Fat Phobia vs. Eating dissorders

After discussing the topic and the problem America has on fat phobia, I realize how we have two major issues with body image and creating stereotypes depending on the situation. For those who are considered overweight and show it with their physical appearance we tend to think of them as lazy, slow, careless, dirty individuals. We often ask ourselves questions like; do they not care about their health or physical looks? Is all they do eat? Do they not think about their needs to participate in activities that can improve their health? These questions are genuinely stereotypical because little do we actually know their medical health records. They might be perfectly healthy. But because they are fat, we as a society fear becoming overweight. On the other hand studies show that people with eating disorders who suffer from anorexia and bulimia are at a far higher risk of death and deaths in life, and those who are heavier actually live on average longer than those in normal weight class. My theory behind this is that people who are overweight are the ones who are looking for help while the ones who suffer from eating disorders are in a far deeper level of depression and neglect looking for help which is probably why we don’t hear too much about these issues but we do when it comes to those who are overweight.

College vs. NBA

Call me what you will but I firmly believe that college basketball is more interesting than the NBA. Before you call the cops on me hear me out. I've heard arguments that the NBA has the best players and that the level of play is far above the college levels. I'm not going to dispute that the NBA players are the best and they could beat a team of college players. I do understand they play on a different level which is why if you refer to my initial statement I said "more interesting". I find that college basketball requires more investment in following and has a far larger pay off. For the NBA there is always the regular season then playoffs and for college there is the regular season and the tournament. The NBA season is around eighty games (exception going to seasons where the season doesn't start off on time for various reasons like a lockout for example) and for a good majority of those games teams that are playing aren't interesting match ups. Watching a team like the Lakers beat up on a team like the Knicks isn't a big deal and for Knicks fans when they do upset the Lakers its not like their entire season has become a success. In college basketball it is a very likely possibility that a team beating a single ranked opponent can make their entire season. If Duke were to lose to our very own Long Beach State team, it would be the talk of the rest of the season. For the students playing in college basketball there is so much more on the line, it isn't their profession , they aren't getting paid to play and they put in close to the same amount of work as a professional player would. So while the skill level may be entirely different the player's effort will be completely different. In college basketball the players are changing with a frequency seldom seen in the NBA, having to constantly recruit and build up new players makes the coaches at the college level that much more impressive. Watching Coach K or Tom Izzo go out there and compete successfully year after year even though they may have lost three starters and a solid couple bench players means so much more than watching Phil Jackson coach legends like Micheal Jordan and Kobe Bryant. In the NBA players prove themselves and stick around, in college they have a few years to show everyone what they are made of before they leave. Down the stretch NBA playoffs have just as much intensity as the clinching games for the tournament. Watching the NBA finals is just as fun as watching some early match games of the NCAA tournament but watching a story like Georgetown unfold is an unmatched phenomenon that any sport can compete with.


Ryan Plunkett Kin 332I

College vs. NBA

Call me what you will but I firmly believe that college basketball is more interesting than the NBA. Before you call the cops on me hear me out. I've heard arguments that the NBA has the best players and that the level of play is far above the college levels. I'm not going to dispute that the NBA players are the best and they could beat a team of college players. I do understand they play on a different level which is why if you refer to my initial statement I said "more interesting". I find that college basketball requires more investment in following and has a far larger pay off. For the NBA there is always the regular season then playoffs and for college there is the regular season and the tournament. The NBA season is around eighty games (exception going to seasons where the season doesn't start off on time for various reasons like a lockout for example) and for a good majority of those games teams that are playing aren't interesting match ups. Watching a team like the Lakers beat up on a team like the Knicks isn't a big deal and for Knicks fans when they do upset the Lakers its not like their entire season has become a success. In college basketball it is a very likely possibility that a team beating a single ranked opponent can make their entire season. If Duke were to lose to our very own Long Beach State team, it would be the talk of the rest of the season. For the students playing in college basketball there is so much more on the line, it isn't their profession , they aren't getting paid to play and they put in close to the same amount of work as a professional player would. So while the skill level may be entirely different the player's effort will be completely different. In college basketball the players are changing with a frequency seldom seen in the NBA, having to constantly recruit and build up new players makes the coaches at the college level that much more impressive. Watching Coach K or Tom Izzo go out there and compete successfully year after year even though they may have lost three starters and a solid couple bench players means so much more than watching Phil Jackson coach legends like Micheal Jordan and Kobe Bryant. In the NBA players prove themselves and stick around, in college they have a few years to show everyone what they are made of before they leave. Down the stretch NBA playoffs have just as much intensity as the clinching games for the tournament. Watching the NBA finals is just as fun as watching some early match games of the NCAA tournament but watching a story like Georgetown unfold is an unmatched phenomenon that any sport can compete with.


Ryan Plunkett Kin 332I

NBA Lockout Resolved

This past weekend, the NBA came to an agreement over the lockout. While I am very excited to see the Laker's play on Christmas day, I am disgusted by the reason for this entire lockout. The NBA players are greedy and don't deserve to be payed as much as they do. Yes, I do feel like they should get a decent wage but I do not think they should get paid more than a surgeon who saves people's lives. The way this world is run seems corrupt to me. While the NBA provides much of society's entertainment and brings in a large sum of money, I do not feel they should get paid the amount they do. If the player's were smart, they would realize how much money they lost in the month of games they have let go. Not only have they lost revenue, but they have also lost the respect of fans and spectators. This lockout just goes to show how unfair the world is run. A surgeon who spent years in school is making less than an NBA player who maybe did not even get a college degree. This type of thinking makes no sense to me. Maybe the entire season should have been cancelled to show the player's a harsh reality.

Kristin Taylor 007293453

Distant assignment

The media focused on the students rioting and the disappointment that their coaches and faculty were being fired. It brought little attention at first to the seriousness of the crimes Sandusky had committed. It also didn’t make it very clear why the head coach Paterno and other faculty were being fired. It also neglected the feelings of the victims. The PSU scandal has been portrayed by media as a series of immoral choices that went about to protect their prestigious community.

Sandusky has a large amount of power because he has a prestigious organization behind him and is working with underprivileged children who have less support from trustworthy adults. The social media spreads a dissenting viewpoint by expressing various outlooks such as the students outrage at the loss of their coach and the disappointment that Sandusky was able to get away with child abuse for so long. This is a good example of how power can allow deviance to happen while their power structure was trying to be kept intact. When sports become more powerful than its value these situations are bound to happen.

Coming from a constructionist framework I would blame the way the power structure was set up. Because no one sought to go outside this power structure and call the police. This is based on over conformity. In this case people ignored innate reactions to such immoral behavior and followed rules of their interior power structure.

I personally think this scandal could of easily been avoided if someone stepped up from any position who was aware of Sandusky’s wrong actions and called law enforcement. I believe there is no excuse to ignore his wrong behaviors and people should be punished for their actions and not be excused for their position in power.

Brittany Hayden

kin 3321, sec. 310767

Athletes and Positive Self Talk

One of the hardest barriers for athletes to overcome are the negative thoughts that go through their minds when facing adversity. Athletes tend to use negative self-talk that often prevent them from staying optimistic during demanding situations. The use of positive self-talk are daily ongoing conversations that individuals use to keep themselves motivated, these affirmations assist them in consistently keeping a confident and hopeful outlook. Athletes must encompass and instill in themselves a positive mental mind-set. They are accountable for guiding themselves and developing a better sense of positive self-talk. Many athletes may lack this important technique and will never fully develop an understanding of positive self-talk without consistent practice. Someone who is thinking positively is capable of staying regularly focused and determined to handle different situations. Positive self-talk is a great technique that allows athletes to change their state of mind to persevere through the hardships and improve their performance. Athletes who practice positive self-talk is an individual who carries great confidence and has no doubt in his or her abilities to achieve there desired goals. The athlete who sees things positively will tend to look for the good in every situation and allow them to succeed.

http://www.performance-media.com/thoughts.php

distance learning assignment

Sandusky is sick in the head. I dislike the fact that he is not admitting that he is a pedophile when questioned during an interview. One of the key things about pedophiles I learned from my Abnormal Psychology class is that they are in denial and they have a strong belief that what they are doing is not wrong. Sandusky admits to horsing around in the showers with the boys, but does not see anything wrong with his actions. At this point, I don't think he's trying to save Penn State's reputation or even his own, he seriously has some sort of abnormal psychological disorder. Social media is interpreting this scandal as it should be. It's showing us that Sandusky, along with the others involved, were morally wrong and should be punished. Although media is doing the right thing by exposing this scandal, it also gives the actual sport, school and faculty a bad reputation. It gets me a little worried about other colleges and the kinds of sketchy things that could be possibly happening. It even gets me thinking about our own school! YIKES! You never know! This scandal is raising many suspicions and paranoia amongst the college sport community and are slowly losing trust from the people. I'm sure Paterno and others did not take the correct actions to stop Sandusky because they knew it would have ruined the football team and all their power would diminish, which is what's happening right now. The sport deviance in this case is not normal and should not be tolerated. These faculty members of the football team that knew about Sandusky's horsing around enjoyed the power and money they received. They got lost in the greed from the benefits they were getting and only thought about themselves instead of the poor boys going through these incidents. Of course they are not going to snitch out Sandusky because they did not want to lose what they were receiving through their work with the sport. It is not okay with what happened to these young boys and it's sad they have to live with this their whole lives. Everyone involved in and knew about this scandal should not have the privilege to keep their position with the school and should be punished.

Distance Learning Assignment PSU Sandusky Scandal

Everytime I learn new information about the Sandusky case it somehow tops my previous 'shocking' reaction to the previous news. The information that continues to come up regarding the case becomes more and more shocking and disgusting at the same time. The people involved, the rioting Penn State students, Sandusky's attorney, just everything. When I heard the interviews of both Sandusky and his attorney I couldn't believe the answers to the questions they had. To me that way the interviews went seems like evidence enough to clearly show that Sandusky is guilty. The media presents the information to the public taking sides with the victims (thankfully) and in my opinion it would help when it comes to making sure the outcome is what it should be. I think It's really important for the victims to speak and for them to understand that it's okay for them to do so just to make sure justice is served. It would be really hard for the victims, but I think it would provide really evidence for the case. Kerrie brought it up in class about how the NCAA has not said anything of the issue which seems odd because they are a very important factor when it comes to power in college athletics. It seems as though the media are in control when it comes to power in this story, and for once they actually seem to be portraying the most morally correct viewpoint, which I think is odd for our society since the news always seems to drift off into topics that are not necessarily important. I hope since the media are the major focus that they continue to provide this viewpoint that Sandusky is guilty.

Nylene H. Kin332I Sec03

THE PSU CONTROVERSY

So what do you say to a legacy that literally went down the drain? Joe Paterno can be assumed to be the greatest and most wins by a coach in Division 1 college football. His 409 victories stand alone and his 46 years as a coach at PSU, there is no coach to stand to the greatness of what this man provided for his football teams. However, Paterno will no longer be initially thought for his greatness but what he didn’t do in the Sandusky controversy of raping kids. The whole PSU football program knew of thee acts but yet not one word was said until years later, it’s unfortunate that such a thing had to occur but thankfully at least someone spoke out now. These men deserve to be held accountable for these embarrassing acts that are plain disgusting. As coaches of the program holding or keeping secrets just like Paterno was not the smartest choice but the dumbest, they know in their right mind what happened in that situation was suppose to be brought up immediately to the law enforcement. The media has been on this case for a few weeks now, why? Well the history, prestige, the greatness of its team, and the man, the icon Joe Paterno. The school itself is well known and its team is always on the top rankings, however I believe this case gets more attention because Joe Paterno. To find out that Joe actually knew of this selfish act by one of his assistants and not take action it really confuses me and then you see PSU students protesting on the behalf of Joe Paterno to save his job it’s just crazy to me. The media throughout the years depicted this man as the face of the program, he was someone meaningful, and he was an iconic coach that provided a sense of motivation and leadership. But what his actions tell us is that the fame got to his ego, he was more worried about how this situation can influence his success by literally ending his career. What’s crazy is that as this story is revealing day in and day out and as bad as the raping of kids is I myself find it hard to believe that the media made this situation about Paterno. The media has turned it to the importance of Joe Paterno more so than the importance of bringing people to justice. These acts done by professional coaches are just disgusting, they preach honesty, compliance, good ethics and for this to happen is just astonishing. However, I think about one thing. What if someone of a low minority racial background were the coaches involved in such a case? Would the media give some type of attention or would it give far more attention?

Kin 332I

Horacio Guerra (M/W: 12:30-1:45)

Paterno Sucks University

I am glad this scandal is all over the media. These older men should be embarrassed for what they did and put to shame. I never knew who Sandusky was before this but now that I know how he looks like, If I see him on the street I will make sure my kids are right next to me (especially if and when I have baby boys). This scandal is all over the media right now. It is a huge deal especially because Paterno has been a coach at PSU for over 46 years because if it was the University of Ohio coach or some "sucky unknown" team it would not of been as big as a deal as it is. The people in power are so funny because before it became a scandal they had Paterno and his coaching staff's back, but now that it is all over the media they easily turn their backs on them and fired him over the phone. PSU should of had a backbone and fired Paterno along time ago instead of Paterno being their backbone! Paterno, Sandusky, and everybody else that knew what happen should be in jail. 1st Sandusky should be in jail for what he did, 2nd Paterno and the others should go to jail for not reporting the incident for not doing their duty as a citizen to report illegal actions. Paterno was a symbolic-interaction framework for being the face of PSU where as anything he does should turn to gold. Paterno is no god because God is perfect and Paterno is human so that makes him not perfect. The scandal sucks but the fact that it went on air worldwide was great so everyone in the world could see what happens behind the doors before Saturday. Just to show that these coaches are human and no one to worship! I am disgusted with this incident when Sandusky said "It was a mistake to shower with the kids!" EWWWW WHAT A SICKO! Also I am glad that now parent will be aware and might want to know more about their kid's coaches and not leave them with them by themselves. Just remember, you will eventually get caught or it will come back to hunt you, so be careful what you do! God Bless you all!

The media has placed a lot of attention to the Pen State scandal. One of the reasons why it does is because of the relationship Sandusky has. He has a relationship with Patorno, who is the head football coach at Pen State. Patorno is an iconic symbol of success within the college football world. When Mcquiry saw Sandusky in the locker room with the young boy, he did what he believed to be the correct thing. Although somewhere in between,, someone overlooked Sandusky’s actions because of his foundation to help the children who are less privileged. The amount of power he has is tiny compared to Patorno, if Patorno would’ve attempted to stop these actions Sandusky was performing, there is a higher likelihood that someone of power would’ve paid more attention and possibly stopped them several years ago. These men of authority who have power, behaved deviantly and focused their attention on football instead. Through the functionalist framework would Sandusky’s actions be justified, if you can call them that. Sandusky ignored the fact that he was hurting young boys psychologically and emotionally. Instead he focused on the idea that he was helping these boys out, by having his foundation to help those children who didn’t have the economic sources to play football. His targets were young boys, who were on the lower end of the economic spectrum and were in broken families. Sandusky believed that he could help these boys by providing them gifts, and the opportunity to play football. Through football they would learn skills that could be applied to life. I believe that this whole scandal is a tragedy. It is sad, to see what other Americans have made football as their priority and ignore the lives of young boys who are now scarred for life. If someone would’ve committed for the safety of these boys when speculation first arose many years ago, then the number of victims would’ve decreased. Unfortunately, the parents of these children believed that this camp was something good for their kids, no one expects their kids to be harmed in a safe environment like Pen State’s campus.

Maritza L.

Kin 332 i

Sodomy is now okay in society!

Well at least apparently it had been at Penn State for the last decade or so with Sandusky.

Media has built up Joe Paterno as this magnificent angelic god in Pennsylvania. People around that area worship him so. It's probably a huge reason why nothing was ever reported about this huge scandal. People wanted to protect football and this giant legacy that Penn State and Paterno had just built. The people in power wanted to maintain that so they silenced anybody who tried to speak up or some chose to not speak up. This culture of power and respect for the football legend built up to the point where going against it was considered deviant. It was now acceptable to cover up for the football great, nobody what the cost was.

One could look at this entire scandal from the view of the Functionalist perspective. Everything that has happened over there in Pennsylvania just happens to uphold all of what society values. We value football. We value sports. We value legends. We value entertainment, money, and power. We value children. Maybe not so much on that last one. The scandal just shows us that many people value such things much more than they do the safety of children. Scary thought.

I'm really shocked that people are actually holding a vigil at Paterno's house as if he was some kind of martyr. He put his own legacy over the children. These children will be permanently hurt psychologically and traumatized forever. Yet people worry more about their football season then they do about the lack of Paterno's actions to protect the children. I look at this scandal and I'm like, "Wow, we really do value sports more than children." Then those crazy fans just feed into that scary thought.

Paterno and all those involved need spend some time in jail for what they have done or haven't done. They had moral obligations but they let petty things come before the safety of children. Speaks so much about the world we live in...

Bryant Pham

Kin 332i TuTh 1230

PSU

Social media has shaped the PSU scandal to focus more on the reactions of those around as opposed to what is actually happening. It feels that there is more emotions involved in the firing of Joe Paterno than there was regarding the raping of the children themselves. The media has shifted its focus from the case itself to everything surrounding the case.

Penn State had the power to cover up the deviant behavior from the media. They intersect at the point where those with power are able to make the media turn a blind eye to their wrong doings. As long as they have so much power they are able to turn the media away.

The crime was committed because of a flaw in the system. This whole situation was able to get out of hand because of the power that the school has. If it weren't for this idea that the football coaches are invincible and untouchable the number of rapes would have stopped at one. The continued deviance was supported by the organization. The college was able to cover up the scandal and thus allow it to continue to fester. It is not the fault of the person for being corrupted but rather the whole system that allows behavior like this to exist without cracking down on it.

My reaction is one of disgust. The whole situation sucks. Everything from those involved to the reaction of those closest to the situation. Sandusky deserves to be behind bars for the rest of his life were he won't be with children and the only raping that will be going on is most likely not going to be in his favor. Paterno ruined his reputation by allowing something like this to go unattended to, if it weren't for his sterling record I'm sure that he would be either pursued by the courts or ran out of town as he deserves to be. Penn State managed to not only screw up in allowing this to happen and actually helping facilitate further actions by giving him access to everything he needed to continue but then it also failed to save its reputation due mainly to its student population. I understand it is not all the students who are making asses out of themselves but the loud majority have managed to ruin it. Any chance of Penn State salvaging their reputation for the foreseeable future has been lost. The fact that the main concern and focus point for much coverage surrounds Joe Paterno is an abhorrent. Right now there are victims who are dealing with very real concerns that will last for the rest of their lives and yet we are talking about football and what's going to happen to Paterno. Its ridiculous how out of touch with reality these people are. Society in general is just messed up if this is allowed to happen and when it is brought into light we are still able to argue about it. There should not be two sides to this debate, there is clearly obvious evidence that cannot be denied that Sandusky raped children (not fooled around as he claims). It was rape simple as that and yet people are still outraged at the fallout that occurred. All in all I'm just sick of hearing about it, I'm fed up with the whining and arguing, and lastly I'm pissed off that this has to get so out of hand it is even invading into my classes at school. It should have been swiftly dealt with or better yet prevented. Its a bleak day indeed when football is able to overshadow the real life concern of rape involving children. There are more important things going on like Occupy Wall Street and the continually increasing tuition that should be the main concern and talk of college students. Change should be coming from other places that can be built upon. Yet here we are, discussing something that never should have been able to happen distracting us from more important matters. I have absolutely nothing more to say about this topic.



Ryan Plunkett Kin 338/332

PSU Paterno Sandusky

The PSU scandal has blown up many media outlets including twitter, television, other social networks and of course through word of mouth. The main picture that the media displays is that the Paterno is completely at fault and deserves the punishment he is going to get. There are others that believe that he is not really at fault and deserves to still coach but these are mostly avid fans of the team. The issues of power, media and deviance are all obviously intertwined in this big scandal. The power of a greatly praised coach like Paterno being overpowered by this Sandusky scandal and being shared with the world through media. I can see how Paterno would see cover this up. This scandal would have ruined the team if it surfaced earlier. It would have ruined the reputation that Paterno built up over the years. I personally think it is right that Paterno is being punished along with Sandusky. Anyone else who was involved or knew about this and didn't do anything against it should be punished.

Philip Samia

kin 332i

PSU Scandal

Wow wow... I didn't even know about this scandal at Penn State until I walked in class and we started talking about it. But then it was hard for me to follow because don't follow college football and I didn't know any of the people who where being mention in the discussion. I got confused between Sandusky and Paterno I didn't know who did what. However I did some research on my own and I got some understanding of the scandal at Penn State.

The media had made the scandal be known to public. At the same time they have experts analysis the situation and explained with reason that Sandusky is guilty. Sandusky including some of the school official who didn't do anything about it are to blame for sexually abuse on young children to occur.

The functionalist theory would help explain for this occurrence. Since football is the sport that is being perpetually shown on tv and it become a highly value sport. They don't want to ruin the reputation of football so this it got cover up.

Kin 332I
006955661

PSU Scandal

The scandal that occurred at Penn State is a difficult subject matter because like many other political and social issues, there will never be a majority on either side. The most horrific part of this issue is that it brings to light a very sensitive topic that happens all the time, but this particular situation is so hyped up because of the players involved. Most people find themselves leaning to one side or the other, where some people are just absolutely mortified at the thought of a man that everyone trusted to do something so disgusting that he would mentally screw with the lives of young boys for the rest of their lives, or on the other side where a football coach and his legacy after 60+ years would be forever tainted. It's terrible that these issues are just coming to light, along with the scandals occurring at Syracuse. I can only imagine that more and more problems of the past will be coming out in the media soon enough. As horrible as it is that these issues are just coming out, at least they are coming out and giving others the courage to step forward and tell their stories, so we can stop future occurrences from happening. The first recruit for the 2012 Penn State team has officially declined his offer and I know that this is the beginning of a decline of this ultimate football legacy.

- Clara Cho

KIN 338i S.6

Distance Learning- PSU Scandal

Its been on every sports channel. The PSU scandal has become a daily piece of our lives over night. What was once considered one of the crown jewels of college football, a bright light in a dark world of constant investigations, is now just like everyone else. A highly revered head coach, someone everyone could relate their grandfather to, is now a criminal. The media has played a big role in the way society has viewed the scandal. The day the scandal came out to the public you could not turn on ESPN without someone talking about it. But not only was it the media in general but the social media which seemed to add fuel to the fire. People were expressing their thoughts and feelings at a tremendous rate. It seemed that the only way to get the latest news on the situation was through twitter feeds and facebook updates. The social media has taken the PSU scandal and made it relevant through out the nation if not the world. People who do watch sports or even care about sports are reading feeds and posts about the terrible crimes committed on the Penn. State campus and are voicing their opinions.

As I watched the riots and protests on television, I got the impression that the all the Penn. State students were irate over the firing of Joe Paterno and wanted justice. I saw television vans being turned over and windows being smashed. As I watched the mayhem unfold, I began to side with the students and Paterno. I then realized how much power the media has over society when deviant behavior is being committed. The media took "all" of the Penn. State students and painted them to be enraged and their actions to be justified, when really many students happened to agree with the actions taken by the school. The media was able to take a story and turn it into something completely different. What really was criminal behavior committed by irrational students was turned into righteous cries of injustice. When I look at the scandal as a whole, I view it in an absolutist point of view. I believe that Sandusky has no morals or ethics at all; he is completely morally bankrupt. I believe that Mike McQueary is a spineless man. He knew that this disgusting act was going on for YEARS and he did nothing! He allegedly saw Sandusky committing one of these unspeakable acts and all he did was tell Joe Paterno. I don't care who you are, if you have any self-respect or dignity as a human being and saw what that man was doing to those children, you would do anything and everything in your power to stop it and make sure that it never happens again. For Joe Paterno, I believe that he is as guilty as all of them for his lack of actions. He did NOTHING! After he told the President of PSU what was going on and nothing happened, one would think he would take it to the next level but no.He knew of this crime for years and just swept it under the rug, pathetic. He did not have the courage to go to the police. I believe Paterno did not do anything because he did not want it to hurt him. He did not want to hurt his legacy as one of the best coaches in college football history so he did nothing. This whole ordeal is sickening. No one is above the law. Yes YOU Joe Paterno, you are not above the law. I hope all of you in this scandal gets the maximum punishment and the victims of this crime can get some relief to know that justice is not dead. Penn. State used to be a light in the fog of uncertainty. Now who do we look to?

Josh Butler

Kin 332I

Distance Learning Assignment

This whole Penn State Scandal is a strong example of how Functionalists fall short. I don’t see how any sane individual would be understanding of Sandusky’s disgusting acts; however, a functionalist might be more understanding about Joe Paterno’s, and others involved, actions, or better yet, lack there of. They might see the importance of protecting the football program’s reputation and as a means to avoid conflict might try and keep the whole issue hush hush. Now that the story’s out, the media, especially twitter, has done a good job at providing a lot of inside story to the general public that I believe is necessary for people to see. I find it absolutely ridiculous that students were protesting for Joe Paterno’s job. Despite how revered he may be as a coach the fact of the matter is that children were being raped, he knew this was going on, and he chose not to make the necessary actions to protect future victims. To put ones reputation and football before the lives of innocent children portrays how dreadfully warped the minds of people in power can become. Although I do believe the media has given a lot of coverage on the whole scandal, they have put way too much emphasis on how the events have effected Joe Paterno’s life and career rather than emphasizing those of the children. Personally, I feel enraged and scared that this whole thing happened and was kept under wraps for so long. I am enraged for obvious reasons but this news also frightens me because to hear that people who were so loved and respected could be involved in such a hateful and deceitful crime is terrorizing to me. Perhaps it was ignorance or denial and perhaps the people involved are feeling regret, not only for their ruined reputation, but because they truly recognize how hideous and wrong Sandusky’s actions were. However, this being said, it frightens me to think that people can be so wrapped up in their own world that they fail to recognize something as alarmingly unforgivable as rape.

Kin332I

Abby Puente

Scandalous

Social media has provided people with information, exciting and entertaining news, and also a certain interpretation. Although, the Penn state scandal is awful and disgusting the media seems to only show the drama and consequences with the coaches. They do not seem to make known the schools efforts to help the victims. One of the tweets I found interesting and re-tweeted was the Penn state Altoona students raising $300,000 dollars to aid child abuse victims. This is a huge importance to our society because this group of students is attempting to move forward and stop sexual abuse. Why hasn't the media intensified the good samaritans of the school? They seem to be solely focused on the protesters, and vandalism. Power, media, and deviance intersect by the saying "absolute power corrupts absolutely". The more power a person has the more influential that person becomes; therefore, the media follows that person more closely. That person also has little room for error. When someone high in power does something in-humane they become the main definition of deviance. Their deviance is made known through the media for society to criticize. From a critical theorists perspective, the crime and cover up can be understood by saying that we use sport as an opiate. Sport numbs and dulls us from our own body and society. We can escape the conflicts of societal issues through sport. People in power, especially in power of sport, think they can escape conflicts through loopholes. The coaches knew they were doing something wrong, but somehow thought they could get away with it. Perhaps, because they were in a position of power. After the scandal came out to the public, the game of football has become more important than the victims that were abused. One of the other tweets that I re-tweeted was about penn state football players not playing until the school comes forward on all sexual rapes. No athlete would ever have the guts to put their collegiate career on hold for the better of the society. Sports have blinded us from the harsh realities of our social world. Personally, I find the entire situation disheartening. Sports are supposed to be a way for people to escape from the harsh realities of society. The PSU coaches have combined the sport world and real world. College, let alone college athletics, is supposed to be a safe heaven for people who are suffering from social injustices. Its upsetting that there is beginning to be no hope.

Kin 332I

Jenny Soza

PSU Scandal

It is sad to say that I didn't even know about this scandal before I came to class. But now that I have been keeping up with is and have discussed it further in class, this situation discuss me. The media has shaped this scandal into a big publicity stun that most likely boost revenue. But I am all for it, people who molest kids needs to be put out there that what they are doing is not good. They should suffer the consequence from the illegal actions that he has done. The issues of power, media, and deviance intersect smoothly because people in power feel as if they have the power to do whatever they want. Those in power can perform deviant acts and manipulate what society sees on TV because they control what they want us to interpret. This is further supported in our textbook by Coakley. This situation falls perfectly under structural theorist because they emphasize concepts such as status, roles, authority, power, social class, and social inequalities to explain that the constraints and opportunities that exist in social worlds affect people differently, depending their social positions and relationships with others. This is supported by those that feel that he is getting what he deserves compared to those that feel that he shouldn't have gotten fired. There was no covering up what was done, it should be common sense to report the issue right away, and in turns this issue escalated higher than it should have. All in all, I fully support Penn State for firing Paterno. He needed to be humiliated in the media because what he did was not right. I feel that those who commit the crime should serve the time and this is justice for the young children that were involved in this scandal. This scandal will definitely be remembered and be in future history books, as well as Paternos bibliography :)

Stacy

KIN332I
　

Distance Learning Assignment

This has been one of the biggest scandal's in NCAA history. It is the fall of great coach, football team, and university. It has been reported from Coast to Coast. If you haven' heard about this scandal then you must be livving under a rock. It has been pretty much everywhere. Its been more than a week and it is still headline news. There are constant updates in the scandal.
It is a horrific story. Kids have been hurt and probably dramatized for life because of a monster. Sandusky is the monster who has confessed that he has showered with the kids of his football program. Its not just that either because once the higher authority of Penn state heard about it they didn't take any action. It just sickinning to hear that these people turned their heads away from these kids and let Sandusky continue his camp.
Reading up on this scandal on twitter made me think about a question. I wonder is this scandal would be as big as it is if a women was touching little girls? I believe they wouldve tooken the same action, but I dont think the media would of had picked it up. It would of probably gone under the radar. Not because it was women, but because it didnt involve a big time head coach like Joe Paterno. I also think the media probably wouldnt make a big fuzz about it if it was a small college instead of Penn State. What do you think? Do you think if the scandal was women on girl at a small college it would be all over the news like the one at Penn State?

ERIK ROCHA
KIN332I.S3200

DLA-Penn State Scandal

While this scandal has been all over the news, it took a breakdown from my 332I class to understand exactly what was going on and exactly who was involved; and
now it seems this is all anybody ca talk about. First of all it was a set of
horrible crimes that were committed against young children, but it was followed
but a second, also disturbing act of cover up by members of the Athletic
Department at Penn State. I find this scandal disgusting because these men were
put in positions of power and they abused it against the most innocent members
of our society. Now only Sandusky committed rape and molestation but the other
people involved failed to act and protect the children involved. Social media
has played a huge part in the delivering of news to people, especially via sites
like Twitter, Facebook, blogs, etcetera. People all over the web have added
their opinions. However, the social media is focusing on things like the Penn
State students being upset and petitioning, and honestly, who cares? I bet not
one of those students petitioning was ever molested by Sandusky. The thing that
social media needs to be focusing on is justice, and standing up for the rights
of these children, because if this were any other group of men, aside from the
athletic department from Penn State, everyone would be outraged. Again, these
men were in positions of power and abused that power (as a form of deviance)
because they did not want to bring a scandal on to the Penn State University,
even though now its the biggest scandal of the decade thus far. As a way of
overconforming, people did not report to the authorities but did the minimum as
far as what they thought was right. Media has now come inand blown this
scandal was up. I think from a interactionist framework one might look at this
scandal and say that it is not that these individuals lack a moral code, but we
need to look at the biggest picture and understand that they may have been
overconforming to protect the institution. Now, this is not to say that this is
right, or any one of these men are not to blame, but it is saying that all the
blame does not fall on these individual's moral compasses. Instead, it is the
dynamics and structure of the organization they have at Penn State, and the fact
that that entire organization failed. As for Sandusky, he abused the power he
had, and abused the relationships he had developed with these children. He has
tainted their self-image, and probably ruined the meaning they had put in to
sports.


Danae Delfin
Kin 332I
008248628

**sorry this is duplicate, forgot to put my name on the first one

Distance Learning Assignment

When I walked into class last Thursday, I did not expect to hear about such a horrible story as the PSU controversy. I didn't listen to sports radio in the morning like I usually do so it was news to me and I didn't understand what to make of it at first. This is no small matter so the moment the news was leaked, the media took a hold and doesn't seem to want to let go. The first thing I thought to myself was: "Why in the world would a football coach, someone that everyone would deem as masculine and strong, want to molest boys? Let alone an older man at such high prestige?" Then I thought, "WHY IN THE WORLD WOULD PEOPLE COVER THIS UP? THOSE ARE CHILDREN!" Clearly, the people involved did not want to lose their jobs and risk the school having a bad reputation but their selfish acts have caused many victims years of distress and pain. The media puts so much emphasis on college football that society literally worship it, and they do everything to prevent anything that ruins the sport's image and prestige. So much that there are educated people protesting and protecting a criminal for negligence.

From an absolutist approach, Jerry Sandusky, Joe Paterno, and colleagues have only themselves to blame. They lack moral values and they acted the way they did to protect themselves only. Not only did they resist reporting to proper authority, they continue to make excuses and to evade questions. They don't understand the magnitude of their crimes and how they affect so many people. No matter what they have done in the past, I firmly believe Penn State should immediately strip all associations with Paterno and Sandusky from their school and try to rebuild their image.

Marshal Truong KIN 332I

DLA-Penn State Scandal

While this scandal has been all over the news, it took a breakdown from my 332I class to understand exactly what was going on and exactly who was involved; and now it seems this is all anybody ca talk about. First of all it was a set of horrible crimes that were committed against young children, but it was followed but a second, also disturbing act of cover up by members of the Athletic Department at Penn State. I find this scandal disgusting because these men were put in positions of power and they abused it against the most innocent members of our society. Now only Sandusky committed rape and molestation but the other people involved failed to act and protect the children involved. Social media has played a huge part in the delivering of news to people, especially via sites like Twitter, Facebook, blogs, etcetera. People all over the web have added their opinions. However, the social media is focusing on things like the Penn State students being upset and petitioning, and honestly, who cares? I bet not one of those students petitioning was ever molested by Sandusky. The thing that social media needs to be focusing on is justice, and standing up for the rights of these children, because if this were any other group of men, aside from the athletic department from Penn State, everyone would be outraged. Again, these men were in positions of power and abused that power (as a form of deviance) because they did not want to bring a scandal on to the Penn State University, even though now its the biggest scandal of the decade thus far. As a way of overconforming, people did not report to the authorities but did the minimum as far as what they thought was right. Media has now come in
and blown this scandal was up. I think from a interactionist framework one might look at this scandal and say that it is not that these individuals lack a moral code, but we need to look at the biggest picture and understand that they may have been overconforming to protect the institution. Now, this is not to say that this is right, or any one of these men are not to blame, but it is saying that all the blame does not fall on these individual's moral compasses. Instead, it is the dynamics and structure of the organization they have at Penn State, and the fact that that entire organization failed. As for Sandusky, he abused the power he had, and abused the relationships he had developed with these children. He has tainted their self-image, and probably ruined the meaning they had put in to sports.

Distance Learning Assignment

Social media has assisted in making the PSU scandal bigger. When news of the scandal came out the case began to build, revealing who was involved, and who the victims were. There are even more victim's coming out saying they were molested by Sandusky. It was believed that the molestations were happening as early as 1990, but the new accusations reveal that it may have been happening as early as 1970, around the beginning of Sandusky's career at PSU. As the scandal unfolds the more coverage it gets. The coverage made it easier for more accusations to come out, people become more comfortable adding to the story or creating new ones. Right after this story came out a new accusation against a basketball coach from Syracuse molested the ball boy for 12 years.
Power, media, and deviance intersect because of how long this scandal has been hidden. For this tragedy to go on for 21 years, but now possibly 41 years is ridiculous. Those who witnessed Sandusky molest those boys, those who knew he was doing it and let it happen, and those who assisted and made it possible for him to continue kept it under wraps because they knew it would jeopardize their careers. They did not want to put their positions of power at risk by not revealing Sandusky, and they only dug themselves a deeper hole the longer they kept it a secret.
There is no excuse for the actions committed by Sandusky and for those who kept it a secret. A job is not an excuse to cover up for someone who commits a crime as serious as molestation. If people like Paterno were worried about their job or the money, or reputation, they could have saved face by turning in Sandusky when it was first learned that he was molesting boys. They could have avoided all that is happening now, but hind sight is 20/20. There is no defending any of the men associated with this case.

Distance Learning Assignment

This Penn State scandal has really been uncovered as bigger than any of us could have imagined. The more investigation goes on the more people have been revealed to be involved in the scandal. I believe 13 men and 1 female have been indicted so far. This has irreparably tarnished Penn State's reputation not only their football program but their whole school. It's really shocking to see that some students could even protest and riot because of Joe Paterno being fired. It's quite an eye-opener to see what and how people rank their values. Media and society has put sports at such a high pedestal that people forget that it's only a game. How has football been ingrained into their heads to supersede not only basic human rights but a child's rights at that? This ties back into hegemony where the corporations, or the football institution in this case, can place mental outposts so that it's harder to see and associate with the negative aspects. It's almost to the point of brainwashing, it's a crying shame really. The very root of our foundations are being uprooted yet some people are so stubborn to accept that fact.

If we looked took an absolutist approach of deviance, we could say Joe Paterno and all those involved in this sick scandal can only blame themselves. They have no moral values and are completely sick to have allowed this to happen to the children. One thing that we don't see often are the effects of sexually abused children as they grow into adults and even beyond that. Their lives will be forever scarred and I don't think they'll ever be 100%. What I noticed while following all the #PSU, #Joe Paterno is apparently there is a NEW scandal involving an assistant basketball coach at Syracuse has apparently molested a child many years ago. I don't know what it is about these sport coaches and taking advantage of innocent children but it's certainly sick and I can't find the words to describe it all. Sports as a whole is being turned upside on the very core of its foundation.

Phirum Eng KIN 332I

Distance Learning Penn State Scandal

As I was sitting at home watching the news with my roommates the announcement came on about Joe Paterno getting fired. I had no idea what for and didn't really pay that much attention to it. The next day in two of my classes, this was the main topic of discussion which is what got me to do more research on the subject on my own. I think that what has happened at Penn State is a very awful and sad thing and I feel terrible for all of the victims. The social media has had a huge role in getting this story out to the public and has made room for many people to express their concerns and opinions about the scandal. For the most part, I think that what the social media is doing is a good thing because you can hear what others think and can have interactions with others who feel the same way you do but on the flip side I think that not everyone takes it seriously and will post things that are not true or relevant to the topic.

Issues of power, media, and deviance can be seen intersecting in our society almost all of the time. People who are in positions of power tend to think that because of their status they can get away with deviant acts and that the punishments for their actions will be less severe than someone who gets in trouble for the same things on the street. I think that as a society we let them believe this to be true because we see it happening all the time. Celebrities get away with crimes all the time and often only serve sentences for a few hours if they even see jail time at all. The way media gets involved with these things is because as soon as the media gets a hold of these stories it blows up, the stories are all over the place.

I think that from a functionalist's perspective this situation would serve as a perfect example of how as a society we have to work together to maintain the overall good. It was Paterno's job to report what he heard to the authorities to ensure the safety of the children. He did not do this which is why there is so much controversy and chaos. Overall, I think that the actions of Penn State to fire Paterno was the morally correct thing to do. He should not get away with his actions because he is the head coach at a university. I know the die hard fans would not agree, but there is more to life than college football. The safety of children should be the main focus of this scandal not the university losing a coach. Paterno built up his legacy at Penn State, but I think because of the choices he made, he will be forever remembered for this horrible scandal and not the wins or loses of his football teams.

Stephanie Jarrett

Kin 332i

Distance Learning Assignment

At first I had no idea that this shocking, ridiculous scandal with the whole Pen State University thing was going on. I actually heard about it in my 332i class once the professor mentioned it. Even then all I heard were random hard to pronounce names. Then I overheard my supervisor talking about it at work, so I did a bit of research. I was surprised I didn’t hear about this earlier. The scandal was everywhere. The media apparently plays a big role on spreading out the information to the public and although information is information it is not always true. What was done is obviously awful and immensely wrong, yet was portrayed in ways that could have been much more accurate. The media mentioned how all the students are protesting against those who are faulting Joe Paterno for what he had committed, which is not necessarily true since there are a handful of students who clearly go against Paterno at Pen State. This means that the media has created the alumni at PSU to portray a sense of negligence to the school and has made them look bad.
Deviance as well as power and media all closely connect to society by often times making it seem that laws can be broken without serious consequences. Joe Paterno and the others who were involved in this cunning incident are not being fully punished for what they committed. But if the ones who had committed this were normal everyday blue and white color workers then we would get the worst of it. They get leeway simply because of the reputation they have created with their professions and privilege. I would say that deviance, power and media go hand in hand when it comes to unjust acts, which is why I see this whole debate from a cultural theoretical perspective.
Sandusky has no moral values, no ethics, and no principles! I feel that every member in this scandal is just as guilty as the next. Paterno knew that nothing had been said to high authorities and refused to go out of his way to do something morally correct. Why didn’t he? Because he was too preoccupied with losing all he had attained in his profession, his legacy and the football program at PSU. Even thought the law is the law and many times people seem to surpass it, it shouldn’t matter who you are, your age, especially your race what is wrong is wrong and you should get punished just as everyone else according to your proceedings.

Distance Learning Assignment: PSU scandal

social media has had an enormous influence on the PSU scandal. when you enter the sports section of internet websites, newspapers, or even just turn on the news, the PSU scandal is the headlining news story. social media was fast to update on new developments of the scandal so people all over the country and the world were up to date. it was on the news so much that i wanted to watch something else or hear about what else is going on in this world. This is a horrible scandal that could have easily been avoided with a phone call to the authorities so i feel the decisions in firing paterno and the arrests of others involved were appropriate.

I felt like these accusations were kept under wraps for so long because Penn State wanted to avoid a scandal that would potentially hurt their school financially. PSU is a well-renowned university in the US and a lot of it is because of Paterno's contributions and achievements. Issues of power, media and deviance intersect within this scandal because we saw that even people of power within a University cannot be trusted and choose not to perform a simple task of protecting children. they saw these kids as collateral damage so they can protect the reputation of their institution. Thankfully justice was served, but it will never make up for the damage that has already been done to the victims.

From an Absolutist approach towards deviance, Jerry Sandusky is morally bankrupt for the accusations of child molestations. he is at fault. The others who knew what was going on are also morally bankrupt because they failed to report to the authorities of the behavior going on.

I understand how PSU students can be upset over the firing of the influential Paterno but they must look at this scandal from the bigger picture. He made a costly mistake and paid for it and could possibly receive larger punishment. the saying "you are only as good as your last game" in reference to sports can be a metaphor to Paterno's lack of taking action. he made milestone achievements but failed to report thus resulting in him getting fired.

Jerome de Leon

Kin 332I t/th

Sandusky Scandal

With regards to the Jerry Sandusky scandal the social media has done their job of getting the information out to the people and helping to unravel this very tragic event. The media has helped to shape this story by covering all aspects of the scandal from who was involved, who helped to cover it up, the mixed views of the public and students of Penn State and staying current and up to date with their reports. That being said I do feel that a lot of the reports seem to be more focused on the effects this has on Penn State foodball and Joe Paterno that the actual children who should be the main focus of the stories. In regards to issues concerning the intersection of power, media and deviance from what we know many people knew that Jerry Sandusky had been caught molesting children and yet no one took the appropriate measures to stop him. You can see here how his prestige in the football world and at Penn State allowed for people to ignore or turn their back the allegations about him. Why was his behavior allowed or overlooked? Was it to protect the reputations of the people, Penn State and football? Even the students could see past the power that these men held causing them to protest. Where did we go wrong when we not only accept a cover up of this magnitude but we protest some of its out comes. One sociological framework that might make sense of these crimes and cover ups could be through a functional theorists eyes. A functionalist might believe that the crimes Jerry Sandusky was committing would damage the sport of football and the reputations of many looked up to individuals and the best way to keep the sport of football untainted would be to sweep this big mess under a carpet somewhere and forget about it. My reaction to all this is really just discuss. Fist of all how could anyone in their right mind let someone else rape children? Second is how can people be so blinded that winning football games or keeping your coach supersedes covering up child molestation. This just goes to show how selfish, self centered, wicked, and ignorant people can become.

Jason Trapschuh
Kin332I t/r

Distance Learning - PSU Scandal

Prior to this scandal, I believe media has desensitized the general population to the seriousness of certain crimes. It's unbelievable to me that anyone can look past the fact that this is a child sex abuse case, and still be worried about football. When reading one of the statements made by Joe Paterno on pennlive.com, he briefly (emphasizing briefly) stated his "feeling sorry for" the victims and quickly moved on to state his loyalty to his players, the students, and the university for the rest of his life. His last words were for the Penn State students to not let this scandal effect how they view themselves or how they carry themselves. All I could think is "Who cares how the Penn State students feel?! This isn't about feeling sorry for them! This is a child sex abuse scandal!" I feel a great number of people are failing to see the magnitude of this situation and are more worried about how their football program is going to carry on.

According to what we have been learning, athletes and coaches can develop their identity through sport, finding the meaning of the life and their goals to be intertwined with being an athlete. While I do not condone the cover-up of these crimes at all and do not under any circumstance think it was okay for those involved to brush off these allegations, it is likely their reason was for fear of ruining their own personal image and identity. Though Joe Paterno is not the one who committed the major crime here, he committed a major crime of his own in not reporting it. (As did the others involved). Though at first Paterno was not the bad guy, maybe he knew he would be the bad guy no matter what when it came out; "guilty by association". I feel had he reported these allegations to the police, he could have severed his "association" and gone on coaching and being a positive influence to those around him. Instead, he proved to be morally bankrupt and care more about himself and football than to do the right thing.

Those who are in power unfortunately have more power (just because) and are able to cover-up their tracks, allowing crimes like this to slip through the cracks for so long. It is often stated that power changes people. People who were once nice and trustworthy become money hungry monsters, narcissistic, and immoral. (Not all obviously, but the ones we most often hear about). Had Joe Paterno not been in such a position of power and so iconified, maybe it would not have been so threatening to his career and his self image for him to be able to report these crimes. I would like to believe all people are innately good, but when situations like these arise, it makes you wonder.

The social media has blown up this scandal. I'm not sure yet if it is blowing it up in a good or bad way. If these men are made examples of and cover-ups by men in power and crimes like this can be stopped, then this attention will benefit our society. But if the media makes this case a circus, like it does many others, this could turn out to be another example of how many Americans, and people in general, have lost sight of what is truly important in life. Deviance like this, crimes like this, and immorality like this should not be allowed to happen, let alone go unreported when something could have been done to stop it.

-Katie C.

KIN 332I

006329399

Distance Learning assignment

The social media has shaped Penn state scandal as the
horrific scandal of the century. With
all the news covering the Penn State scandal everyone in the world is being
exposed to it. The media has given the
people the possibility to speak out about the scandal through twitter and other
networking sites.
This horrific case that happen in Penn State shows how
people in some form of power, use their power by taking advantage of people
that are in lesser power (in this case young kids with a low social class).
Finally, the media has so much power to make the public have a certain reaction
to horrible events. The media can easily
ruin someone’s reputation or clear their name.
It is clear that Sandusky is a pedophile and has to be
locked up for life for his crimes that he has committed. However, Paternos involvement is a sad
representation of humanity. It’s awful when one would rather protect their
carrier rather than doing the right thing.
This is clearly one of the most disturbing scandals that came
out in our time. However, it is not the
only horrific event that has ever happen about kids being raped. Kids all over the world are always being
abused by others. We as a humane society
have to take action when anything of this matter is presented in our lives. So this is for everyone, anyone that
encounters a rape in any form do something about it, do the right thing and
drop kick the SOB.

Rodrigo Uribe

Kin 338I Sec 06

Distant Learning - PSU Scandal

For a few days I was completely oblivious to the whole scandal. I didn't know what was going on, all heard for a for a few days after it all came out was "Joe Paterno this, Jerry Sandusky that..." So once I started to do a little research and just listen to all the stories on the news, the radio and the Internet, I started to piece it all together. The media obviously plays a huge role in getting the public the information, sometimes it accurate other times it's not. This is a horrible story and everything that has happened has been portrayed in a really dark way, obviously because there's nothing good about this story. Often times, the media has portrayed "all" of the students as rioting and standing up for Joe Paterno, but in reality that is not necessarily true, so in a way the media has made some of the PSU students look really bad. Deviance, power and media closely intersect in society because often times criminals that break the law, have some type of power and then they think they're above the law so they will participate in some type of deviant behavior, but the media will always end up finding out and they eventually get caught. So, these three things all go hand-in-hand, when it comes to criminal acts. The way that I view this entire scandal can be seen from an absolutist approach. I believe
Sandusky has no ethics and that he is morally bankrupt. He has no morals and no sense of right and wrong and this can be looked at as deviant undercomformity. At the same time, I feel Joe Paterno is guilty just as much as the next guy because he didn't tell the proper authorities and even if he did, common sense would tell you, if nothing is being done about it after a while, maybe you should do something about it again. But he cared too much about his legacy and the PSU football program to do the right thing. Once again, we can see Paterno's actions from a absolutists approach, because he cared too much about his legacy to do the right thing and inform the proper authorities. Overall, I beleive that no one is above the law, no matter what, it doesn't matter how old you are, or what your name is, or what your legacy is, no one is above the law and these guys were in the wrong for what they did (Sandusky) and what they failed to do (Paterno) .

Travis Benson
kin 332I

We have all heard about the PSU controversy. If u haven't by now, get out from that rock you've been under and turn on the TV. The social media has shaped this whole scandal in of course a bad light. But how else can you talk about this? Well according to South Park you can crack jokes about it. Sexual abuse is not a funny subject by no means. On the PSU scandal, a main influence on this is media. It was breaking news everywhere when Paterno got fired. Power is also a major factor in this scandal. These coaches had power and influence over these athletes and these abused that power by abusing those boys. And it was also power that kept this abuse going on for years. When I learned about the scandal it was heartbreaking. The relationship an athlete has to a coach is a special kind of relationship. Speaking from experience, I trusted my coach and confided in my coach. To hear and read that these coaches violated that trust and that bond is infuriating. Who cares how many years they've coached at PSU, titles they've won for PSU, every single person who knew and didn't say anything, try to save these boys or who participated in this abuse (except the victims) should be prosecuted to the full extinct. No deals to be made, no leniency, just jail time, maximum jail time.

Chelsea Richardson

KIN 332I

Distance Learning- What have we become??

First of all, when I refer to "we" in this post I include myself. At the initial outburst of this scandal nearly two weeks ago I was in shock and awe over the allegations that were being thrown at coach Jerry Sandusky and Penn State University. I have long been a fan of college football and, although I root for no specific team, I have always known of the intense heritage and tradition that the football team and Joe Paterno embody at Penn State. Although I have no firsthand knowledge of what a game is like in person or what the atmosphere of the town is, I knew that any attempts at pointing the finger at all of this being Paterno's fault would bring outrage among most of Pennsylvania. At the onset I even believed that it was better for Paterno to finish out the season and retire. I believed that he had done all that he could have when his graduate assistant reported the incident to him. He went to his superiors. That's what you're supposed to do right? WRONG! Not when you're Joe Paterno. Not when you're a living legend. Not when you have a shrine of yourself on the campus that lives and breathes everything that you as a person represent. When your superiors are men that you have coached, you should feel even safer about notifying the police before them. Whatever the case somewhere before, after, in between, or all 3, you go to the police! You shouldn't even really need to go to your superiors. Damnit Joe you have grandchildren and children of your own!

So as I sat on my couch on a Wednesday night and watched as mobs of Paterno loving college students stormed the campus, turned over media trucks and held candle light vigils in honor of Joe Paterno I began to think of the victims that were watching this. Who knows where they were at that moment but without a doubt they knew of the rioting in Penn State. The amount of undeserved fear, blame and shame that must have been put on these victims shoulders at that moment is immense. So for that moment I was as embarrassed as I've been in quite a long time. These were college students acting in barbaric ways. I am a college student. I even felt that Paterno should have been given certitude to finish out the season. Am I like these barbarians?! One thing is for sure, we all were to quick to think about Football and tradition, rather than the thought of the victims. For me, it took a couple of days to realize the gravity of this situation, others it was right away and some of the students at Penn State it could have been when they woke up hungover and ashamed in their dorms that following Thursday morning. The bottom line is this, in this instance traditional values and sports have taken precedence over the lives of human beings. This, to me, no matter how much you love Saturday football and ESPN is absolute bullshit. The ultimate irony for me came when I saw highlights of the Nebraska/ Penn State football game that took place last Saturday. At the beginning of the game there were prayers for the victims and a moment of silence. Even in the moment of silence, dedicated to the victims, you can hear idiotic fans yelling "we love you Joe Pa!". Penn State lost the game to Nebraska that day and maybe it was fitting, because in my eyes many of the fans just didn't deserve to win.

Spencer Pirdy KIN 332I