This is a cautionary tale to us all. It shows how easy it is for good people to commit evil acts by simply doing nothing. It is the story of a corrupt hierarchy, a cult of personality, and the willingness to allow children to be sexually tortured in order to maintain a status quo.
Read the grand jury report, if you dare. The grand jury spent 18 months compiling this report. In it you will see the same “cover your own ass” attitudes that permeates this whole sickening mess. So, forgive me if I don’t share the handwringing and outrage that Joe Paterno was fired, or worry about what will become of Penn State’s supposed legacy.
The legend of Penn State is a house of cards. It is a sham. Because no matter its achievements, it was based on a coverup, a lie. It sacrificed at least 8 boys (that we know about) to its own glory and vanity.
It is heartbreaking how many people knew what was going on at various times in the cases the grand jury investigated. When you read the report, you begin to see a pattern of willful ignorance. These are not evil men, but they committed evil acts by doing absolutely nothing to help childen when they needed it most.
For them, I feel nothing but disgust and rage. And from them, all I hear are politically timed mea culpas and press release-spin to protect their own supposed legacies. All these supposed “great leaders” were silent when their voice could have actually made a difference to the lives of these children. There is no “honor code” that allows you to shrug and look the other way, like these men did for so long.
Just like the Catholic church has destroyed its own credibility by putting its own self-interest above the lives of children it supposedly takes care of, the same can be said of Penn State. And the actions of those protesting last night only reinforce it. To riot over a football coach being fired is pathetic and misguided at best. To riot over a football coach fired for looking the other way while boys are being raped under watch is beyond disgusting and is a gross display of an empty moral code.
The real tragedy is how pervasive this attitude is all around us. It occurs under our noses, all around us, every day. If you are outraged about this latest scandal, use it to open your eyes a little more, and be prepared to take action when necessary. If any one of the many people in this case had acted just once, so many lives would not have been damaged so heinously.
Pray for the victims of this beast, and pray that they get the help they need in the years to come. I speak as one who, like far too many out there, went through something all too similar as a young boy. It scars you deeply, but it’s still possible to survive and have a good life.
I will leave with a quote:
I have ONE STAND: if an adult has even the slightest suspicion that a child is being abused IT IS YOUR DUTY AS AN ADULT TO STAND UP FOR THAT CHILD AND DO SOMETHING NOW!
It’s simple.
It’s not the time for semantics, for second guessing, for looking out for your own interest or your business interest, for your buddy or friend, or for looking the other way. It is the time to contact the authorities and speak up!
A child’s life is at stake.
Money, contracts, games, etc. are not important when it comes to the life of a child.
And if you’re the adult who saw something, or thinks they saw something
IT IS YOUR DUTY AS AN ADULT TO STAND UP FOR THAT CHILD AND DO SOMETHING NOW.
It’s a silly argument to say that an adult has to see with their own eyes the actual incident(s) of abuse, it’s a baseless argument to say that since Joe Paterno wasn’t in the shower with the abuser and the victim that he bears no responsibility ~ absolutely a ridiculous thing to say…
– YOUR DUTY AS AN ADULT, theofleury14.com