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

[phoenixgod2000]

No: HPFGUIDX 140824

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Shaun Hately" <drednort at a...> 
> 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. 

Is it a motivation or a justification? Snape could be telling himself 
that he is doing them a favor because he is making them tougher in 
order to justify his feelings of selfish self-gratification.  There 
is plenty of precedent of those who are bullied turning around and 
bullying others in order to make themselves feel stronger.

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.

True, but he bullies Harry on the first day a school pretty much in a 
vacuum and of course there is Hermione's teeth, his verbal insult 
towards neville in front of Lupin (when Nev hadn't done anything to 
Snape yet) and other scenes where he is clearing going for the pain 
for pretty much no other reason than he has the power to do it.

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

No, the fact he's nasty to people without the power to strike back 
does.
 
>> '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.

I'm always willing to believe Saint Lily, She-Without-Stink :)

phoenixgod2000