When the Penn State scandal broke several months ago and the depth of the cover-up was revealed, the cries of outrage were nearly drowned out by angry denials and gasps of disbelief. Residents of Happy Valley and Penn State fans throughout the country steadfastly refused to believe that Joe Paterno, head coach of forty-six years, would allow such a thing to happen under his watch. Further investigation and court documentation revealed the worst, or what we think is the worst. The Board of Trustees at Penn State fired Paterno, likely saving him from further revelations of impropriety.
The reason people were shocked is because Paterno has a previously unshakable reputation as a man of honor and integrity. He was a shining beacon in an ethically muddled NCAA. How exactly did he gain that reputation? Simple: because that’s what he and his handlers told people. Should that be enough? It is for most people, even though it shouldn’t be.
Did we really not know?
I was reminded of Paterno this morning when seeing reaction on Facebook to this week’s edition of the NPR program “This American Life,” which included an excerpt from writer and monologist Mike Daisey’s one-man show about Steve Jobs. The excerpt detailed the atrocious working conditions at Foxconn, the Chinese manufacturer responsible for making Apple products. Among the findings were crippling injuries, toxic exposure to unsafe chemicals, and children as young as twelve years old working at the plant.
The shock and dismay I saw expressed over the piece seemed genuine, just as it did with Paterno. Yet at least Penn State’s boosters had the excuse that they were not given any reason to suspect Paterno would help cover up pedophilia and child abuse. In the case of Apple and Chinese working conditions, though, there was plenty of precedence.
Did we really not know, or was (is) it just easier to pretend we didn’t? Read more »
Add to Google