Penn State in the Media

I think that social media has shaped the PSU scandal by putting the coaches in the spotlight instead of focusing on the victims and seeking justice on their part. Many students at Penn State were outraged at the way that Paterno was fired, but social media was greatly responsible for the outing of this information.
We see that McQueary, though he took the right steps according to school policy, is considered to not have done enough as witness. So though the acts were reported to Joe Paterno, the people with more power above him decided to use their power to put a stop to the reporting as to save face.
I believe through feminism we can greater understand the cover up that has happened. Men are greatly emasculated if they are thought to have be victim of a sexual crime. Sexual crimes are vastly though of as something that happens to women. It is a crime of power and dominance of of sexual satisfaction. So I think that the cover up can be related back to the power of masculinity.
Though, I agree that McQueary could have done more than just tell Joe Paterno what he saw, I understand that he was in a difficult situation that not many people can imagine being in. As people we want to believe that we will react in the best and most responsible way possible, but this cannot always be the case. I think McQueary acted under what he thought was the right choice at the time. He told his superior, so there was an element of power but also perhaps fear and confusion in what he had witnessed.
While it is a terrible thing that has happened I think that the whole Penn State situation can serve as a benchmark case as sorts. Now I think victims of similar crimes will feel empowered to speak out upon what has happened to them. I would like to think this will create some healing for not only those victims of the Penn State scandal but also for those struggling in similar situations.
Alyssa P.
338I-6