Bullying was Re: [HPforGrownups] Re: Prodigal Sons

[Jen Reese]

No: HPFGUIDX 140747

Irene:
> I have yet to see a suicide note that reads: "My chemistry teacher
> is a mean, unfair, sarcastic bastard; and that's why I've had
> enough". Do you see what I mean? Snape, as horrible as he is to
> Harryand Neville (and I leave arguing about ABUSE vs. "abuse" to 
> anotherday), does not really have as much influence over their
> lives as people imagine. Really, they have Potions 2 hours a week.
> As soon asthey are out of his classroom, that's it. Classmates, on
> the other hand, can turn one's live into a 24/7 living hell.

Jen: Thinking about Riddle's life vs. Harry's, it occurred to me we 
have some canon for how JKR may view bullying in Potterverse. In 
Harry's case, the enemy has always been someone clearly outside 
himself--the Dursleys treated him with contempt and made his life 
miserable; Snape is a sorry git who singled him out from the start; 
Draco is a prat and Harry has no desire to be friends with him. None 
of these relationships seems to have altered Harry's view of 
*himself* as a worthy person. That's an incredibly important 
psychological skill, to be able to 'externalize the enemy'. 
Researchers now believe this ability is connected to the formation 
of optimism.

OTOH, Riddle experienced abandonment, separation problems and 
neglect, all of which are very vague and tend to cause a person to 
internalize the enemy as himself. It's no surprise Riddle thought 
Dumbledore was a doctor come to take him away to a padded cell--he 
believed that the problem resided inside himself on *some level*, 
and directed this outward by hurting others to gain power/control 
over a situation he had no control over. I'm not certain the extent 
JKR intended the soul ripping, but it seemed like a Potterverse form 
of self-mutilation and a bit eerie to me. Dumbledore even refers to 
it as 'mutilating his soul' (Horcrux chapter). (I'm not saying any 
of this to excuse Riddle, the Choices theme is still at work, but 
when Harry talks about being dragged into the arena or walking in 
chin-up, well Riddle's life seemed to offer even fewer choices).

Now, to apply this to the other situations, perhaps the harm comes 
in for those people who can't clearly see when the enemy is outside 
themselves. Snape clearly believed James/Sirius were totally to 
blame and vice-versa (unless there's more information to come, at 
least). Draco is similar to Harry in his feelings toward Harry & 
friends--total contempt.  Merope is the most recent example and 
falls in the same category as Riddle, she internalized her father's 
belittling of her to the point she wasn't able to perform effective 
magic anymore. Neville is the most ambiguous. He expresses fear of 
Snape, can't do well in his class, etc. The boggart class was a fine 
example of learning to 'externalize the enemy' I think, and probably 
helped Neville overcome some of his fears, but not all of them. He 
was able to start showing improvement in his magical abilities, and 
is really able to shine when working with someone who praises him, 
like Harry. Still, he seemed much more internally affected by 
Snape's bullying than Harry. 

This idea won't work for everyone on this list ;), not with a hot 
button issue. It's an intesting framework though, and one backed up 
by research in Muggle circles.

Jen