Priorities
Society elevates certain people to an almost god-like status because they’re pretty, can recite lines, align politically with some group, or are good at moving some sort of object from one side of a field to the other. The trouble with institutions that are deified is that they are treated differently. And when we find out our demi-gods are human or, in the PennState case, they are sub-human, die-hards are not equipped to deal with that. People like their hand-egg so much that they took to the streets and rioted to save the job of a man who didn’t follow up when one of his employees was accused of raping a boy.
I like and watch college football. But it’s just a game, people.
Oh and if you are ever asked Are you sexually attracted to young boys, to underage boys?, you answer No.
November 18th, 2011 at 1:50 pm
Disclaimer: I am a graduate student at Penn State; thus, my viewpoint is skewed. (And no, I was not one of the 15 people that rioted, nor one of the 5,000 that protested.) That being said:
1) Sandusky wasn’t an employee at the time; he had resigned years before.
2) Paterno went to the head of the university police, Gary Schultz, who’s now been charged with perjury.
3) Should he have gone to the State College police after nothing happened? Yes. But without Mike McQueary, all he has is hearsay – which is no evidence at all.
Summary from my point of view: JoePa screwed up, yes, but met his legal obligations and was very helpful during the trial. He should have been allowed to finish out the season. And the Board of Trustees was very wrong to fire him at 10:00 at night, especially by phone.
TL-DR: Overreactions were made by everybody.
November 18th, 2011 at 2:05 pm
Garrett pretty much nailed it.
There would not have been rioting if 1) Other people were treated equally by the board (they have a history of wanting to get rid of Joe – Joe’s gone, but his boss is still employed by the uni??)
2) The board had done it at a time of day when people weren’t sitting around in bars.
And every time someone points out the few rioters, I must take a moment to point out the 10,000 people at the candlelight vigil and the almost $500,000 raised for RAINN, since the media ignores things like that.
November 18th, 2011 at 2:41 pm
Uh, shouldn’t that be “F%#K NO!?”
November 18th, 2011 at 2:53 pm
In this situation, “I did the minimum to comply with the law” is morally equivalent to “I was just following orders.”
November 18th, 2011 at 3:17 pm
And why did he do that? Oh right, it was because he’d been caught before, and instead of going to the police, they allowed him to resign.
That doesn’t really excuse them, does it?
November 18th, 2011 at 3:18 pm
wizardpc, they did go to the police in the 1998 incident. The DA refused to file charges.
November 18th, 2011 at 3:20 pm
Paterno apologism: fucking pathetic. People like Heather and Garrett are people I will take great pains to keep away from my children.
November 18th, 2011 at 3:24 pm
Oh, and if you’ve ever thought Eric Holder needs to go…but are thinking Paterno was handled roughly…
Please kill yourself.
November 18th, 2011 at 3:26 pm
Sebastian:
See my TL:DR comment. Applies to everybody – even you.
November 18th, 2011 at 3:33 pm
Wow, so now I’m a child-rapist for stating facts and suggesting that people other than Paterno need to be fired as well? That’s just sick.
November 18th, 2011 at 3:38 pm
I think we now have sufficient evidence (about 120 years’ worth) that if you’re looking for a school sport that actually builds character, football should not be your first choice.
Not one university in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has a NCAA Rifle team, despite a disproportionate number of top collegiate shooters being from there. And so, I have a very specific punishment in mind for State College.
You might have to import those awful Anschutz sweaters from Europe, if you couldn’t Nittany.
November 18th, 2011 at 3:39 pm
No, you’re an idiot who’s muddy headed bullshit on a black and white issue like this means your moral character is well beyond suspect. Like our host said…it’s only fucking football. Get over it.
The fact is the guy didn’t see to it the proper authorities were handling the issue and did just enough to stay out of trouble. He put protecting the football brand ahead of children. He let a guy he KNEW was sexually abusing children continue to have access to the football program and emeritus status and said NOTHING publicly, hoping to sweep it under the rug.
Sick indeed. And telling you’d make the incorrect leap you did.
November 18th, 2011 at 4:16 pm
I still don’t understand why there wasn’t an ambulance involved when McQueary found them in the shower. 911 is such an easy number to call. How could he NOT call the number and say….”I need an ambulance. I’ve just beaten the ever loving crap out of a pedophile that was raping a kid. No…you can take your time……”
November 18th, 2011 at 4:22 pm
I dunno.
And as you can tell I don’t feel a heck of a lot more charitable toward people who think the important thing here is feeling bad for JoePa.
A couple years ago…maybe I wouldn’t have cared so much? But I’m a parent now. If you’re not a parent, you’ll have a hard time seeing the issue the way I do.
The Heathers of the world need to ask themselves this: if that had been JoePa’s grandson getting buggered in the ass by Sandusky in the shower that day…you think he would have let the guy stick around the program? Not followed up with the police?
No?
If you haven’t stopped to consider as much and are clinging to technicalities like “well he did what was legally required”, then you have serious fucking problems.
November 18th, 2011 at 4:27 pm
If my leap was incorrect, I apologize. Given that my friends and I have been called that in the past few days for simply having attended Penn State, I may have jumped to conclusions.
However, I think you are misinterpreting things that I have said as well, Sebastian. I’m not sure you’re interested in actually listening to what’s being said though, so have a nice day. If I’m wrong on that point as well and you’d like to have an actual discussion without insults, I’d be happy to oblige.
November 18th, 2011 at 4:29 pm
Cargosquid has it summed up correctly.
Sebastian, you may be wasting your time typing a reply. As you stated well, this is not a grey area. McQuery did not see Sandusky doing something inappropriate. According to the grand jury statements, he said it was “anal rape” of a 10 year old boy. Not some vague he was sort of cuddling but maybe you had to be there horseplay-ish maybe it was benign I don’t know I’ll just let you guys sort it out.
The only correct response minimum is to grab the child out of the shower and move him to a safe distance while you dial 911. If you have to step over the bloody corpse of Sandusky to do that, better. But the “hey, I did the minimal amount of legal interference necessary to not get my butt in trouble” is not the proper response. If the DA does not take this seriously, then you go over his/her head. But you don’t sleep well at night knowing that child rapist is still running a program for children and is loose on the streets.
Paterno may be remembered fondly by fans. But he will not be asked to serve on the board of directors for programs overseeing child involvement.
November 18th, 2011 at 4:32 pm
My uncle went to PSU too–anyone making THAT leap has issues.
But I’m not sure there’s much to discuss here: in that situation McQueary *and* JoePa had an obligation to be EVERY kid’s parent. Joe treated the kid differently than he would have treated his own flesh and blood and he did so to protect a fucking football time for crying out loud. Not exactly keeping the nuclear football codes safe or pulling someone from a fire.
He chose football over doing the right thing vis a vis child sexual abuse. That’s it. Period.
And if you’re flipping a car over or rioting over a guy who did that losing his job, then you’re not much better than Sandusky himself.
November 18th, 2011 at 4:33 pm
Team, not time. Stupid Friday brain.
November 18th, 2011 at 4:40 pm
The thing that is frustrating to me is why do people like McQueary and Curley still have jobs when Joe was fired? I’m not arguing that firing Joe was wrong, I’m wondering why it stopped there? Why did the Board of Trustees grant Sandusky professor emeritus status after the 1998 incident? Why weren’t charges filed in the 1998 incident? This goes way beyond Joe, but the media focus is only on him.
The rioters were drunk morons, bottom line.
November 18th, 2011 at 5:50 pm
My favorite commentary on the issue!
http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/tue-november-15-2011/jerry-sandusky-phone-interview
November 18th, 2011 at 6:04 pm
And if you actually ARE attracted to young boys or girls, lean into the strike zone and take one for the team. (Props to Dennis Miller)
November 18th, 2011 at 6:17 pm
I agree with Todd. I just wish there was a way to see at a glance who all was attracted to underage children. Wouldn’t it be great if they were all rounded up and shot?