it really is.
i spent the day hearing people talking about what happened at penn state. and ultimately, it will take a court of law to determined what truly happened at penn state. but if the reports are true, then some horrible child abuse happened there, and many people looked the other way.
what’s surprising to me, though, is how many people felt sympathy for winningest coach Joe Paterno. sure, he spoke a lot about honor. but when he had the opportunity to do the honorable thing and save some children from the clutches of a pedophile, he did the minimum. and apparently, if reports are true, he may have been evasive and downplayed what happened. he’s not alone in this, of course, but he is a person who has built a career on all sorts of platitudes to live by.
Success without honor is an unseasoned dish; it will satisfy your hunger but it won’t taste good. – Joe Paterno
and now, students at penn state are outraged. are they outraged because of what happened to innocent children? are they outraged by an administration that looked the other way, probably thanks to a combo of cronyism and intent to keep the house of cards standing solidly? are they even outraged by the fact that they’ve been sold down the river by the university they profess to love?
no.
they are tipping a news van and protesting because they want Joe Paterno back.
they are concerned because this university that they bought into is not providing them with the JoPa experience. not because it has permitted crimes to persist; no, because of their own selfishness. we bought this myth, damn it, and we want it to persist. we’re paying for a football school; and we want it now.
they are penn state. hopefully, they are not the only ones who are penn state.
Well said Sheryl.
A very bad and sad situation all around.