Snapedom

I think I understand what you mean. I had a similar feeling as I was reading through the first part of the essay. But as I continued reading the subsequent parts put it in perspective for me. Or rather gave me a reason to see it in the following way.

I interpret the canine metaphor less as seeing the marauders AS canines but as people who see the world in a hierarchal(sp?) way. In other words, there's always an in group and an out group. There is always someone who outranks you and someone whom you outrank. There are rarely any relationships of mutuality and cooperation ( mutual advantage, yes, mutual benefit, yes, symbiosis yes - but NOT mutuality where the two or more people involved are equal and reciprocate equally in non-hostile, non-exploitative ways ).

I take that view because I've done a lot of reading about abusive relationships and one theory regarding the abusers behavior is that he cannot see relationships as being based on mutuality and equality. It's not possible for them to tolerate any difference they dislike because it feels like an attack or insubordination to them whether it is or not. To them someone HAS to be top dog or the world dissolves into chaos.

Canines ARE hierarchal(sp?). They NEED someone to be the leader they can follow. They INSIST on it or, as the essay notes, they get anxious and chaotic. So following a leader, seeing others as part of a ranking systems is healthy and normal for them. But they are animals.

Human beings are not animals. We are all capable of running our own ship and choosing our own lives. Yes there are legitimate uses for rank and hierarchy in order to achieve large scale, complex tasks ( the military, construction crews, education ). However, in the cosmic scheme of things and even essentially on a day to day basis, we are meant to be sovereign over ourselves, bowing only to our chosen higher power or to our own limitations ( for example, children HAVE to follow parents' leads because not to do so puts them in danger usually, but the natural progression of things if for a child to eventually throw off parental leadership and assume command of their own lives as they mature).

In my world view at least, we are all equal and so we have to remember that and treat each other that way even when work or society places us in different ( not always legitimate ) ranks. We have to bow to and respect each others sovereignty or humanity gives way to cruelty and violence.

This is why I like cats more than dogs ( although I like dogs ). Dogs are always looking for someone to whom to hand sovereignty while a cat just assumes sovereignty as a right and only truly admits you into their life and/or bonds with you when you respect that.

Hence I tend to see Severus as a cat, one of the big predatory cats, but a cat.

And it's easy for me to see the marauders as dogs.

It's not an excuse for their behavior. It's a powerful metaphor meant to explain an incomprehensibly cruel mindset and why it was socially reinforced and allowed to continue.

More people seem to love dogs than cats. From what I've observed people seem to say the preference comes from how much more emotionally open and generous dogs are. However, I think there's a significant number of people who get off on a dog's willingness to be dominated.

On the other hand, cats are frequently misunderstood as being misanthropic creatures, who are selfish loners. When in fact, I notice that frequently the people who don't like cats ( which included 2 of my aunts who refused to enter the house until our cat was in the basement ) see them as not just selfish, misanthropic loners, but also as treacherous and dangerous * rolleyes * And yet when was the last time you heard of a cat killing anybody?

So the canine metaphor isn't an excuse, just a thought model to shed light on the marauders cruelty and their inexplicable hatred of Severus.