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Decanonized Mythologized Disgraced Ped State Monster Coach Joe Paterno (Zombie Icon)

I get it. Nobody likes child abuse. Nobody likes to see kids suffer. Me neither.

Paterno should have done more. He was fired for not doing more. He should have been fired. What he did is a large and shameful chapter in his life.

But to read this thread you would think he was running a brothel for children and profiting from each customer. You would think that his clear and cogent 75 year old thought was "Children are being abused, and I don't care."

Joe is neither the priest who abused children nor the Bishop who shuffled them from parish to parish (many will argue this point - but he was not the final arbiter). He reported what he was told to those with responsibility. Certainly, this 75 year old man could have and should have done more. What he was thinking, what he thought was more important, I don't know. But he should have done more.

I came to this thread last night amid rumors of his death looking for news. I changed the thread title because I did not think the word "disgraced" was a balanced epithet for him as he lay on his death bed.

If somebody wants to change it back fine. But I do have one request.

There is an emotional scene near the end of "Schindler's List" where the man who single handedly saved hundreds of lives lamented not doing more - even as the ashes of Jews settled on entire communities who did nothing.

I live in a country that used to hang blacks from trees while entire towns turned their backs and did nothing.

A significant number of sexual abuse cases go unreported by the very parents of the abused child because they are able to rationalize some greater good from not reporting.

I would like to see the next post attacking Paterno come from someone who - since this scandal broke - has done ONE FUCKING THING besides curse Joe Paterno. Someone who has written a check to SafeHorizon. Counseled a child. Reported Uncle Fritz.

"Disgraced" because he didn't do more? We could all do more.

I am neither condoning nor forgiving him for his lack of action. But Joe Paterno is NOT the face of child abuse in this country. Jerry Sandusky abused those kids.

Joe done bad. He also done a lot of good. IMO his thread title should simply read "Former Coach of Penn St".
 
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jlb1705;2093933; said:
I'm already getting sick of people pointing to the fact that Paterno passed so soon after retiring, as if it was lack of football that killed him.

You know, coaching football has been know to prevent lung cancer. :roll2:

Especially in an 85 year old man dealing with the stress of the recent months added to it. This outcome was predictable.

His passing will bring some peace to his family and, obviously, to him.
 
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I know around the Country Joe is being remembered as some Hero.I just want the world to remember the victims that were raped by Jerry Sandusky on the PSU campus as Joe Pa stood by and did nothing..the victims don't have a NETWORK, former players to speak for them..sweep it under the rug nothing to see here..I Hate that kind of response..in this case, the Catholic church, or wherever this occurrs and is accepted by supposed institutions that claim some kind of moral superiority.
 
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Oh8ch;2093938; said:
I get it. Nobody likes child abuse. Nobody likes to see kids suffer. Me neither.

Paterno should have done more. He was fired for not doing more. He should have been fired. What he did is a large and shameful chapter in his life.

But to read this thread you would think he was running a brothel for children and profiting from each customer. You would think that his clear and cogent 75 year old thought was "Children are being abused, and I don't care."

Joe is neither the priest who abused children nor the Bishop who shuffled them from parish to parish (many will argue this point - but he was not the final arbiter). He reported what he was told to those with responsibility. Certainly, this 75 year old man could have and should have done more. What he was thinking, what he thought was more important, I don't know. But he should have done more.

I came to this thread last night amid rumors of his death looking for news. I changed the thread title because I did not think the word "disgraced" was a balanced epithet for him as he lay on his death bed.

If somebody wants to change it back fine. But I do have one request.

There is an emotional scene near the end of "Schindler's List" where the man who single handedly saved hundreds of lives lamented not doing more - even as the ashes of Jews settled on entire communities who did nothing.

I live in a country that used to hang blacks from trees while entire towns turned their backs and did nothing.

A significant number of sexual abuse cases go unreported by the very parents of the abused child because they are able to rationalize some greater good from not reporting.

I would like to see the next post attacking Paterno come from someone who - since this scandal broke - has done ONE FUCKING THING besides curse Joe Paterno. Someone who has written a check to SafeHorizon. Counseled a child. Reported Uncle Fritz.

"Disgraced" because he didn't do more? We could all do more.

I am neither condoning nor forgiving him for his lack of action. But Joe Paterno is NOT the face of child abuse in this country. Jerry Sandusky abused those kids.

Joe done bad. He also done a lot of good. IMO his thread title should simply read "Former Coach of Penn St".

Doesn't matter how much good someone did, when they did one thing IMO, to wipe that all out. Yes he was a hell of a coach, and did a lot of good for PSU and that community. But one slip up, and his legacy is tarnished

People still dont get it. We're talking about a game, football, compared to what happened to KIDS! Just because Joe didn't rape those kids doesnt mean what he didn't isn't as bad as what Sandusky did. It's an accomplice. Just because a getaway driver only is a driver, doesn't mean they didn't help rob the bank.

Get priorities straight. And I'm fine with the title just saying "Former Penn State Coach Joe Paterno" I'm not the one to judge him, his judgement has begun.
 
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OneBuckeye;2093937; said:
Matt Millen says he died of a broken heart. He is on Espin now.

I think that is accurate. His will to live was shot, and it hurt him to see what his near inaction in this situation caused the university he loved and lived for.

My parents were in visiting over the weekend and when the news came though yesterday, my mom said that he probably just gave up because of the scandal.
 
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RIP, Joe.

It's ironic to me that the intense desire to maximize his legacy is what tarnished it forever.

That's the only comment I'll make about Joe for a couple of days, out of respect for the very recently deceased.
 
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I'm probably going to end up in hell for this one (or feel the ban-hammer), but honestly this is all that ran through my head during this whole reporting mess.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGFXGwHsD_A"]Monty Python: Not Dead Yet - YouTube[/ame]


In the end, Joepa deserves an honest accounting of his life, the very good and the very bad.

#See now that Ord beat me to it...
 
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