Question for Snape Bashers

[delwynmarch]

No: HPFGUIDX 101915

Jenny from Ravenclaw wrote :
> I don't believe for one moment that Snape isn't aware that he often 
> treats students (Gryffindors) in particular with a complete lack of 
> respect.

Del replies :
But Snape doesn't seem to care much about respect either. He goes
around looking like he's slept in a dustbin and doesn't know where to
find a bathroom (slight exxageration ;-) so it doesn't seem like he
wants to be respected that much. And the only time we see him
insisting on being called "Sir" is when he's trying to annoy Harry.
I don't think Snape ever got much respect, and maybe in return he
doesn't care about giving any. Maybe that's why DD insists on harry
calling him Professor Snape ?

Jenny from Ravenclaw wrote :
> He must have known he was terrifying Neville when he used Trevor in 
> an experiment.  Using someone's pet in an experiment where the pet 
> may die?  Anyone would know that was malicious.  

Del replies :
Yes, except that :
1. What was Trevor doing here anyway ? I don't think he was allowed
here, so Snape might have been trying to punish Neville.
2. If I remember correctly, Neville had been brewing his potion with
Hermione's supposedly discreet help, except that Snape knew. So he
could trust that the potion was okay.
3. In OoP, Snape made it clear that he could tell whether a potion was
okay or not just by looking at it.
So in the end I'm pretty sure Snape knew the potion was fine and
Trevor was in no danger. But still, Trevor should not have been here
at all so Snape punished Neville.
But that's only my interpretation of course :-)

Jenny from Ravenclaw wrote :
> It is also true that Hogwarts students generally do not complain 
> about their professors (well, the Slytherins do), but again, that 
> does not mean their professors are all saints.  Children often find 
> it difficult to find their voices to speak up against authority 
> figures.  It is amazing that children come forward at all, in many 
> cases, which is why so many abusers and so many bad teachers have 
> long lasting sadistic careers and retire with pensions (or a long 
> list of victims).

Del replies :
Yep, just look at Umbridge. Harry thought he shouldn't report on her,
because he didn't want her to know she'd got to him !
Yet, DD and the teachers all fought her as best they could. If they
really wanted to, they would fight Snape too.

Jenny from Ravenclaw wrote : 
> Maybe Snape's actions do not affect his students as much as we make 
> out.  That doesn't mean that Snape is a nice guy who really cares 
> about his job.  If I worked with someone like him, I'd avoid him if 
> he spoke to me the way he spoke to Hermione in GoF.

Del replies :
Oh I agree completely ! I don't like Snape or people like him, and I
want nothing to do with them. But still, I grant them a right to exist
and do as they want. I just do my best to keep away from them.
And by the way, I'm not fond of kids like Harry either. Yet I grant
*him* too the right to do as he wishes ;-) (And I grant myself the
right to complain about him, :-D )

Jenny from Ravenclaw wrote :
> If he was my teacher, I'd probably fail his classes

Del replies :
Actually, you don't know that. Neville has survived 5 years of Snape.
How can you be so sure you wouldn't ? I had my own Snape-like teacher,
and I survived a whole year with her, *and* got good results in the end.

Jenny from Ravenclaw wrote :
> Isn't he lucky to teach in an environment where his authority knows 
> so few boundaries?

Del replies :
I don't know. Maybe if he was living in a world more like ours, he
would learn nicer ways to cope and behave, and maybe he'd be happier.

Del