Snape and the "Chosen One" Was: Nice vs. Good - Compassion

[lupinlore]

No: HPFGUIDX 153614

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "leslie41" <leslie41 at ...> 
wrote:
<SNIP>

> People remain silent when others are abused for all sorts of 
reasons.
> Lupin remained silent, staring at his book, while Snape was abused 
> and humiliated, and Lupin was a *prefect*.  He didn't participate, 
> and tried to stay out of it.  I certainly don't interpret that as 
> Lupin "approving."  

I do.  Lupin has, as I readily admit, many faults.  I think he is in 
deep denial when he claims that he neither likes nor dislikes 
Snape.  And while he may have found what happened to Snape to be 
displeasing in some ways, I think he did rather approve of it deep 
down in his furry little heart.


> 
> Snape's teaching strategies are old news.  I don't think 
Dumbledore 
> is in the dark about them at all.  He simply doesn't consider them 
> abusive.  And if he doesn't consider them abusive, how can you 
> accuse him of condoning abuse?  Being wrongheaded about the nature 
> of abuse, maybe, but condoning it?  How can one condone abuse when 
> one doesn't even believe it exists?  

By allowing it to happen.  Sorry, not believing in abuse has nothing 
whatsoever to do with guilt in allowing it to happen.  One might 
believe murder is all right.  One might even believe that in all 
honesty and good faith that murder is all right.  One is still 
absolutely guilty for standing back and allowing it to happen.  
Ignorance of the law -- whether the statute or the moral law -- is 
absolutely no excuse whatsoever.
 
The same applies to Snapey-poo himself.  Does he think of what he 
does as abuse?  Of course not.  Does he honestly believe he is doing 
the right thing?  Probably.  Does that in any way excuse him from 
his abuse or lessen his guilt?  Absolutely, positively, and 
definitively not.


Lupinlore