Most people cheered when the statue was removed. Most people begged and pleaded for it to come down. Most people hate Joe Paterno. Most people don’t understand how Penn Staters still defend him.
I am not saying I still defend Joe Paterno, because I don’t. He made a gigantic mistake and his legacy is not the same. That is the bottom line. But when I watched the video of the statue being removed this morning, and I read tweets and reactions on the matter, I couldn’t help but feel something. I couldn’t help but wish it wasn’t happening. Not any ounce of me was glad the statue was coming down.
If you didn’t go to Penn State you don’t get it–and I am not trying to be “cult like” with that statement by any means, nor am I trying to “brag” about my school. Many close-minded people call that statement naive and immature. They said “Penn Staters” don’t get it. That we don’t see the entire picture. That we don’t care about the victims. That Joe Paterno became bigger than everything. That we blindly support Penn State over anything.
Trust me—that is dead wrong.
We get it. Penn State top officials, including Joe Paterno, made awful decisions to cover up child sex abuse. We’re not avoiding that and we’re definitely not defending that. We understand that.
But it is extremely difficult when something, or someone, that has helped you shape your life, your values, and mold you into the man or women you are today, lets you down. When that person, thing, or place contradicts the message that you believed in, and listened too, your world gets flipped upside down for a split second.
That’s what has happened to every single Penn Stater.
Joe Paterno served as a “father figure” to every Penn Stater. He was the ideal man, the perfect guy. If you went to Penn State, you loved Joe Paterno.
If your own loved one messed up, committed a crime, made a monumental mistake, would you defend him/her? If it was your husband, wife, brother, sister, best friend, mother, or father that you realized wasn’t the person you thought he or she was, how would you react? Would you still defend him or her? Would you go to battle for him or her? Would you beg, plead to see every single piece of evidence? Would you remember the good? Would you deny it? Would you disregard all the negative comments? Would you continue to fight for your loved one?
I don’t know what I would do; I have never been in that situation. Most people haven’t. You can’t really say what you would do, until you are put in the situation. I am not saying I love Joe Paterno like I love my father, but in some weird way, Penn State has put hundreds of thousands in that situation.
Again, I am not defending Penn State. I am not defending Joe Paterno or any of those officials. They were 100% wrong and Penn State should, and will (tomorrow at 9:00am), be penalized. I just wish the people that have no affiliation with Penn State can try to wear the hat of a Penn State student, alumni, mother, father, football player, etc. Just try to see our point of view and simply realize, this isn’t as cut and dry as you want it to be. We’re not naive, we’re not immature, we’re not blind, and we’re definitely not defending anyone. We care for the victims and we will fight as a university against child sex abuse—I guarantee it.
We believed in, and loved, Joe Paterno and Penn State. We also shaped our lives based on what Joe Paterno and Penn State taught us. Now, all that came crashing down and we have to readjust. Time for us to take a deep breath and take it all in. Be a little understanding—give us a second or two.
What did Joe teach you? To play football? To protect children? Yes he built Penn State into what it is today, but he allowed Sandusky to destroy lives. Your article says yes we know it’s bad but we learned so much, we became who we were.
You were attached to that statue it symbolized Penn State, you were attached to Joe he symbolized Penn State, and you are a Penn Stater.
It’s nothing more then the difficulty of letting go, imagine you were molested by Sandusky and how your life as been upended and then read your article from the eyes of the victim. You’d be sick of the we know, it was bad, but this is why we felt that way. You are fixing the excuse is what your doing, it’s further proof of the kind of thinking that allowed this to happen. You put yourself ahead of the victims by presenting this article. You are fixing the excuse. The victims are no better for the removal of the statue, but I hope they heel a little from that. Joe is symbolic of a youth lost and a fearful time.
False. Sandusky is symbolic of a youth lost.
As a graduate of The Ohio State University, I never thought that I would be writing about anything that related to Penn State. But, I can no longer take the ignorance and lynch mob mentality of many of the media outlets, as well as the general populace.
It has always amazed me that we (readers and listeners of mass media) have become so lazy that we swallow every morsel of so called news as gospel. Lest we forget that the media must sell their wares in order to remain in business. With the advent of ever evolving technology that task has become increasing more difficult. As a result, the media too have evolved.
What used to be a respected profession, where journalistic integrity and the reporting of the facts were not only the norm, but were sacred and guarded, has now become a mission to remain relevant and profitable. Their integrity and reporting of the facts have often taken a back seat to the sensationalizing of some facet of the news.
It’s no longer good enough to simply report the facts and allow the readers or listeners to form their own judgment or opinion. Many articles today are merely watered down editorials with morsels of the truth thrown in so one could call it a news article.
I believe that the media are the most powerful people in the world. We have been led to believe, in fact brain washed in a sense, to accept the words of the media as an unbiased and fair representation of the facts.
The Sandusky Sex Scandal, or as it’s better know the Penn State Sex Scandal… because the word “Sandusky” won’t sell as many papers or TV ads as “Penn State”, is a prime example of the media gone wrong.
I continue to be amazed by the irrational comments from generally intelligent people. Their naive acceptance of the media’s portrayal of the students/athletes, as well as Joe Paterno and other officials at Penn State is very bothersome to me and it should be to you.
For those of us who have actually read Louis Freeh’s report (which is the most comprehensive study about the Sandusky Sex Scandal) with an open mind, it must make you wonder about a number of things.
One of the most basic tenets of the entire document has been largely ignored by media. The report clearly states that in 1998 an investigation took place regarding Sandusky and alleged misconduct with young boys. The District Attorney along with the police department and several state organizations conducted numerous interviews. School officials, parents and alleged victims were all questioned. The investigation was closed and no charges were filed.
Sandusky should have been stopped in 1998. He wasn’t.
The report went on to say that law enforcement and child welfare officials were ill equipped and not sufficiently trained to adequately recognize and handle adolescent sexual abuse. What? Why isn’t that the headline? Apparently, that won’t sell as many ads or newspapers.
That one sentence shines a whole new light on this entire tragedy. If the professionals who are hired to serve and protect didn’t have the proper knowledge, training and education as it pertained to adolescent abuse, what makes everyone think that a football coach or academic officials should?
However, not one media outlet picked up on that and reported the finding. Apparently, it wasn’t sensational enough.
In 2001, having been through a Sandusky investigation just three years prior, Joe Paterno reported yet another incident to school officials. Knowing the result of the 1998 investigation, one might understand (not condone, but understand) why, after the initial report was filed, there was limited follow up on the part of Joe Paterno.
There’s no doubt that Paterno and school officials made some horrendous decisions. But, so did the law enforcement personnel and state agencies who were supposed to be knowledgeable about pedophiles and their characteristics.
I question why the media and many of you are holding a football coach and an administration to a higher standard than law enforcement and agencies whose job it is to protect all of us? Would you hold Child Protective Services, State Police or the District Attorney responsible if the Nittany Lions lost a football game? Of course not. It’s irrational and idiotic. I’m not downplaying the acts of Sandusky. They were horrific!
Further, I’m not defending anyone, but simply pointing out the fact that the mob is trying to condemn Penn State’s current students, athletes and officials for grievous acts committed 12 or 14 years ago. For the most part, today’s student body at Penn State were just getting out of diapers when these acts occurred. How is it rational or just for them to be punished?
One final thought. During the same time frame of 12 to 14 years, the students at Penn State have raised and donated nearly $100 million dollars for research and a cure for pediatric cancer. Thousands of young lives have been saved or made better because of the students at Penn State. Let’s stop casting aspersions and not forget all of the good they have done.
So, before you jump on the band wagon, perhaps you should know the facts and not just what the media want you to believe.
I’m proud to be a Buckeye, but feel very sad for the victims, students and everyone who calls Happy Valley home.
Thank you! Well said.
Thank you! From a PSU alumnus.
As someone who grew up in Ohio and loving the Buckeyes but who ended up going to Penn State (current student), I would like to thank you THEOhioStateU for your comment. I love Penn State and the fact is the true victims are the children and the true criminal is Sandusky. Plain and simple. Yes JoePa could have done more but no one knows what they would do when in his situation. Hindsight is 20/20. It is too bad that this will be remembered more as a Joe Pa wrong doing versus what it truly is and that is a Sandusky incident.
It annoys me when everyone and their mother comes up to me and asks me what I think of the whole Joe Pa situation as if I have some secret information just because i go there. I always say I think it is a shame and that people are forgetting who the real criminal is.
Just as THEOhioStateU said, people blindly follow the media accepting their word as if it is total truth when the fact is that reporters draw opinions from facts and write an article that they play off as being “fact.”
When it comes down to it, its a shame that this Freeh report came after Joe Pa’s passing because he does not even have a chance to defend himself. It is easy to put the blame on someone who can’t fight back…
In the end, the true criminal is being punished and Penn State is taking the necessary steps to assure that nothing of this nature will happen again. All of the “Penn State Haters” need to take a step back and stop calling for the entire University to be torn down.
That would be like me saying that the entire Catholic Church should be dismantled because of the actions of a few corrupt Priests who take advantage of their position. Not very logical.
Listen people you are not understanding the magnitude of the gigantic GOOD deeds Joe Paterno did in his lifetime. We are talking about a man who made a mistake!! Joe Paterno was a Great man in every sense of the word, What he did for Penn State the surrounding area,and the entire state of Pennsylvania was monumental. This was a man who’s lifetime was dedicted to doing good for people and their families. His deeds will have a great lasting affect on people forever.To tear down this statue was a horrible self serving act by the university he practically built with his own hands. I FIND THE TEARING DOWN OF THIS MONUMENT TO HIS ACHIEVEMENTS AND INSULT TO BOTH jOE AND HIS FAMILY. On top of all this the NCAA MADE TH DISGUSTINGLY SELF SERVING DECISION TO IMPOSE SANCTIONS ON PENN STATE THAT WERE REDICULOUSLY OUT OF LINE AND COMPLETELY UNFAIR. If they wanted to make some kind of statement that’s fine. The decision to hurt the program and the innocent players coaches and families by sticking their nose in this was ill concieved and inappropriate at best.