Wednesday, November 9, 2011

The Penn State Scandal





Some of you may know that my darling daughter is a sophomore at Penn State University.

I will admit to not watching/reading much on the story.
Any information I have is from bits and pieces I have seen on the news or heard on the radio.
So these words are just my opinion gathered from my limited knowledge.
I would  like to say that I think the fact that the media is focusing so much on Joe Paterno is a bit disheartening. I am also bothered by the fact that all of a sudden the sports analyst and sports writers are now the morality police.
Really? 
I think I will get my moral opinions from people who do not laud every sunday players who have been accused and or convicted of committing crimes. 
Thank you very much!

I think what Joe Paterno did is morally wrong.
But should he be fired for that?
I don't think so.
I think it is a scary thought that we are going to call for peoples terminations because we don't like the way they handled something morally.
I personally think that a lot of us are in trouble if this becomes a common practice.

I  think the news media is morally reprehensible for putting all of their focus on Joe Paterno and not focusing on the children who were abused and the man who actually abused them.

I saw a report of a rally held last night on Joe Pa's front lawn.
The reporter indicated that he thought the "kids" were ignorant and should be ashamed.
Here is what I think......
If you want the "kids" to stop rally in support of Joe then stop putting all of the focus on Joe.
You don't see these "kids" standing on Sandusky's lawn supporting him.
So stop bashing them and calling them ignorant and childish.
The way they see it is Joe did not commit a crime so why is he being treated like a criminal?

If the news stories that I have read/seen are correct then an assistant came to Joe and told him that he saw Sandusky in the shower with a boy and the assistant did not know if that was inappropriate.
Joe then reported what the assistant told him to the head of athletics.
I also read that the police were told and investigated the report in 1998.
It was brought to the district attorney at the time and he did not pursue charges.
So if the police did not do anything about this then why are we complaining about Joe not doing anything.

Someone commented on my Facebook that I should read the grand jury transcripts.
I say thanks but no thanks.
I have no interest in reading the gory details.
Not because I don't care but because reading the explicit details of child abuse is not of interest to me.

So thats what I think.
I think this situation was handled terribly.
Not only by Penn State but also apparently by the police and the district attorney at the time.
I don't however think that worrying about whether Joe Paterno should be fired or not should be our focus.


6 comments:

Muriel said...

It is a difficult subject. Just like you, I am not aware of the details (and I don't want to be aware of it). The medias are quick to find scapegoats, and it seems that lots of opportunities to stop the abuse were missed.

Andrew Leon said...

I agree. I'm so tired of people being punished through their careers for things that have nothing to do with those careers. Sure, they may be things that they shouldn't have done or that were wrong, but, often, the things aren't illegal, just immoral. And they lose their jobs for it, because it makes us feel like they are getting what they deserved. So, if I'm excellent at my job, I mean really excellent, but I do something like (because this is most often the case) cheat on my wife, which is not a crime, why should I lose my job? This is not to say that any of those people have been excellent at their jobs, but, even if they were just adequate at them, how is, basically, being fired for something that's completely not related to my job performance okay?
I'm tired of it in the media all the time.

ib said...

The media. Just typing that God forsaken word makes me want to clean my fingers with sandpaper. What I find most disturbing is the fact that they are demonizing Joe because of another persons sick acts. Yes, more should have been done on his part, but is it not possible that he did not know the extent of the problem, or am I ignorant and childish because I choose not throw one under a bus until I know more of the story?

Jennifer said...

Muriel - I know I am so disgusted by the media right now.

Jennifer said...

Andrew - I think a lot of people should be very worried if we are going to start firing people because we don't like the way they handle non work related situations. I am pretty sure my neighbor is illegally throwing his trash in the fire house dumpster down the street. I think I will report him or else I may get fired.......by the way I kid I know the fact that my neighbor is misusing a county owned dumpster is not the same as a child being abused.....just wanted to say that and avoid the hate mail.

Jennifer said...

ib - I forced myself to read the report and it made me so sick and not just the shit this sicko did but because this mans face should be the one plastered on every news paper and news story not Paterno's.....but I guess celebrity is more important.....I find this morally wrong so I call for the firing of every journalist!

 
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