Snape as a bully? (was Bullying was Prodigal Son)

[Shaun Hately]

No: HPFGUIDX 140820

I've been rather hesitant about getting involved in this discussion, 
primarily because I'm currently having to do a lot of work in real 
life involving bullying. But I've decided that I need to get back 
into posting as a form of general stress relief, and this is the 
topic that has grabbed me.

I hate to say this, but I am considered to be something of an 
authority on bullying. I was bullied extremely severely as a child 
and as a result of that I got involved in advocacy as an adult on a 
range of issues that include bullying. I've had a number of articles 
published on bullying either as the main focus, or as a subfocus in a 
larger article, I've written a chapter of a book to be published next 
year (hopefully - it was to be published this year, but has been 
pushed back), I'm on committees concerning bullying - including one 
rather high level committee. I keep myself informed about articles 
and discussions of bullying etc. I go into schools and talk about 
bullying to teachers and students - I'm actually supposed to be doing 
a presentation tomorrow night that will probably go into bullying, so 
this is something I have been looking at a lot over the last few 
days.

So - that's where my perspective comes from.

Is Snape a bully? Ooh, that is a very hard question - because like so 
many others it depends a lot on the definitions that you use. 
Personally, on my own definitions (and these are informed by a wide 
range of formal definitions, but are also quite personal), I would 
say that the adult Snape is not a bully - at least not necessarily. 
To me, part of what makes somebody a bully is their motivation - a 
bully bullies out of selfish self-gratification. In my view, it is 
quite likely that Snape believes his behaviour in the classroom and 
in the school is to the benefit of the students - some people will 
disagree vehemently about whether it is or not, but even a mistaken 
motivation is still a motivation. I have noted in the past that 
Snape's actions against Neville, for example, nearly always come 
immediately after Neville *has* done something wrong. They don't come 
out of nowhere.

Snape is nasty. That doesn't make him a bully.

Was Snape a bully as a child and adolescent? Maybe. I can certainly 
believe that he might have been based on what we see in the books. 
But what do we really know about his behaviour as a child?

Yes, we know, that on at least one occasion he called somebody a 
perjorative name, in a way that to most of us seems equivalent to 
racism (simply because it's the closest equivalent to the pure 
blood/muggle born continuum most of us know about). Such behaviour is 
inappropriate but a single incident like that does not make somebody 
a bully.

I'd just like to briefly outline a possible scenario. I cannot prove 
this scenario, I just think that it fits the facts as well as any 
other scenario.

We know that Snape *was* bullied at Hogwarts by the Marauders (again, 
that is by my definition - but it does seem very clear to me).

*********

'This'll liven you up, Padfoot,' said James quietly. 'Look who it 
is...'

Sirius's head turned. He became very still, like a dog that has 
scented a rabbit.

'Excellent,' he said softly. 'Snivellus.'

Harry turned to see what Sirius was looking at.

Snape was on his feet again, and was stowing the OWL paper in his 
bag. As he left the shadows of the bushes and set off across the 
grass, Sirius and James stood up.

Lupin and Wormtail remained sitting: Lupin was still staring down at 
his book, though his eyes were not moving and a faint frown line had 
appeared between his eyebrows; Wormtail was looking from Sirius and 
James to Snape with a look of avid anticipation on his face.

'All right, Snivellus?' said James loudly.

Snape reacted so fast it was as though he had been expecting an 
attack: dropping his bag, he plunged his hand inside his robes and 
his wand was halfway into the air when James shouted, 'Expelliarmus!'

**********

In that passage, James and Sirius are clearly bullying Snape. 
Wormtail is every bit as guilty as they are - he's obviously enjoying 
it. Lupin is, perhaps, a little better - he obviously doesn't 
approve, but he doesn't do anything to stop it. 

They start by calling Snape names - and Snape's reaction really does 
suggest to me that this is something they have done before.

They are bullying Snape - and Lily says it very well:

**********

'You think you're funny,' she said coldly. 'But you're just an 
arrogant, bullying toerag, Potter. Leave him alone.'

**********

This is the context in which Snape calls Lily a Mudblood.

His behaviour is unacceptable - but I really do think that using that 
incident as evidence that he may have been a bully is rather unfair. 
He's under a lot of stress. He's being publically humiliated by a 
gang of bullies - because that is what the Marauders are at this 
point - while virtually everybody else stands around and laughs at 
him.

Lashing out with an insult, no matter how foul, in that situation is 
not a real sign that someone is a bully.

Then there is the issue of the fact that Snape hung around with a 
gang of Slytherins, many of whom later became deatheaters.

Is that a sign that Snape was a bully?

Maybe - but honestly, given what we actually see in canon - a boy who 
is bullied himself, and worse than that seems to be so unpopular that 
even people who aren't bullying him laugh at what happens to him, and 
the only person who comes to his aid does so, certainly not because 
she is his friend - but just because she is a decent person...

I really wonder did Snape join that gang of Slytherins, not because 
he was a bully, but because he wanted protection from them.

The only real evidence I can see that Snape was a bully at school 
comes from Lily.

'Fine,' she said coolly. 'I won't bother in future. And I'd wash your 
pants if I were you, Snivellus.'

'Apologise to Evans!' James roared at Snape, his wand pointed 
threateningly at him.

'I don't want you to make him apologise,' Lily shouted, rounding on 
James. 'You're as bad as he is.'

Lily already regards James as an arrogant bullying toerag - saying he 
is as bad as Snape, suggests that she may have similar views about 
Snape.

Yours Without Wax, Dreadnought
Shaun Hately | www.alphalink.com.au/~drednort/thelab.html
(ISTJ)       | drednort at alphalink.com.au | ICQ: 6898200 
"You know the very powerful and the very stupid have one
thing in common. They don't alter their views to fit the 
facts. They alter the facts to fit the views. Which can be 
uncomfortable if you happen to be one of the facts that 
need altering." The Doctor - Doctor Who: The Face of Evil
Where am I: Frankston, Victoria, Australia