<p>Himom…I am thinking back to when D was 14. A music producer heard one of her pop music demo’s of songs that she had written (guitar and voice). He contacted her directly, without calling us. I called back, a little irate, and he said that he couldnt find our number, that of course we would be kept in the loop and would we bring her to his office for a little audition. I was creeped out. I called a friend in the recording industry and he said that he didn’t know anything specific, but that we should stay far, far away from this guy. Even relaying everything that happened, you would be surprised at how many educated people scoffed at the very idea that we would not leave our girl with this creep. The performing arts and sports are full of parents who just want their kids to have some sort of entre, some sort of connection with the big leagues and they refuse to look at what really might be going on.</p>
<p>Right! It keeps happening because it works for the pedophile. It is a pattern of behavior as old as time. At risk kids are targeted because they are easy marks. They are often starved for a male role model and attention from a man. Their families are often distracted by huge issues such as poverty, addiction, etc. The parents are often grateful that someone is taking an interest in their child and if it happens to be a man who is well respected in the community such as a priest or a famous coach, well, how wonderful is that? </p>
<p>This pattern is repeated in every community on the map. It might be only with one child or it might be with dozens. Why doesn’t anyone suspect what is going on? Well, I think that is a complex question and the answer involves those that are around the issue as much as those that are directly involved in the abuse.
People who are in a position of power and authority are more difficult, for many people, to confront or speculate about. Especially for those who should “just be grateful” that their child is receiving attention and benefits from an important man.</p>
<p>musica- that is very true. Anyone my D was involved with were made very aware of either my or my wife being present.</p>
<p>It is easy to prey upon young people who want to get ahead and/or climb out of a bad situation. I worry about their vulnerability. We can all just do our best. D is in cinema and I hope she will make wise choices–so far so good. She’s 5000 miles away, so hard for me to screen, but she has always had an amazing radar for people–good and bad. So far, she has been able to surround herself with only good and positive people and avoid the creeps.</p>
<p>We are happy she KNOWS we will help her financially so she doesn’t have to be at the mercy of any creep but she DOES want to try to earn her own way. When kids feel they need to rely upon the charity of others, they are exceptionally vulnerable for exploitation.</p>
<p>It was by design that Sandusky targeted boys who were in his Second Mile charity. He knew these were at-risk kids and banked on their parents not having the wherewithal to closely supervise his interactions with their sons. The man is pure evil.</p>
<p>Wish he were the only one, but those who enabled him allowed it to continue, perhaps from 1977 or earlier, when Sandusky created 2nd Mile. Don’t need fiction–this is scarier and infinitely sadder. Obviously folks KNEW–there was a reason he “resigned” and lost privileges, but that was a slap on the hand or less. The boys THOUGHT they were with people who would protect them NOT people who would vicitimize them!</p>
<p>He picked the wrong state to mess with. He’s lucky they no longer have the death penalty for child rape due to a court decision. But they will throw away the key and texas prisons are not country clubs. And a child rapist. he will wish for death.</p>
<p>[Sandusky</a> investigation begins in San Antonio - The Daily Collegian Online](<a href=“http://www.collegian.psu.edu/archive/2011/11/11/sandusky_investigation_begins_in_san_antonio.aspx]Sandusky”>http://www.collegian.psu.edu/archive/2011/11/11/sandusky_investigation_begins_in_san_antonio.aspx)</p>
<p>Missypie, I can relate. I reported a prof my first year of grad school who threatened me with sexual favors or he’d claim I hadn’t done the internship. I called a meeting with head of dept, my adviser; this man called in sick. I had a senior girl who would testify to her threat. I ended up repeating the 6 months work with someone else. Other profs later told me there were multiple complaints against this man. They all silently supported me, but he was allowed to continue to harrass college and grad girls. It never occured to me at the time to call the police.</p>
<p>My heart breaks for the young boys who were victimized. That grad student is a big, brawny man. Any intervention from him could have saved that boy’s innocense. In the past 10 years, there has been enough media coverage about the proper steps to take when encountering sexual abuse of a minor. He got a job at Penn State. I have sympathy only for that boy and all the others harmed in the past years.</p>
<p>“We all do things in life that have repercussions. It’s easy to take the moral high ground when it is all theoretical.”</p>
<p>To me, that seems awfully dismissive of the gravity of the error here. Our unwillingness to commit all criminal acts is theoretical. If we’d had Sandusky’s upbringing, maybe we’d rape children too. We can’t know what we’d have done living his whole life, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t call evil by its name when we see it.</p>
<p>[Penn</a> State Riots - The Daily Show with Jon Stewart - 11/10/11 - Video Clip | Comedy Central](<a href=“The Daily Show with Trevor Noah - TV Series | Comedy Central US”>The Daily Show with Trevor Noah - TV Series | Comedy Central US)</p>
<p>I think I’m in the midst of a 180 as more has emerged on this horrific tale. </p>
<p>I think Coach Paterno deserves firing right now and no way on the Congressional Medal of Honor.</p>
<p>I don’t know on the rest . . . maybe feeding to sharks? It’s just unbelievable. Are we hallucinating this?</p>
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<p>This bothers me, too.</p>
<p>The victims were mostly from dysfunctional families. Many of the adults in their lives were not paying attention. Easy prey.</p>
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<p>It’s not theoretical to all of us. I’ve intervened in far more dangerous situations than dealing with a naked 60 year old in a shower. I’m willing to bet many people in this thread have. </p>
<p>I have no urge, nor do I understand the urge, to excuse extreme cowardice.</p>
<p>sewhappy, he’s been fired, along with the president of the university. Apparently, Paterno faces no legal liability as of now, but as for moral liability, I don’t know how he sleeps at night. </p>
<p>I like the idea of sharks, but that would be too quick for these men. How about some time in the general population at any prison?</p>
<p>Why no death threats against these guys? Seems like the GA is getting death threats because of his grand jury testimony that is damning to JoePa & PSU.</p>
<p>HImom, interesting… I had assumed that the threats were coming from people who are enraged that he didn’t save that boy, but I think you might be right. If true, that is as damning a fact as I’ve heard all week long.</p>
<p>[A</a> Patriot-News Special Report: Who knew what about Jerry Sandusky? There were many missed chances to investigate as early as 1995 | PennLive.com](<a href=“http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2011/11/who_knew_what_about_jerry_sand.html]A”>A Patriot-News Special Report: Who knew what about Jerry Sandusky? There were many missed chances to investigate as early as 1995 - pennlive.com)</p>
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<p>When I made that statement I was most certainly not dismissing the seriousness of the situation. I’m not sure where I said that we can’t call evil by it’s name when we see it. I was simply pointing out that it always easy to judge a situation and imagine that we would take the obvious course of action if we were in that position but, in reality, we will never have to find out what we would have done.</p>
<p>I’m not excusing McQueary. Trying to understand a persons action or inaction is not the same as absolving that person.</p>
<p>Pugmadkate,
I am not excusing anyone and good for you that you had your courage and fortitude tested and passed with flying colors.</p>
<p>“We all do things in life that have repercussions” suggested to me that all our sins can be laid on the same table as McQueary’s. Many Christian theologies hold that we’re all equally undeserving of grace, but I’m comfortable distinguishing ordinary moral failings from acts or omissions that are beyond the pale. I don’t think you need to be without sin to cast stones in a situation like this. It may be easy, but that doesn’t mean it’s wrong.</p>
<p>I had trouble coming up with a historical equivalent for this scenario. At the risk of violating Godwin’s law, I thought of people who watched silently as their neighbors were taken to the gas chambers, but the truth is, this inaction is actually worse. Those bystanders’ lives, and their children’s lives, depended on their silence. To be silent to protect your prospects at a dream job…especially as a college-educated, middle-class white guy who could easily make a living elsewhere if necessary…it’s keeping me up at night pondering human nature. It is certainly a reminder to think about the abuse of the powerless that goes on all around us and what we are not doing to help them.</p>