Shaming Penn State

[SoDesuKa]

Students at Penn State are angry that they are being shamed for the behavior of people on the University's payroll. I can sympathize with them. They didn't do anything wrong; in fact they didn't even know any of this was going on. But the entire country is dumping truckloads of shame on them as if they were enablers themselves.

I don't blame the students for acting out. This is a lot to absorb in a short time. Joe Paterno was for decades a hero at Penn State; now he's being pilloried as if he were Evil Incarnate. They have the right to assert their innocence here. The sins of the fathers are not necessarily visited upon the children.

It's less of a question whether the students are right in rallying to support JoePa; and more a case of understanding their collective trauma. They know that from here on out, Penn State will be referred to as Pedo State, and they are angry about it. I don't blame them. However, this will not be the last time in their lives that their trust will be abused. It is a learning experience, and an unfortunate one.



Betrayal, anger and shame

[LynneSin]

1. Those kids are supporting enablers of a pedophile. They deserve the shame

Today these students shame Penn State and they shame Pennsylvania

[Nuclear Unicorn]

29. You took the words right out of my keyboard

Their little "demonstration" over Paterno's firing left the rest of us wondering wha tht hell it was they were defending.

If someone says, "He was a great coach." we have to reply, "the lives of children mean more than any mere sport."

If they say, "But he was really a good human being," we have to say, "No, he wasn't. He turned a blind eye to the rape of children in the name of a mere sport."

Those students deserve every ounce of shame and ridicule and scorn decent society can dump on them. Why good money from public coffers is being spent to support them is beyond me.

[Fumesucker]

2. I wonder if having your football coach fired is as traumatic as getting raped in the ass? n/t

[Witchy_Dem]

3. This.

Says it all.

[XemaSab]

4. word.

[Marrah_G]

7. +1

[City Lights]

15. !

:thumbsup:

[yardwork]

17. ...when you're ten years old and your family is probably neglectful and abusive and you have nobody

to turn to for help and an adult witnessed you being raped and nobody followed up and helped you. This little child was iprobably in Sandusky's power because he was participating in Sandusky's program for at-risk youth, meaning that the little kid probably didn't have a very good home life. No advocates. Nobody to look out for him.

I wonder where he is today.

[MADem]

5. I could feel sorry for them IF I heard a one of them say "His behavior was dispicable"

None of 'em did, though. They were all pissed that people were making a big deal over the situation and angry that their football coach got fired--they couldn't have had more of an attitude of "Fuck Those Little Kids For Ruining Our Fun" if they tried.

I mean, come on. Tons of angry jerks screaming "We want Joe?" How about "We want university leaders to not enable child rape?"

Apparently, per the TV, the students aren't traumatized--they're making snarky jokes that they've been "Sandusky'd" by the media.

They don't fucking get it.

[OneGrassRoot]

19. I haven't seen much on this this morning, but what I saw of Penn State students...

being interviewed last night had them shouting that the media should be focusing on Sandusky more and that people should be thinking of the victims, and that Paterno shouldn't be the humungous media focus he is right now.

No doubt there are idiots in the bunch who are worried about the next game or their "fun," but I see what the OP is saying.

To me, the bottom line is that, in the coming weeks, I hope MUCH MORE attention is paid to these hierarchical institutions (religion, college sports...to some, they're one and the same) and how it breeds corruption and coverups of crimes.

:puke:

[MADem]

20. I agree--it turns out that none of those fuckers, under PA law, is a mandated reporter.

Apparently, coaches don't count. WTF?

To make it more interesting, there are similar loopholes in MA law. A legislator (cannot remember who, sorry) is crafting a bill to close that loophole.

It's outrageous. No one should be allowed to get away with fucking little kids. It's a life sentence, in my mind. That kind of sickness can't be fixed.

[OneGrassRoot]

28. I'm with you; I don't see how that kind of sickness is ever healed. n/t

[WilliamPitt]

22. 90% of the student body is saying precisely that.

[MADem]

30. That's not being covered. Most of the comments I've seen

are "They're making too much of a big deal about this," and "It's not his fault" and "They should leave him alone." The "We're being Sandusky'd by the mean old media" is icing on the cake.

I haven't seen a soul say "The asshole shouldn't have condoned kidfucking." No comments like "He's dispicable" at all that I've seen in any of the interviews. There's resentment that anyone would cause such a fuss over such old news, is how I'm reading it.

I don't think they get it.

[malaise]

26. +1,000

Wait 'til they hear that 17 others have accused the scumbag of more abuses

[Marrah_G]

6. perhaps they should be angry at the people who let young at risk kids be abused

Honestly, who the fuck raised these kids?

I do not sympathize with them for one second. They rioted in SUPPORT of a man who knew a man was abusing children and did not stop it. They did not come out in support of the victims. They came out in support of the people who did that WRONG thing and then became violent in their support for those people.

Joe is no hero. He is no one they should be looking up to. He is a rich privileged asshole who put his own desires in front of the well being of kids who would NEVER have the opportunities he has had and let them be used by a predator.

The whole thing is sick and frankly I think your sympathies are misguided on this one.

[MadHound]

8. They are not rioting to protest the shame being heaped upon them,

Because frankly, little shame was coming down on the students themselves. The shame, and the heat for this scandal, was coming down, and rightfully so, on Joe Paterno. This man put his football program ahead of the well being of a minor.

As a teacher, I'm legally obligated to report child abuse of any sort, and if I don't, I not only get fired, I get arrested. Paterno kicked this upstairs, and didn't do the right thing. He deserves to be fired.

This riot just goes to show the fucked up priorities that these students have.

[seabeyond]

9. the rapist shamed himself raping. the coach shamed himself doing nothing. the students shame

themselves throwing a collective tantrum for an illusion of a hero.

the only shame coming the students way is what they are doing now and they are totally responsible and deserving of that shame

[Bluenorthwest]

10. The riots showed us that the student body there stands with

the criminals. They could have made the choice to show the world that they are not like their coaches and leadership, but they did the opposite, announced that they are exactly the same as the worst among them. The one student eyewitness helped cover up for them and did not do the right thing, was rewarded with a job he still has.

[Posteritatis]

31. Yep. (nt)

[Le Taz Hot]

11. Penn State Shamed Itself. n/t

[DainBramaged]

12. Oh really, you don't blame them.......

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x2276989

[Indepatriot]

13. The Rioting is about the Cult of College Football

They are protesting the firing of people who were COMPLICIT IN PEDOPHILIA . Fools, the lot of them, for not educating themselves about "Joe Pa"'s hideous behavior. Full Disclosure: until this story broke, I too was a big Paterno fan, he seems by all accounts , to be the kind of coach you'd want your kid to play for. However, the facts are he tuned his back while knowing that Sandusky RAPED LITTLE BOYS. Jo Pa should get some Jail Pa.

[WinkyDink]

14. I'm an alumna; I'm a DU'er. And I've read "Pedo State" only 2 places, and this is one of them.

Thanks.

[Fumesucker]

25. Heh, I prefer "Perv State" myself..

Or maybe "Pederast State", that has a nice ring.

The students are blameless in this but the administration of the school is evidently corrupt from the top.

[OneGrassRoot]

16. I hear what you're saying. Very thoughtful post, imho. K&R n/t

[ecstatic]

18. If this occurred at my alma mater, I would immediately remove

my alumni license plate and the only evidence of attendance would be on my resume. The students were betrayed by university officials and Paterno. It's not the students' fault; however, anyone who reacts in support of the pedophile/pedophile enablers does deserve shame.

[dorkulon]

21. Fucking neanderthals. Football is more important than child rape to them.

I hope one day they're mature enough to feel ashamed of their reaction. Frankly, if three men were aware of a 10-year-old being raped, and didn't call the cops, then they ARE Evil Incarnate. How these students can't see that is completely beyond me.

[joeybee12]

23. I can't shame these twits enough...hopefully they'll come to their

senses...nt

[coalition_unwilling]

24. Oh, boo-hoo. Meanwhile, students at UCal-Berkeley are getting

their heads bashed in for defending democracy. Tell me again why I should give a flying fuck about a bunch of privileged frat boys at PSU? WTF?

[Cognitive_Resonance]

27. They need some better perspective about football/sports (as does much of our society). nt