Notice how whenever you bring up James bullying Snape, people are always quick to point out Snape’s actions and make Snape look worse so they can uplift James? They never bring up any discrimination or trauma James faced when he bullied Snape. The only way for them to defend him is to mitigate his actions—not by bringing up the circumstances he was under, but by making Snape look bad so they can pretend he “had it coming.”
Usually, when you bring up a character’s wrongdoings, their fans are quick to explain their behaviour by bringing up what they went through that led to said wrongdoings. With Draco, they’ll say “but he was raised and spoiled by his blood prejudiced parents.” With Sirius, they’ll say “but he was wrongfully imprisoned and emotionally stunted by Azkaban.” With Snape, they’ll say “but he was severely bullied and had abusive parents.” With Remus, they’ll say “but he came from a marginalised community.” What can they say about James? What possible explanation is there for his wrongdoings? What hardships or emotional distress did he face during that time that might resonate with some readers?
James was as privileged as one could be, he was a rich, white, good-looking, pureblood, smart, athletic, and popular Gryffindor who was loved by his parents. His fans, knowing this, will do everything in their power to twist the narrative and victim-blame 16 year old Snape, just so they can argue that all the bad things James did to him were well-deserved.
James’s insane privilege is what makes his character so notably cruel, because, unlike some characters, he had EVERY opportunity to be kind to his inferiors. And he failed miserably.
titsay
izzy806
gracieabrams
dailybridgerton
theartofmadeline
2087
