Today news came out about the Penn State sex scandal and the report was devastating to say the least. I'll post the link to the case here in case you haven't read it yet.
http://www.thefreehreportonpsu.com/Press_Release_07_12_12.pdf
Those of you who know me know I'm not a big Penn State fan to begin with. I have nothing against the school, its teachers, student, alumni, football team, or anything else. Instead I hate the narrow minded "staters" who live and die by the Nittany Lion and express the idea that Penn State does no wrong.
This entire Sandusky case has shed a negative cloud on the university. I deplore what all those in charge at the school did but I' not so quick as to say anything bad about the school as an institution. Those guilty are those mentioned in the Freeh report. I also despise the negligence displayed by some alumni or current students. Today I saw a current student argue on Twitter that it was insane to remove the Joe Pa statue because "he was Penn State." That's the type of ignorance that pisses me off. Joe Paterno isn't Penn State. He was, for decades, the head coach of a powerhouse football team. He was also a great philanthropist. Unfortunately his legacy will forever be clouded by his negligence in this case.
In a sense I do find Joe Pa as guilty as Sandusky. Or at least as guilty as a passerby can be. My rule of thumb is this; if people look up to you and hold you to a higher standard you are expected to act at a higher standard. Joe Paterno had no standard by not reporting his findings to the authorities.
At the very least I wish Joe Pa would've restricted Sandusky's access to school facilities, but he failed to do that.
Joe Paterno made a huge mistake. Was he a horrible man? Not by any means.
Jerry Sandusky is a despicable human being who I have no sympathy for. In my not so professional opinion I think the death penalty woudl've been lenient and 1000 years in jail would be too short. I want him in general population. I want him to see how child molesters are treated in prison. Just as cop killers are sacred, child molesters are the low of the low. He should have to face the inmates of a state penitentiary. They should be his final jury.
I dare you to play the "an eye for an eye makes the whole world blind" card here. Ghandi would roll over in his grave.
At the end of the day Penn State is still a great school to get a great education at. 99% of it's alumni and students are right. 1% are either the guilty or ignorant folk who think nothing went wrong. I have friends and loved ones who are going to Penn State and I don't blame them at all. I have no problem with stuicking up for your school. Hell, we all would do it. From what I can see Penn State alum are some of the most loyal and school spirited in the country.
Should they remove the Joe Pa statue? I'll leave that discussion up to the people who can actually do something about it.
The actions of a few cannot condemn the whole, but if the whole protects those few, I have a problem.
Thanks tommy. Love you budddd
ReplyDeleteNo need to thank me! Those are just my honest views of the situation.
DeleteJoe Paterno was a Penn State legend despite everything that has clouded his reputation in the recent past. He did wrong, there's no denying that, but taking down his statue would be choosing to only remember the bad. It is already unfortunate enough that anytime Joe Paterno is mentioned, it is tagged with Jerry Sandusky and molestation. The statue is there to commemorate and honor all that Joe Paterno did for the university and all that he did to change the sport of football for the better. Penn State administration, faculty, alumni, students, and fans would never let that happen, and quite frankly, I would be downright ashamed of my school if they did. Other than that, thanks for not being an ignorant asshole about the whole situation, like so many other non Penn Staters.
ReplyDeleteTear that thing down. The cult wants to remember Joe Pa as some savior who changed the game, but in the end he couldn't even protect innocent children. He shaped many players into great young men, but in his crowning moment he faltered. He faltered in a major way. He will forever be associated with the Sandusky molestation case because we now know the whole truth. He did nothing. He stood on the sidelines and allowed it to continue. He put young boys in danger and to me that is inexcusable. May Joe Pa rest in peace, but may his statue be torn down.
DeleteThey should tear the statue down. I don't care what paterno did throughout his life. He knew that children were sexually assaulted and sodomized and yet he did absolutely nothing. He did nothing in order to protect himself and his organization. To me he is nothing but a selfish piece of scum. If penn state university wants to gain my respect as a quality institution of higher learning, they will tear down that statue, distance themselves from paterno completely, and try to move on while ensuring that one team and one man do not ever become more important than the lives of helpless children. The whole situation is disgusting. And to people that stick up for paterno, put yourself in that 11 year old boys shoes. Think about that....
ReplyDeletePenn state is a cult. All you "staters" sticking up for paterno are just drinking the kool-aid.
ReplyDelete