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

[Tonks]

No: HPFGUIDX 131658

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Chris" <labmystc at y...> wrote:
Chris said:
Also, there is a little thing called respect. As a teacher, he
deserves respect, but only if it is EARNED! So far in these books, I
have seen him do very little to earn any one of these students'
respect. 


Tonks:

NO, NO, NO!!  Snape does not have to *EARN* the respect of his 
students.  Snape and even Umbridge (oh I can't believe that I am 
including *that* nasty woman in this), but yes even Umbridge deserve 
the respect of their office. We don't have to like them personally 
or even have respect for them personally, but we do have to have 
respect for them in the position that they are in.  To do otherwise 
is to be uncivilized.  

In a civilized society people treat each other with respect even 
when they hate them intensely. I know you are going to say.. "That 
is what Snape should be doing and he isn't.. yata, yata".  But even 
when the other person is a jerk, there is no reason to stoop to the 
same level. As the saying goes "an eye for an eye and a tooth for a 
tooth and soon everyone will be blind and toothless". We can be 
civil even to Umbridge. Have we learned nothing from McGonagall's 
advice to Harry?  She is right, you know.  

I tend to be the outspoken one who says "wait, something isn't right 
here" and go on to give the Umbridges of the world a nasty time. And 
I can tell you that this type of a response is a stupid thing to do. 
Not only does it get you in deep trouble politically, but it makes 
you no better than *them*.  I am not saying that fighting for social 
change is wrong, what I am saying is that Gandhi's way is better 
than the rebel leader hell bent on destroying the other guy. 

Children can know in their heart that a teacher is not right in what 
they do, but it is their place as children in a civilized society to 
say "yes Sir" just the same. Also if they can do that without 
burning inside with rage it is even better. The point here is the 
*burning inside* will give you ulcers, etc. I speak from experience 
here too. Hating someone else, even when justified doesn't harm 
*Them*, it harms *you*. As I have said to others at times when in a 
bad work environment "just wait a bit, give them enough rope and 
they will hang themselves, we won't have to do it for them".  And 
time and time again I have been right. The nasty boss, teacher, 
whatever, will do themselves in, without our help.  And burning with 
rage only destroys us, not them.  Easier said than done, I know. 
Much easier to rage. But not good for our physical health.

Now before everyone responds with "you want kids to shut up and not 
tell about being abused, etc."  That is NOT what I said. 

Tonks_op