The Penn State Situation

[compsports]

Like everyone else, I have found the Penn State Situation horrifying.

 

Everyone is rightfully outraged why Mike McCreary, the then graduate assistant coach who witnessed a kid being sodomized by Jerry Sanduski, in the locker room showers, didn't intervene. But people forget that we live in a society that continually makes it a habit of looking the other way.

 

In the most horrifying extreme case, there is the Kitty Genovese situation. Thirty four witnesses had a chance to save her and didn't do it.

 

There are also school bullying cases - A good friend's relative was pulled out of a school recently due to the refusal of school officials to act. There is no doubt in my mind that alot of people were looking the other way.

 

More on topic - I was listening to a Peter Breggin interview of Dr. Bonnie Burstow, who has spoken out against ECT. She pointed out that many health care professionals oppose it but are afraid to speak out to due to fear of retaliation such as losing their jobs. So it easier for them to look the other way.

 

In my opinion, if we want to stop future Penn State situations from occurring, it isn't enough to just say that people are legally obligated to report child abuse or any type of wrongdoing and that they are protected by a whistle blowers law. We know how well that law works. NOT!

 

When people are worried about their jobs and feeding their families, you can't count on them to do the right thing no matter how atrocious the situation is. A perfect example is the Penn State janitor who witnessed another rape. Because he feared for his job, he chose not to speak out. That is just reality as cold as that sounds.

 

I think there should be some type of compensation fund for people who end up losing their jobs if they are punished for reporting abuse. There also should be some type of job placement services that would help them find a new job.

 

And there should also be counseling services for people who are in a position of having to report something. Being a whistleblower is a very lonely position to be in.

 

Maybe if people knew they wouldn't lose everything financially and would receive support, it would encourage them to do the right thing.

 

Yeah, this costs money but compared to all the lawsuits that are going to result, it is a drop in the bucket.

 

By the way, what I am saying doesn't apply to Joe Paterno who had nothing to lose by calling 911 and reporting the abuse when his assistant told him. In my opinion, he is an absolute scumbag and I feel he knew even sooner what was going on and just deliberately ignored it. His legacy should be accessory to a crime.

[Barbarannamated]

Yes. Yes. Yes.

 

I had a reply typed up and my computer went awry.

 

This horrible news is the latest example of our society's warped value system in which money and power trump all, including what I naively assumed to be a primal instinct to protect the vulnerable and defenseless, children in this case. I'm sure the criminals involved -- whether by action or INaction -- have rationalized that they did report the crime to 'someone', even though no reports ended the abuse or resulted in criminal charges (until now).

 

I believe Whistleblower Laws exist although I'm not aware of supportive funding. It's a tough situation with angles I'm certainly unaware of. I want to believe that most people would choose to do the right thing.

I think Paterno is, perhaps, the most guilty because he had the power to do something. He was so revered in Pennsylvania and the sports world, in general. For an 'Icon' who could do no wrong in most people's eyes, he managed to do very very wrong. I'm surprised there wasn't more trouble at the game yesterday.

 

Barb

(Pennsylvania native)