Sorry to start another thread regarding this issue, but I tried to raise these points in another thread and was accused of being a pedophile-sympathizer. Perhaps I can articulate myself more effectively in a thread with a clear directive.
The tragedy, sexual abuse of children, occurred because one man was sicked/twisted in a way that is impossible to imagine. People like him will come into the world every now and then, and there is probably no way to prevent this.
However, the part that is so disappointing to everyone is how long he was allowed to abuse children without anyone stopping him. Why did this occur, and how can it be prevented from happening in the future?
I think there are two possible explanations, not necessarily mutually exclusive, of why this was allowed to occur for so long.
1) The people that could have reported it did not do so in order to protect the image of PSU, and specifically the FB program.
This seems to be the explanation that everyone is jumping on. It is the most conspiratorial, the most dramatic, and it satisfies us in the sense that we can say, “These people who ignored the truth for so long are monsters, they are nothing like me, I would have reported this immediately.â€
PSU is already taking steps to address this problem. They are cutting ties to personnel (they probably should have cut more), and they are trying to dismantle a system that could become so powerful that it could contribute to such an atrocity.
However, there is a second explanation that I don’t think is getting enough play.
2) There was no vast conspiracy or cover-up in play; rather, this went unreported because child abuse as a whole is largely ignored in our society, as well as other societies around the world (link, link, and link).
I really think this is more likely. Sandusky’s actions were ignored by not only people involved with PSU, but also the Second Mile Charity, local high schools, parents, and others whom were unlikely to be under the sphere of PSU football influence.
Why does this occur? I think it starts out as denial. Most people cannot comprehend such heinous acts, so they think they must be imagining things. Once evidence is too overwhelming to ignore, they feel guilty that they have known about this for a long time. They are afraid of how it will look if it was widely known that they ignored sexual abuse of a child. Self-preservation kicks in as they want to protect their image, and I don’t think it matters if they are a prominent FB coach, a high school administrator, or a janitor. They pretend they see nothing. This is easier to do when you do not directly know the victim. He/she is a faceless entity, which makes it easier for people to ignore.
Former NHL hockey player Sheldon Kennedy, himself a victim of 5 years of sexual abuse from his junior hockey coach, addressed this issue in a recent Rick Reilly article. Below is an excerpt:
According to a 1998 study on child sexual abuse by Boston University Medical School, one in six boys in America will be abused by age 16. For girls, it's one in four by the age of 14. Those "If you see something, say something" billboards shouldn't just be about terrorism. They [should] apply to sex abuse, too…And yet, precious few people have the guts to say anything at all.
"The fear is too strong," Kennedy says. "People don't know what to do. They think, 'Oh my god, how bad is this going to look? What are we going to do now that we've let this guy operate right under our noses? We better keep quiet.' But it can't work like that anymore."
So I think the most important question is how do we overcome this mentality so that normal people come forward when they suspect abuse? I am not sure the answer, but I have some thoughts.
Public awareness needs to improve. The heroic victims who have come forward should know that their selfless actions have not only prevented Sandusky from continuing to commit these acts, but hopefully will raise awareness overall. Perhaps there are steps we can take educating people to recognize the signs, and letting them know how to report these things.
I have heard a number of people suggest that all competent adults should be mandatory reporters. As it is, certain people (educators, social workers, health care providers) have a legal obligation to report suspected abuse. I think it would certainly help if all adults were held to that same legal responsibility. Perhaps as soon as you turn 18 you are required to complete a mandatory reporter course in order to earn your right to vote.
Maybe penalties need to stiffen for ignoring these atrocities. I am not sure the current penalty, but perhaps it can be made severe enough that few would look the other way again.
Lastly, I think something needs to be done to address the issue that the longer it takes a witness to step forward, the less likely they are to do so. I am not sure what the solution to this is, but people need to be convinced that late is better than never.
Just wanted to get that off my chest.
The tragedy, sexual abuse of children, occurred because one man was sicked/twisted in a way that is impossible to imagine. People like him will come into the world every now and then, and there is probably no way to prevent this.
However, the part that is so disappointing to everyone is how long he was allowed to abuse children without anyone stopping him. Why did this occur, and how can it be prevented from happening in the future?
I think there are two possible explanations, not necessarily mutually exclusive, of why this was allowed to occur for so long.
1) The people that could have reported it did not do so in order to protect the image of PSU, and specifically the FB program.
This seems to be the explanation that everyone is jumping on. It is the most conspiratorial, the most dramatic, and it satisfies us in the sense that we can say, “These people who ignored the truth for so long are monsters, they are nothing like me, I would have reported this immediately.â€
PSU is already taking steps to address this problem. They are cutting ties to personnel (they probably should have cut more), and they are trying to dismantle a system that could become so powerful that it could contribute to such an atrocity.
However, there is a second explanation that I don’t think is getting enough play.
2) There was no vast conspiracy or cover-up in play; rather, this went unreported because child abuse as a whole is largely ignored in our society, as well as other societies around the world (link, link, and link).
I really think this is more likely. Sandusky’s actions were ignored by not only people involved with PSU, but also the Second Mile Charity, local high schools, parents, and others whom were unlikely to be under the sphere of PSU football influence.
Why does this occur? I think it starts out as denial. Most people cannot comprehend such heinous acts, so they think they must be imagining things. Once evidence is too overwhelming to ignore, they feel guilty that they have known about this for a long time. They are afraid of how it will look if it was widely known that they ignored sexual abuse of a child. Self-preservation kicks in as they want to protect their image, and I don’t think it matters if they are a prominent FB coach, a high school administrator, or a janitor. They pretend they see nothing. This is easier to do when you do not directly know the victim. He/she is a faceless entity, which makes it easier for people to ignore.
Former NHL hockey player Sheldon Kennedy, himself a victim of 5 years of sexual abuse from his junior hockey coach, addressed this issue in a recent Rick Reilly article. Below is an excerpt:
According to a 1998 study on child sexual abuse by Boston University Medical School, one in six boys in America will be abused by age 16. For girls, it's one in four by the age of 14. Those "If you see something, say something" billboards shouldn't just be about terrorism. They [should] apply to sex abuse, too…And yet, precious few people have the guts to say anything at all.
"The fear is too strong," Kennedy says. "People don't know what to do. They think, 'Oh my god, how bad is this going to look? What are we going to do now that we've let this guy operate right under our noses? We better keep quiet.' But it can't work like that anymore."
So I think the most important question is how do we overcome this mentality so that normal people come forward when they suspect abuse? I am not sure the answer, but I have some thoughts.
Public awareness needs to improve. The heroic victims who have come forward should know that their selfless actions have not only prevented Sandusky from continuing to commit these acts, but hopefully will raise awareness overall. Perhaps there are steps we can take educating people to recognize the signs, and letting them know how to report these things.
I have heard a number of people suggest that all competent adults should be mandatory reporters. As it is, certain people (educators, social workers, health care providers) have a legal obligation to report suspected abuse. I think it would certainly help if all adults were held to that same legal responsibility. Perhaps as soon as you turn 18 you are required to complete a mandatory reporter course in order to earn your right to vote.
Maybe penalties need to stiffen for ignoring these atrocities. I am not sure the current penalty, but perhaps it can be made severe enough that few would look the other way again.
Lastly, I think something needs to be done to address the issue that the longer it takes a witness to step forward, the less likely they are to do so. I am not sure what the solution to this is, but people need to be convinced that late is better than never.
Just wanted to get that off my chest.
