Distance Learning Assignment - Penn State

The news about the Penn State scandal has spread quickly with new information being brought to attention on what seems like a daily basis. The media latches onto updates about interviews, victims, public appearances and anything else they can get their hands on to expose the latest to the public. This was one of the major themes that I noticed in that people only see the side of the story that is being shown to them. The power that the media has pushes info at it’s audience, eventually leading to the public only seeing Penn State as the scandal school. One of my RT mentioned that the football team was being questioned about being invited to bowl games, which is amazing to me, because they have absolutely nothing to do with the commotion. How does punishing people who don’t have a part in the circumstances make any sense?! It doesn’t, but the media manipulates what people see, regardless of what their opinions may have been prior to hearing it on the news.  

Social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, etc. have allowed people to communicate and network with others around the world. Recently, they have been used to voice people’s opinion about this hot topic. They offer a place for the public to view different sides of the situation, that they might not have thought about, from different types of people. Californians may view the situation and its characters as appalling and horrific, while students of Penn State support and riot for Paterno’s return. From a sociocultural perspective, our culture views the behaviors of the scandal illegal, dishonest and prohibited. The American people grow up understanding the norms of  society and morals are a base to everything. For Sandusky, Paterno and anyone else who was aware of the abuse that was happening, they covered up the story because they couldn’t admit to being morally wrong in such a public and popular position. In another RT, I noticed a theme that people are concluding to that was nicely said by a Penn State alumnus, John Amaechi; you “can’t be a part time man of principle” which stands true for both sports and life and something everyone can live by.

Lastly, the third theme that I became aware of, not only my RTs, but in all the relative posts, was that life is more important than sports. The question that I always seem to ask myself when I watch the news, is “What were you thinking about in that very moment? Of course, you were probably thinking, I want the money out of that cash register, I want to get high or drunk. But did you subconsciously think about what you were doing?” If the allegations are true, in the moment Sandusky was abusing a boy, did he think what he was doing constituted him as a good person? Because let’s face it, no one seeks to live their life as the worst person they can be. The only reason why this story is as big as it is, is simply because of Penn State’s status as a great football team with the best coach. The more important aspect to look at is that children’s lives were exploited. A football team can gain back the prestige they lost, but a mother can’t recover the child she lost.

~Chelsea Oshimo, KIN 338I - Sec. 1