I am a survivor of childhood sexual abuse. Of violence and neglect. So was my sister. She killed herself when she was 25.
As the days after the revelation of crimes against children unfold I find so very little real concern for the victims. So little true awareness of how this changes and molds and contaminates a young life and how hard it is to survive this.
So I share my feelings with you – unchanged since Sunday except now I’m angrier.
It seems fitting to follow a post about real heroes with one about fake icons.
I didn’t think I had anything to say about the horror of child abuse by Penn State assistant coach Jerry Sandusky but as this weekend progressed and I got more information and saw the absurdity of the Paterno worship I truly thought my head would explode.
First of all the media needs to stop calling this a “sex scandal”. Consenting adults were not discovered screwing under the bleachers. Children were brutally attacked.
It might be a scandal to the powers that be at the university but it is a crime to anyone with a brain cell. A crime left unreported. A crime allowed to continue for years. I guess Penn State got its play book from the Catholic Church.
When I first heard about this I thought the graduate student coach mentioned had heard about an attack. No, he saw an attack happening and did nothing. This giant athletic man could do nothing to stop a man twice his age and in seemingly typical fat sloppy ex-player shape from attacking a child?
He’s been programmed well.
No one went to the police. Ever. Not the President of the university. Not any of the athletic directors. Not the man who saw an attack.
And not the man who so many are now mourning for and dedicating last games to and holding vigils for.
In the crowd at Penn State’s last football game I saw this sign
"Two of my favorite 'J's' in life: Jesus and Joe Pa."
Seriously?
I think these students are old enough to stop and think about their heroes. I think they’re old enough to get over the notion that one man has the power to make them sports idols or real men.
Even better they need to get over the belief that being a sports idol makes you a real man.
This young woman gets it.
Yet she felt she had to wear sunglasses and a hat and not give out her name.
Perhaps she should be a hero.
Or this young couple.
“Child abuse casts a shadow the length of a lifetime”
~ Herbert Ward
