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

[Peggy Richter]

No: HPFGUIDX 153627

 Pippin:In any case, silence does not equal approval. 

Lupinlore:  I'm afraid it does.  Silence DOES imply consent, 
especially when the one being silent could easily put a stop to the 
abuse.  And therein  the "epitome of goodness" once again sends a 
message that the abuse of Harry Potter is a good thing of which he 
approves at least  tacitly.
> 
> Leslie41: You seem to be the only one who thinks that silence = 
approval (speak up out there if I'm wrong).

PAR (speaking up): "Qui tacet consentit" (silence implies consent) 
is actually a legal construct.  You can find a case law that 
actually uses that exact terminology at 
http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/scripts/getcase.plcourt=us&vol=501&invo
l=797
US Supreme court in the case of YLST v Nunnemaker t01 US 97
June 24 1991

And in fact this goes to the major problem I have with the HP 
series. Often the case is presented as if DD had only two options: 
Let Harry be killed or have him abused by the Dursleys. I don't 
agree. He could have done many things. He could have told the 
Dursely's any abuse would be reported (it is in muggle society so 
why not in WW); he could have provided Harry a tutor (not EVERY 
individual is going to be unable to teach HP because he's the "boy 
who lived".  lots of kids are famous or important and they have 
tutors. He could have sent Harry out of the UK (we see no evidence 
of LV activities in say, Australia).  For that matter, if DD doesn't 
believe in the prophesy, why does HE act as if he does?  He needn't, 
just because LV does.  If DD believes Draco is out to kill him, he 
isn't stuck with either risking the lives of children or letting it 
happen --he could confront LV himself.  After all, if the prophesy 
is false or important ONLY because LV makes it so, there's nothing 
to stop DD from being able to reduce LV's powers or even capture and 
reduce LV to ineffectiveness -- neither would have made the prophesy 
less true.  He could confront Draco early -- would that put Draco at 
risk? maybe. But better Draco, who IS guilty of attempted murder, 
than Katie Bell or Rosemerta who are innocent victims. Telling Snape 
to "stop" would not put Snape the spy at risk. It would simply 
establish Headmaster DD as an individual who draws the line at 
certain levels of ugliness on the part of teacher toward student.  

Nor is the arguement that "you have these people in real life so 
it's ok to have them in HP" that valid.  In real life, you have 
abandoned kids, broken marrages, infidelity and children dying of 
cancer and other illnesses, none of which is in HP.  We don't 
need "goodness" silent on bad things either.
PAR