they want,
it's legally and morally acceptable and right.
Not so long ago it was legally and morally acceptable in various
countries around the world to abuse and kill people of specific colours.
And so on.

But it's not a matter of culture in general anyway : it's a matter of
personal belief, or of a specific, restricted culture. Snape is not
everyone in the WW. And his beliefs go against those of his general
culture. But they are apparently not illegal, or not even immoral in
the eyes of most members of that society. People don't seem to like
him, but they don't seem to try and make him "see the light", or "the
error of his ways". So maybe his beliefs are acceptable in the WW
after all ?

Jenny from Ravenclaw wrote :
> Snape is a delighfully complicated and fascinating character, but I 
> cannot excuse the attitude he shows his students who are in a 
> positon of subordination and inexperience next to him.

Del replies :
But I can help but think that maybe, if Peter Pettigrew had had such a
teacher, he would have been better armed to face LV, and he would have
been better able to stand his ground, rather than give in like he did.
We know Neville won't give in, and we can't say for sure that Snape's
abuse is for nothing in this courage.

Del, who reminds everyone that she doesn't like Snape, and doesn't
approve of his methods at all, just in case...