There have been a number of troubling reactions by members of our generation, Columbia, to the recent Penn State child-abuse scandal. Most notably, there was the riot in State College, PA after the firing of head coach Joe Paterno. I'd go off on how sickening that sort of confusion of priorities is, but Jon Stewart probably said it better than I ever could.
Still, there was another reaction that bothered me only slightly less than the riot—the insistence by some people that Paterno got what he deserved because he participated in some sort of long-term cover-up of child abuse.
Let me begin by saying that I have no special affection for Joe Paterno. I'm impressed by the man's football's accomplishments, but that's about it. I don't know much about his character and I'm certainly not a Penn State fan (Go Michigan). Moreover, I think the fact that he lost his job is of little importance compared to the real issue here—the allegations of child-abuse leveled at former assistant coach Jerry Sandusky.
