It seems like every single time I log onto the Harry Potter subreddit, or any other online forum, there is a long list of threads praising Snape and talking about what a great guy he is. Usually these threads contain a lot of long winded arguments and pieces of "evidence" that point to Snape being this incredible guardian angel that was always looking out for Harry and his well-being. Here's the thing though:

Snape is actually an awful person.

Now don't get me wrong, I truly think that Snape is a phenomenal character, and I applaud J.K. Rowling for being able to create such a complex, three dimensional character. However, being a good character does not make him a good person. A lot of fans seem to see Snape as a tragic character, and in all honesty, he is. But the thing is that having a sad past does not make up for your actions in the present. Snape is a bully. He treats Harry awfully, along with all his friends, and for what reason?

Harry happens to look like his dad.

Look. I get it, i really do, Harry's father (James Potter) and his gang of friends (The Marauders) bullied Snape relentlessly throughout their school days. And i understand that Snape is probably extremely bitter about the fact that the girl he loved all his life (Lily Evans) went off and actually married James, his bully, but that doesn't really give him an excuse to treat Harry (a child innocent of whatever his parents might have done) poorly. And speaking of Harry, Snape is often worshiped because he was able to protect Harry from all of Voldemort's nefarious schemes, but the truth is that Snape only did it due to his unhealthy obsession with Lily. Are we forgetting the fact that Snape was more than willing to let Voldemort kill James and baby Harry if it meant that Lily could live? I mean, talk about selfish. You don't do that to someone you supposedly "love". There's this great thing called "moving on," but I guess Snape has never heard of it.

And that's just the small stuff. I'm not even going to go into all the awful things that Snape probably did to muggle-borns during his time as a Death Eater before he became a double agent. Now, he isn't without his merits, he worked as a double agent for Dumbledore, knowing full well that his life would end should he be caught. It was certainly a brave thing to do, but being brave and being a good person are two entirely different things, and i feel like way too many people give Snape too much credit for the kind of person that he was. Was he a great character? Yes. Was he brave? Undoubtedly. But was he a good person? Nope, and i feel like missing this point is also missing out on a large part of his character as a whole.