Serious Thoughts: A Conflicted Penn Stater
I am conflicted.
So, today is the anniversary of Joe Paterno's death and I have some stuff to say about him. Well, not him per say, but the way he is remembered. I'm not going to lie; it's sort of disturbing to see what is basically the modern day version of the "hero cult" develop around him. As a native of State College, I feel I am qualified to speak on this.
Sure, he was a positive figure in the community and did a lot for Penn State, but I think what we need to remember is that Joe Paterno was fundamentally a human being and therefore, inherently flawed. Let's be clear here, I know that he did a lot for this university and for this community and I thank him for it, but there are other people in Penn State's history who have done equally as much for this university and receive not one tenth of the credit that he receives. Going hand in hand with that, I don't think there has been proper recognition of his humanity. There was a darker side to Paterno; I'm not talking about the Sandusky scandal here (although, you could make an argument that that's part of it), but about other things, like the rumors of instances where Paterno interfered with the Office of Student Affairs to get his players off the hook for things "normal" students could have gotten expelled for. There's also the issue of the statue, I mean, you have to be a really pompous and egotistical to allow a statue of you to be erected while you are still living (by the way, this is coming from someone who is a regular rider of their high horse).
But I don't want to talk about Paterno's mistakes because, fundamentally, this isn't about him. Looking through my facebook feed, I have seen a lot of statuses, stories, and pictures relating to Paterno; people talk about him as a hero, as a legend. Through no fault of his own, I think people have begun to deify Joe Paterno. Obviously, I think that "heroizing" any one person is a dangerous thing, but what really bothers me is that people are beginning to see him as a victim of the scandal. Let's be clear here, the only victims in this situation are the children. Sure, you could make an argument that all of Penn State was negatively impacted and that's certainly true, but our first priority must be to ensure that the needs of the true victims are meet. I have not seen any "commemoration" of the sufferings of the children nearly as ostentatious as that orchestrated for Paterno.
This is not to say that Paterno should be forgotten or scorned. It's all right to have a healthy respect for him and to be grateful for what he has done for the university. But, let me put this in perspective for you, 409 football games pale in comparison to the literary output of Joseph Heller or William Frear's contribution to food safety and purity. My point is that there are a lot of little celebrated Penn Staters who have made notable contributions to both the University and the world as a whole.
I only ask that current students, alumni, and Penn State fans try to remember this as they look back on Paterno's legacy.
Just sayin'
So, today is the anniversary of Joe Paterno's death and I have some stuff to say about him. Well, not him per say, but the way he is remembered. I'm not going to lie; it's sort of disturbing to see what is basically the modern day version of the "hero cult" develop around him. As a native of State College, I feel I am qualified to speak on this.
Sure, he was a positive figure in the community and did a lot for Penn State, but I think what we need to remember is that Joe Paterno was fundamentally a human being and therefore, inherently flawed. Let's be clear here, I know that he did a lot for this university and for this community and I thank him for it, but there are other people in Penn State's history who have done equally as much for this university and receive not one tenth of the credit that he receives. Going hand in hand with that, I don't think there has been proper recognition of his humanity. There was a darker side to Paterno; I'm not talking about the Sandusky scandal here (although, you could make an argument that that's part of it), but about other things, like the rumors of instances where Paterno interfered with the Office of Student Affairs to get his players off the hook for things "normal" students could have gotten expelled for. There's also the issue of the statue, I mean, you have to be a really pompous and egotistical to allow a statue of you to be erected while you are still living (by the way, this is coming from someone who is a regular rider of their high horse).
But I don't want to talk about Paterno's mistakes because, fundamentally, this isn't about him. Looking through my facebook feed, I have seen a lot of statuses, stories, and pictures relating to Paterno; people talk about him as a hero, as a legend. Through no fault of his own, I think people have begun to deify Joe Paterno. Obviously, I think that "heroizing" any one person is a dangerous thing, but what really bothers me is that people are beginning to see him as a victim of the scandal. Let's be clear here, the only victims in this situation are the children. Sure, you could make an argument that all of Penn State was negatively impacted and that's certainly true, but our first priority must be to ensure that the needs of the true victims are meet. I have not seen any "commemoration" of the sufferings of the children nearly as ostentatious as that orchestrated for Paterno.
This is not to say that Paterno should be forgotten or scorned. It's all right to have a healthy respect for him and to be grateful for what he has done for the university. But, let me put this in perspective for you, 409 football games pale in comparison to the literary output of Joseph Heller or William Frear's contribution to food safety and purity. My point is that there are a lot of little celebrated Penn Staters who have made notable contributions to both the University and the world as a whole.
I only ask that current students, alumni, and Penn State fans try to remember this as they look back on Paterno's legacy.
Just sayin'
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