Snape's abuse (Re: Would an "O" for Harry vindicate Snape?)

[Tonks]

No: HPFGUIDX 131527

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Amanda Geist" <editor at t...> 
wrote:
> John K posted:
I am a high school teacher and I can tell you that no matter what a 
student may say or do to me, it is illegal for me to resort to name-
calling or personal insults. If a student tries to leave the room, 
it is illegal for me to stand in his way. It is illegal for me to 
touch a student for any reason except physical protection of another 
student, even if I am being physically assaulted myself. The lines 
are drawn so that, no matter what, teachers can never abuse students 
in any way.


Tonks now:
Good God, now I see what is wrong with our schools these days!! You 
can not even defend yourself?? No wonder kids are so disrespectful 
of adults these days!! A little fear of authority is what they need. 
Hey Filch were are you? ;-) Seriously, even in the mental heath 
field the worker can defend themselves. They are taught a specific 
technique and if used as taught they can even subdue and restrain a 
client.

~Amanda said:
Just because the current American school system is paranoid in the 
extreme about holding students accountable for their actions and 
punishing them in any way, does not therefore make it true that 
trying to control a student's behavior or hold him accountable for 
his mistakes is therefore abusive. Snape is doing both of these. I 
think his methods can be very nasty; but I fully believe that he is 
entitled to the goal of control and discipline. (Snip)


Tonks now:
I agree with Amanda. Snape is just like the teachers we use to have 
in the 50's and early 60's. I see nothing wrong with him. He knows 
his subject well and has high standards for his students. I didn't 
like those types of teachers, they were not the friendly ones, but 
(looking back) they did their job and did it well. All I remember 
about the ones we liked is the fun stuff that they taught that had 
nothing to do with the subject. That I can type this sentence today 
is because of a nasty no nonsense typing teacher. We were all 
emotionally abused back then and some (boys) where mildly physically 
abused. It was a different time. Hogwarts lives in a different time 
as well. We can not judge the teachers of Hogwarts by some *modern*  
standard in the U.S. schools.

Snape is guilty of emotional abuse at times, yes. There are many 
offices and other places of employment where the Snapes of the world 
function.  I am not discounting the severe consequences to someone 
who is emotionally vulnerable.  I am just saying that there are far 
worse behaviors that occur everyday in our country and around the 
world and we need to get rid of those first. There are many nasty 
people in the world that are law abiding people.  I am not defending 
them, but you can't fire them all just for being nasty.  Who would 
run the country, after all?

I think we are getting a bit namby pamby if we can't tolerate 
Snape.  There are much worse people in the world (WW or MW) and we 
need to take care of them first before we go after an otherwise law 
abiding person who is just a little curt in his remarks.  Yes, as a 
child I would have been like Neville and Snape would have destroyed 
me emotionally.  But there are far worse things that a person or 
teacher could do and we do not see Snape doing them.  Umbridge comes 
to mind. No one have every argued in *her* defense and that is 
because she is a very nasty person and the type that should be 
fired.  She is cruel.  Snape is just .. well  Snape.  I don't get 
the sense that Snape would do the sort of things that Umbridge does. 
There is a difference in the underlying personality of the two.  
Umbridge is the closest thing to being a DE without (I presume) 
being one.  Snape was a DE, perhaps the good Slytherin.  He doesn't 
seem to have that deep cruel streak that Umbridge does.  Oh yes, he 
puts up a good front, but it is, IMO, a front.  He is a good spy and 
must play the part.  Not that I think that when he isn't a spy he 
would be the type to give little Neville a pat on the head.  But I 
think that Snape is a good person and Umbridge is not. 

I have said before that I think Snape has a dark sense of humor that 
is not understood or appreciated.  Hence, the remark about 
Hermione's teeth.  "I don't see any difference" can mean "it is not 
all that bad" and a reassuring statement. So it is a matter of 
opinion.  Hermione was not destroyed by it, and some of us reader 
saw it as a bit of humor.

Not everyone has to be like peaches and cream.  I have a friend like 
Snape.  When I first met her I didn't like her.  And she didn't like 
me, bleeding heart liberal that I am.  We had a mutual friend that 
insisted that the two of us learn to tolerate each other
 and after 
a few years (and a few battles) we are the best of friends.  So who 
knows, if they both survive the war, Harry and Snape might even 
become friends.  You never know.

Tonks_op