CLASS DISMISSED: Penn State scandal a lesson in abuse

The Penn State scandal shocked me on many levels: first as a human being, next as an advocate, finally as a student.

I think the most shocking thing I have seen so far is the reaction of many of the students and even people I have personally encountered.

Instead of being concerned with the victims, they are upset because of a tarnished legacy.

On Nov. 5, former Penn State assistant coach Jerry Sandusky was charged with 40 counts of sexual abuse of a minor, with the charges applying to eight victims assaulted over the course of 17 years.

Subsequently, former head coach Joe Paterno has since been terminated and administrators Tim Curley and Gary Schultz have also been charged with perjury and failure to report child abuse.

In the midst of this news, students at Penn State took to the streets, violently rioting for their football program rather than the disgusting revelations of sexual abuse. To say their anger is misguided is a vast understatement.

No doubt, this situation will forever tarnish the school’s reputation and hang a dark cloud over its stellar football program.

Even so, football is the least of their problems.

If anything, the students should be flipping cars and breaking storefronts because an authority figure who claimed to be an upstanding human being is nothing but a monster that exploited the trust of young boys to feed a disgusting sexual appetite.

I would also like to further express my anger at all the people who witnessed this abuse and did little to nothing to stop it.

As discussed on Monday’s episode of Public Reason, FIU Student Media’s radio show dedicated to gathering opinions and generating discussion,  everyone from the nameless janitor to assistant coach Dennis McQueary to Paterno have sealed their reputations as what Assistant Opinion Editor Brooklyn Middleton called “rape apologists.”

I cannot fathom how any of these people even questioned whether or not they should come forward to the police.

I am especially appalled at McQueary, who is an eyewitness to this abuse. Instead of calling his dad, the first thing he should have done was get Sandusky away from the boy he was abusing, even tackle him if he had to, and then go straight to the police.

This chain of silence perfectly illustrates how diffusion of responsibility has devastating effects.

As this story unfolds, I am positive the reaction would have been different if the victims were different.

Presumably, the children who went through Sandusky’s program were disenfranchised youth from less than ideal social conditions.

As conspiratorial as this sounds, I think that had these victims been from the upper echelons of society, Sandusky’s actions would have been revealed much more quickly.

Even if the revelation came about in the same time period, there would be zero debate as to whether those involved in the cover-up should be held accountable.

From all there is to learn from this, the first and foremost is this: sexual assault of anyone, child or otherwise, is not something to keep silent about for any reason.

Even if the abuser is a person in power with a great reputation and public image, they lose the right to that when they victimize others.

To the readers, I plead with you: if you ever see any sexual abuse, especially that of a child, do not stay silent. Protect the correct party and say something so the abuse will stop, the abuser can be held accountable and the victims can begin to heal.

My heart goes out to victims; I wish you nothing but love, health and healing.

“Class Dismissed” is a biweekly column critiquing education in America.