More Issues from Penn State

The Penn State scandal has story lines that need to be delineated. Here are some:

1. Sandusky has been indicted for child molestation. His case will work its way through the criminal justice system in an orderly manner. We need to let that happen before jumping to other conclusions.
2. The All American Blame Game is in full swing. Anyone connected to Penn State University seems to be under suspicion. That seems unfair to me. Let the court and authorities handle this. Afterward we can air opinions but then it will be based on fact.
3. No one knows at this time what Joe Paterno knew, and what he could have done about it when it would have made a difference. He is a man who has been absorbed in the operations of a winning football program for five decades; it is possible Sandusky’s behavior could have slipped by him. At any rate he notified his boss immediately when reports were made to him. Channels of authority in a large organization should have taken it from there. But sometimes those channels are clogged and move slowly. .
4. Paterno is nearly 85 years old; he keeps on ticking and working hard at what he has devoted his life to. He appears dazed by all the accusations. We should give him time to process the scandal. He needs time and space to pull his thoughts together, not sound bites which are easily distorted by those who have axes to grind.
5. This case says a lot about institutional power and self monitoring. Some institutions get too big to adequately monitor their own ethos and applied morals. Important elements get fogged over and eventually lost. Did this happen at Penn State? Will we ever know? This case may not be finally understood until calm returns and analysts are given the time to thoroughly digest the facts.
6. The case is about child molestation. That is a behavior driven by a psychological illness. It needs to be recognized and treated as such if the individuals involved are to be protected and provided healing treatment.
7. This is apparently not a case of gay child abuse. Sandusky for all intents and purposes is a straight man. His case then would be pedophilia. Most such cases involve straight men. But these variations exist as well:
1. Straight women abuse of young girls
2. Straight women abuse of young boys
3. Straight men abuse of young girls
4. Very slight evidence of gay men abusing young boys.
8. As uncomfortable as it may be to ponder, pedophilia involves prepubescent children; it is a sexual attraction experienced by an adult, whether male or female.

Some people are too willing to lay blame on anything that moves. No doubt there are many who assume the Penn State scandal is gay related. They should share those thoughts so the ideas can be dealt with. Same with news organizations. They do not label this case as pedophilia, or attempt to inform the public on what that term means. Meanwhile public opinion runs wild.

A good example is that of Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania (past failed US senator, current failing Republican Presidential candidate). He says it is about gays abusing young children and it is why gays should not be allowed to adopt children. Scientific research does not support that conclusion. Santorum has an anti-gay axe to grind and he will fit any fact or fiction to his preconceived position.

We should not be as gullible as he. We need to focus on the immediate problem and how to avoid it in the future.

Innocent kids were abused. They deserved protection and nurture. If we can’t sort this out factually, how are we going to find the right answers to protect kids in the future?

Rhetoric, posturing and blaming gets us no where. Caring about kids will.

November 16, 2011