Real child abuse/ Snape again

[a_svirn]

No: HPFGUIDX 145695

Miles:
<snip> the kind
> > of relationship between abuser and abused when speaking of
emotional
> abuse
> > has to meet special conditions, like trust, dependence, and
> exclusiveness.
> > These conditions, to speak of Harry, are met by Dumbledore,
Sirius,
> maybe
> > Molly and Arthur - but never by Snape.
>


> Gerry:
> Actually, I don't think this definition is completely right. A
teacher
> can emotionally abuse a pupil, and I've seen the results of this.
Was
> there trust? No. Was there dependence: certainly, there is always
> dependence in a teacher-child relationship. Was there
exclusiveness:
> up to a point. There are teachers who are certainly able to
> emotionally abuse a child and who do so. Make the child the
laughing
> stock of the class, making constantly derogative remarks, giving
> punishments far more severe than other children get, for lesser
things
> or for no reason at all, looking for the weak spot and going for it
> again and again and again, every hour, every day. <snip>

a_svirn:
You are describing bulling, not emotional abuse. For bulling to
qualify as emotional abuse the relationship between teacher and
student should meet the conditions Miles named. Snape may be a
bully, but he does not wield any emotional power over Harry and
Neville. Or, at least, there is no apparent reason why they should
feel any kind of emotional dependence on him.