What's wrong with being bad ?

[delwynmarch]

No: HPFGUIDX 102150

Darrin wrote :
> I'm familiar with the concept of changing the rules, having read 
> numerous "Draco is just being picked on, but Harry is REALLY mean -- 
> look how he treats the Creeveys!" posts on this list.

Del replies :
I used the example of the Creevey brothers in one specific instance,
to make one specific point. I'd appreciate if you stopped accomodating
them to any point you want to make, especially when it's not related
whatsoever to the original point I was trying to make. Thank you.

Kneasy wrote :
> > My tenets:
> > You are responsible for your actions.
> > You must accept responsibility for any consequences arising from 
> > those  actions.

Darrin answered :
> So... any fallout from any abuse, be it Harry's, Neville's or 
> Snape's, is ultimately the fault of THAT person, rather than the 
> subterranean layers of hate built up through abuse.
> 
> Good. Excellent. I like that. 
> 
> And my first application of the rules is:
> 
> Get.
> 
> Over.
> 
> It.
> 
> Snape.
> 
> Now.
> 
> That felt good!

Del replies :
I'm not sure I get your point. Kneasy was saying that people who do
bad things have to own up to them and deal with the consequences, and
you deduce of this that Snape should get over (what, exactly ?)

Snape wasn't the main person responsible for being up to his eyes in
the Dark Arts when he was 11 (no more is Draco by the way). He wasn't
responsible for being ugly. He wasn't responsible for LV's actions. In
the Pensieve scene, he wasn't responsible for James ans Sirius
bullying him.
On the other hand, he *was* responsible for becoming a DE, and he
owned up to that, changing sides at great personal risk. He was
responsible for owing James a life-debt, and he tried to repay it.
Now, he's not responsible that Harry goes roaming in the school at
night, or keeps breaking rules. Yes, Snape might be looking actively
for opportunities to frame Harry, but it's still Harry who's
ultimately responsible for getting caught into tricky situations by
Snape. Whatever his reasons, no matter how good they are, he still
keeps breaking rules, and has to face the fact that Snape has the
right to punish him for that. Not nice, not fair, but not unfair
either. Even McGonagall does it sometimes. After all, Harry does get
rewarded for the good he does while breaking rules, so why would it be
unfair that he also gets punished for breaking the rules in the first
place ? Action - reaction, that's a law of nature.

Darrin wrote :
> Actually, Harry HAD shown flashes, glimpses of promise, and Snape 
> did not exploit them. Never once do we see TEACHING from Snape. We 
> see "close your mind," "master your emotions," "defend yourself" or 
> essentially, "How come you're not getting it?"

Del replies :
Not true. After Harry manages to repel Snape, Snape tells him that he
hasn't done too poorly. Then he explains that to do better Harry needs
to remain focused, and to let go of his emotions. Then he explains
that by merely thinking of things he fears, Harry actually gives Snape
weapons.

Nobody ever pretended that learning Occlumency was easy. Apparently,
the only way to resist a Legilimens is to empty your mind of all
dreadful emotions and memories. This is *extremely* hard, much harder
than summoning a happy memory, which was already considered extrememly
difficult. This is probably why there are so few Occlumens around :
because the number of people who can close their minds is so small.
I'd say it's a natural thing, just like Metamorphaging. Even in RL, we
know that some people are good at hiding their emotions, but they are
rare. Most of us fail, when we try. But if we asked someone who does
it masterfully, what do you think they would counsel us to do ? Do you
think they could tell us more useful stuff than "close your minds" or
"master your emotions" and "practice, practice, practice !" ?

Darrin wrote :
> This is where I sometimes think Snape defenders are defending just 
> to defend. I really wonder how folks deal with the Snapes in their 
> lives. My guess is not with the same open-minded stance, once it's 
> applied to the real world.

Del replies :
How I deal with them ? I don't. I avoid them like the cholera. And if
I really have to deal with them, I keep my ground. I let them do what
they want, until they step on my toes. Then I use the "legal" means at
my disposal to get them put straight. I don't go looking for fight,
but if I do find myself in a fight, I don't lose time doing it on my
own : I go and complain to whoever is in charge around.

Darrin wrote :
> Is it Snape's "right" to behave like an arrogant berk? Sure.
> 
> Just so long as he doesn't go whining about being thanked on bended 
> knee any longer.

Del replies :
You're mixing up issues here. IMO Snape should be blamed when he's
acting like a berk, and thanked when he's trying to save people's
lives. After all, if only perfect people were to be thanked, none of
us would ever get any thanks. If each time you expect to be thanked,
you got instead a list of everything you've done wrong today, it
wouldn't entice you to do good again, would it ?

Not that Snape would care anyway.

Del