Penn State child-abuse scandal
9 November 2011 Last updated at 22:51 ET
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-15662479
Penn State coach Joe Paterno fired amid abuse scandalMr Paterno has been accused of failing to act over alleged child abuse by long-serving assistant Jerry Sandusky.
Date: Fri, 11 Nov 2011 03:49:32 +0000http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-15682779
Joe Paterno exit sparks Penn State fans riot
Penn State students have gone on the rampage after Joe Paterno, one of the most famous coaches in American sport, was sacked amid a child abuse scandal.
Scores of police and state troopers, some in riot gear, tried to clear the streets, and some officers used pepper spray to disperse demonstrators.
Witnesses say rocks and bottles were thrown, a lamp-post was knocked over and a news van overturned.
They estimated the crowd approached 5,000 people.
This is just absurd. Ignoring the whole issue of the abuse and sexual assaults, sports should just not be that important. Firing a football coach is not a reason for a riot! Students are supposed to be in college for an education, not for tailgate parties and weekend debauchery. Yes, it's nice if your school's teams win, but is that how you picked your school? You didn't consider which academic departments were outstanding, or whether you and your fellow graduates would leave prepared to contribute to society? Exercise is important, but if a sports program becomes a cost center bringing in millions of dollars, it becomes the tail wagging the dog - colleges and universities should not exist simply to give sports programs legitimacy. The role of sports in these institutions is skewed far beyond the realms of propriety. Maybe it's good for alumni morale and donations, but at what cost?
And getting back to that other issue, someone who's responsible for shaping the character and morals of young men can't ignore that kind of activity going on in his own workplace. And if he does ignore it, it is appropriate for his employer, which also shares that responsibility, to remove him from that position - he's either hypocritical, or showing by example that maybe that kind of behavior is OK.
I wonder how many of the rioters were Catholic? (A radio commentator drew parallels today between Penn State Univ ignoring the alleged abuse and the Catholic Church doing likewise.) I'm not saying it's an issue of religion, but of entrenched institutions, and the power structures within those institutions. A university? A Church? Both are classic institutions with rigid hierarchies.
[This entry was originally posted as https://syntonic-comma.dreamwidth.org/480854.html on Dreamwidth (where there are
comments).]
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-15662479
Penn State coach Joe Paterno fired amid abuse scandalMr Paterno has been accused of failing to act over alleged child abuse by long-serving assistant Jerry Sandusky.
Date: Fri, 11 Nov 2011 03:49:32 +0000http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-15682779
Joe Paterno exit sparks Penn State fans riot
Penn State students have gone on the rampage after Joe Paterno, one of the most famous coaches in American sport, was sacked amid a child abuse scandal.
Scores of police and state troopers, some in riot gear, tried to clear the streets, and some officers used pepper spray to disperse demonstrators.
Witnesses say rocks and bottles were thrown, a lamp-post was knocked over and a news van overturned.
They estimated the crowd approached 5,000 people.
This is just absurd. Ignoring the whole issue of the abuse and sexual assaults, sports should just not be that important. Firing a football coach is not a reason for a riot! Students are supposed to be in college for an education, not for tailgate parties and weekend debauchery. Yes, it's nice if your school's teams win, but is that how you picked your school? You didn't consider which academic departments were outstanding, or whether you and your fellow graduates would leave prepared to contribute to society? Exercise is important, but if a sports program becomes a cost center bringing in millions of dollars, it becomes the tail wagging the dog - colleges and universities should not exist simply to give sports programs legitimacy. The role of sports in these institutions is skewed far beyond the realms of propriety. Maybe it's good for alumni morale and donations, but at what cost?
And getting back to that other issue, someone who's responsible for shaping the character and morals of young men can't ignore that kind of activity going on in his own workplace. And if he does ignore it, it is appropriate for his employer, which also shares that responsibility, to remove him from that position - he's either hypocritical, or showing by example that maybe that kind of behavior is OK.
I wonder how many of the rioters were Catholic? (A radio commentator drew parallels today between Penn State Univ ignoring the alleged abuse and the Catholic Church doing likewise.) I'm not saying it's an issue of religion, but of entrenched institutions, and the power structures within those institutions. A university? A Church? Both are classic institutions with rigid hierarchies.
[This entry was originally posted as https://syntonic-comma.dreamwidth.org/480854.html on Dreamwidth (where there are
comments).]