I've Always Found The Excuse "not Everyone Who Suffers From Bullying Ends Up Being A Jerk Like Snape"

I've always found the excuse "not everyone who suffers from bullying ends up being a jerk like Snape" amusing, because yes, it's true—having suffered abuse and/or mistreatment doesn't mean you're going to become an abuser. However, your environment, life experiences, and how you handle your traumas do play a significant role. As someone who works as a social worker, I've been around people who've been to prison, individuals whose lives have been turbulent, and one of the common denominators they share is growing up in extremely disadvantaged environments, with a complete lack of support systems and care networks.

Snape wasn't just a kid who experienced violence at school, with none of his teachers showing the slightest interest in the bullying he endured; he also didn't have any support at home. We're talking about someone who grew up surrounded by violence, whose emotional and affective role models were violent, and who never had a support network or a safe environment at home. Outside of home, during his school years—which he probably hoped would at least be a break from what he experienced at home—he also didn’t get a moment's rest. His entire childhood and adolescence were marked by the violence he received, and by the feeling of vulnerability he experienced from not having a SINGLE ADULT to back him up or protect him. His examples of functional adults weren’t functional. His role models for how to relate to people weren’t functional. Nothing around him during his emotional and cognitive developmental years was functional.

People still seem surprised that he joined the Death Eaters. Let's see: if the only people who aren’t violent towards him turn out to be a group of individuals deeply involved in a dark sect, what other options does he have? First of all, Severus probably didn’t fully realize just how despicable these people were, because honestly, all his role models throughout life had been so violent that his perception of good and evil was likely quite distorted. And then there’s the fact that he probably saw those people as the only ones who treated him like a human being, and his need for acceptance and protection led him to follow them to the bitter end. At the end of the day, he was just a kid/teenager looking for affection and acceptance.

And honestly, it seems to me that a spoiled rich kid like James Potter had it pretty easy when it came to changing and becoming a good person. Everything in his life was always in his favor: parents who adored and spoiled him, a high social and economic status, friends, and great popularity. His life was a constant stream of support, understanding, and love. There’s no comparison whatsoever. What’s unforgivable is that a guy who had clear social and economic advantages took advantage of that privilege to bully a kid who was clearly at a disadvantage in every way. And trying to excuse him, as his fans do, is disgusting, but okay.

🔥 gale?

the takes couldn't get hotter with gale honestly.

the fandom villainizing gale has to be one of the most extreme examples of character hatred and considerably racism that i have ever seen.

people like to dehumanize gale, an impoverished boy of color from the poorest part of the most penurious district who had been heavily oppressed alongside his people by the capitol, and watched the people around him fall to squalor and starvation. when his home is then BOMBED and turned to ashes by that same oppressor, he goes out of his way to save 900+ victims out of the 1000 population count.

in dealing with the war that followed, gale then weaponizes his passion, anger and hurt that had followed him and the district for years, seeking justice and having that very thing backfire after a weapon he helped to develop, not create, not put out himself, but simply curate ideas and thoughts — ended up killing one of the people he had sworn to protect for the entire trilogy, primrose everdeen, (his best friend's sister and the most cherished person within her life.) despite knowing that gale is not responsible for her death, but rather helped to again, create the weaponry that led to it, was something that she distanced herself from him for and moved away from him for.

and yet, YET people will come to the defense of coriolanus / president snow, a WHITE elderly man and excuse his dictatorship, the trafficking of HIS victors, the abuse he put his victors, civilians AND the districts through, and the indoctrination and full corruption of the very centre of panem. he gets a pass because he's attractive in the movies and acts a certain way in the books, but then people are quick to tear down gale (a victim OF snow's reign and who was opressed BY him?) and compare them as if any of that is within the same vein.

yes, snow is extremist and gale has traits of extremism, but one is a fully fledged 80 year old dictator with generations of blood on his hands and the other is an 18-20 year old poc who is a victim of his circumstances and tries to fight back from the systemic exploitation and abuse that he and his people suffer through BECAUSE of snow. they are not comparable in any way and the "prim reaper" jokes are foul and disgusting and have never been funny.

yes, gale has a lot of issues personality wise that make him dislikable, and treats katniss with a lot of dismissal and can often have an uncomfortable relationship with her, but that doesn't mean you get to treat him sub-human for his other characteristics in which are justified.

send 🔥 for more hot takes!

Jason Grace, consistently telling Leo he is awesome.

Name one other character that does that. I dare you.

Jason: feral boy in his element, tearing through the battlefield, ripping monsters apart with his bare hands.

Percy: I could take him.

Annabeth: Yeah in a fight.

Percy: Oh, yeah.. Yeah...watches Jason rip a monsters neck with his teeth That's what I meant...

Annabeth:...your drooling.

yes yes and yes

Some of my tavi HCs I doodled✨

snap is not that bad.

THERE. I SAID IT.

Like c’mon let’s be honest 😭 if we want to talk canon, SNAPE was a victim of the marauders (specifically James’s) bullying. Ofc yes he was terrible to Harry and yes, he was mean during his years in school. But being honest with all of you (as a victim of bullying) it changes you as a person, Snape did nothing to deserve that kind of treatment.

IF WE’RE TALKING FANON

Snape is literally just used as the ‘bad guy’ because the fandom already converted the slytherins (More Regulus and Barty who are canonically known to be PROUD DEATH EATERS) and now they need a character to “bully” and make the marauders (and I’m talking about Sirius and James) look cool.

Please grow up and realize that if you can and want to make Regulus, Barty, Evan, NARCISSA AND BELLATRIX good people, you should also consider doing the same for snape. That man did NOTHING to be as hated as he is 😭😭