A Delayed Reaction
I have put off writing this article. Partly because I acknowledge a personal prejudice (I detest organized sports in alleged “education facilities†because of something that happened when I was in high school).
I have also put it off partly because the very subject of the article disgusts me to the core of my being.
Having established this preamble, let us get on with it.
If there is any single incident in recent memory that illustrates how empty our value system has become, how low our standards have sunk, it must be the ongoing scandal at Penn State University where a serial child abuser – hell, let us be more frank about it – a serial homosexual rapist, was allowed to continue to prey on young boys with the full knowledge of his superiors.
And, why was this allowed to happen? Simple. Because his coaching skill was helping the school’s football team win games!
That is right my friends, an unknown number of innocent young men ware sacrificed at the alter of a winning team! And, if you are not disgusted to the point of nausea by this, shame on you.
Now, let me further offend many of you by adding, if you still support semi-professional sports in what were intended to be institutions of higher education, than shame on you twice.
Indeed, if you still support professional sports in general, shame on you three times.
As if the Penn State tragedy were not enough, we have an ongoing scandal involving bonuses being paid to professional football players for physically injuring other players.
Today, it has become almost routine for the “fans†of college and professional sports teams to cause significant damage to both public and private property – either to “celebrate†their team’s victory or to bemoan its loss. Sometimes these “celebrations†become outright riots and even result in the loss of human life. All of this over “games†that actually have no real meaning – except to the select few who get wealthy from them.
As I have mentioned in other articles, I have long been an amateur historian. As such, I am well aware of how the “games†used to entertain the Romans became bloodier as the Republic/Empire declined and died. I am well aware of how the “games†played by the ancient Mayans became deadly (and took on religious significance) as their civilization declined and died.
I do not mean to suggest that the blood-lust or the undue importance associated with these “games†led to the downfall of these civilizations (or of others I could have named). I doubt this was the case. What I do suspect is that the demand for ever bloodier games, and the growing importance assigned to these games, were two of many very clear indications that the civilizations in question were in severe decline.
It is very easy to blame Marxists, progressives, Barrack Obama, etc. for all our failings (and I do my share of that), but please remember this… none of these can destroy our values, our standards or our morals without our willing participation.
I will close with my most offensive observation yet… any “civilization†that allows or even encourages such things in the name of “entertainment†richly deserves the fate that awaits it.
Think about it.
Troy L Robinson
Two questions for you, trying to be as objective as possible:
1) You say this: “It is very easy to blame Marxists, progressives, Barrack Obama, etc. for all our failings (and I do my share of that), but please remember this… none of these can destroy our values, our standards or our morals without our willing participation.”//Do you really blame them for this particular instance? I know the Attorney General in PA was investigating them when he…mysteriously vanished. To see that Law Enforcement had a handle on what was going on, is, in my opinion, a very good thing–albeit delayed due to Penn State’s own management. I almost think that, if you are indeed arguing that it is the progressive’s fault in this one particular instance, we are going down somewhat of a ridiculous slope where it becomes, “Whose fault was it that I slipped on a banana peel? Darned Marxists.” I don’t think that that is a very productive way to go about this. However, I will come down hard on Penn State in saying that this is a horrible crime on everyone’s part–the coach for being a pedophile, and the entire organization because they simple DID NOT report it.
2) Can you actually say that it was his coaching ability? Can I have some evidence to support this? 🙂 The impression I got from the media was the reason this was so hush-hush was because he was the personal friend of a whole bunch of people at Penn State. Could it perhaps be BOTH?
As far as me “supporting” professional sports… not so much. I won’t defend crimes and stupidity (in this case, they go hand-in-hand, stupidity on the part of Penn State, and crime on the part of the coach), but it is fun to watch and predict outcomes of games and so forth. However, politics to me is the most fascinating part of the world, not just in the US, but in the world–and most of the time, the World’s politics are far more interesting!
—
As a side note, when you think about it, the bloodiest “sport” (and I mean it in the “competition” sense of the word) in America right now is politics. That somewhat backs up your thesis that violent “sports” (football, and downright nastiness in the American political system) certainly mark the decline of our civilization. I personally long for the days where we spoke about the issues (as in this blog) instead of talked about ad hominem attacks the whole election cycle. 🙂
“Whose fault was it that I slipped on a banana peel? Darned Marxists.”// Eeps! That was not the best way to put that. What I am saying is, if you blame Marxists for something microscale, it will become smaller and smaller until it becomes trivial. That is not to say that Penn State was not a travesty, which it was, nor is it to detract from the gross violation of children’s right (including sexual molestation)… point is, I don’t want criticism of Progressives to potentially go down a slope where it DOES become trivial.
Am I making more sense here? :/
My words are failing me tonight 😐
Well put, Troy. I have a couple of observations that came to mind as I read it.
I was in the third grade when my family became the first on our block to own a TV set, so I at least escaped its insidious nature during the critical early years, of the development of my mind. When professional wrestling came to TV, my mother became hooked, so naturally the rest of us had to watch it. My earliest memory of losing respect for the infallibility of my dear mother’s wisdom, was her excited blood lust and my inability to convince her that it was so obviously phony. If I could see it as a child, how could the adult I trusted most not?
When I returned to America with my young wife from the Seychelles Islands at the age of 23, we got an apartment in Palo Alto, CA, where I was working for Philco Ford. We became friends with the couple living directly above us, and frequently babysat their newborn child, especially on Sundays when the San Francisco 49’ers had home games in nearby Candlestick Park. He was Frank Nunley, their middle linebacker, whose teammates had nicknamed ‘Fudgehammer.’ It was a perfect moniker for him. Like a lot of gigantic men, he was a sweet gentle soul, and truly a nice guy; but it was best not to get in his way when he was on the job.
I was taken aback in a matter-of-fact conversation we once had, when he said:
Since that was the equivalent of about $20K today, I could easily see his incentive to hit the QB as hard as possible during a linebacker blitz, even at the risk of a penalty. I credit Frank for his unwitting assistance in eventually breaking my own growing addiction to televised football. It was bad enough that I couldn’t miss a professional game on Sunday; when it got to where I didn’t want to miss a college game on Saturday, it finally occurred to me that I was wasting my weekends watching others have fun, rather than participating in life myself.
Much to my wife’s relief, I went cold turkey, started doing far more enjoyable things together with our weekends, and only ever watched the Superbowl. At this point, unless I get invited to a Superbowl party (once every few years), I don’t even do that. If asked, I couldn’t even name the teams who played in last year’s event, much less which one one it. Televised sports is just one more form of modern circuses to entertain the sheeple, and I concur with your assessment. â—„Daveâ–º
Years ago, I got interested in college football — this was back when the U of AR the #1 team two years running. Then one Saturday, I watched Alabama mop the field with them and I started to get quite upset.
Then it occurred to me that I was getting upset over a meaningless loss by a team representing a school I did not attend, with players I did not know. The the “this is stupid” light started flashing in my brain and I quit watching (or caring) right then and there.
Troy
Of course I don’t blame them for this. I thought that was my point.
No – I assumed it because the program there is so competitive. Could have been the good-ole-boy system for all I know. Still, reporting him WOULD have had a bad effect on the team so I think my point is valid either way.
Again, I WAS NOT BLAMING PENN STATE ON PROGRESSIVES! I placed the blame squarely on people who willingly abandon their morals, their values, their standards, etc.
Like you, I wish we could discuss issues rather than call names. But, that is evidently not what the “spectators” in the sport of politics want. They want red meat and lots of it.
Troy
I misunderstood your intent by this sentence then:
“It is very easy to blame Marxists, progressives, Barrack Obama, etc. for all our failings (and I do my share of that), but please remember this… none of these can destroy our values, our standards or our morals without our willing participation.”
Which, now that I understand what you are saying, it makes much more sense to me. The clarification I issued shortly after the statement I made about a “banana peel” I thought was worded poorly and made it seem like I was comparing Penn State to a banana peel–clearly, the problem goes much deeper than that. And I agree with you that progressives/Marxist (or whomever the blame for a particular issue in our country falls upon) are not to blame for anything. Thank you for clarifying.
Now, the larger point is simply that Penn State was passive for whatever reason. From Paterno’s telling his superiors and not reporting it, to his superiors’ not reporting it and deciding to talk to Sandusky about this (which if I remember the trail of emails correctly, the “meeting” never took place), right on down top to bottom was corrupt, possibly even extending to the law enforcement where a certain attorney general disappeared when he started investigating this. And when corruption affects the lives of INNOCENT–repeat, INNOCENT children–in whatever form and ruins their innocence, that is a gross disservice not only to the college and community, but to the kids themselves. What was once a beautiful program in history due its many titles, etc. (depending on perspective) is marred by a crime such as this.
Their conscience was so convoluted that they figured they’d TALK to the coach? How stupid is that? If someone talked to you about a crime, but did not have law enforcement waiting in the wings and no threat of being fired… would you even care? I think not.
(Gah, Dave will disappointed. You made me feel 🙁 )
I did not say they are not to blame for ANYTHING. What I said was that an outside force, whatever that may be, cannot lower your values, morals, standards, etc. without your willing participation.
As for Penn State, Paterno, his staff and the University administration all made themselves accessories to an ongoing crime spree and should be held accountable. And, you will never convince me otherwise that all of them cared more about protecting the football program than they cared about those young boys. There is simply no other rational explanation.
In this same light, Obama and Holder were accessories to the murder of Brian Terry (and hundreds of nameless Mexicans) and likewise should be held accountable.
If you want an idea how so many atrocities happen in modern America, how about chewing on this… I blame a near total lack of discipline, in the schools, in the homes, in public places, combined with an absolute lack of accountability for anyone, combined with a lack of respect — for self as well as for others.
Most of the people in my generation were far more concerned with their self image that with what others might think of them. Today, it is just the opposite. Most of the young seem to have no sense of self respect but are totally consumed with “fitting in”, even when what they are fitting in to is crap.
Troy
Did I seriously type “Anything?” Wow, my brain must not have been thinking at the time. I meant “This event.” Sorry. 😐
Troy Wrote:
“If you want an idea how so many atrocities happen in modern America, how about chewing on this… I blame a near total lack of discipline, in the schools, in the homes, in public places, combined with an absolute lack of accountability for anyone, combined with a lack of respect — for self as well as for others.”// I would agree. Most disciplanary action at any school gets so buried in bureaucracy, some parents who have kids have no parenting skills, the recent shooting the theater comes to mind–as well as any other event when someone has been heckled–and yeah, today’s Americans seem an awful lot ruder than Americans 50-60 years ago… is this image I have of my generation ( 😛 ) accurate?
It is more than an image of your generation. Somehow backward inheritance is happening so that many in the older generations, who were raised to know better, seemed to have joined the misbehavior.
To this day, I find it very hard to enter a door ahead of a female, I address all but children as Sir and Mam’am, I try not to talk too loud in public places (although I suspect my loss of hearing makes me louder than I mean to be),and I NEVER wear a hat indoors, especially not at table.
As for discipline, it is not lost in some bureaucracy, it is outlawed. Give little Jerkoff a slap on the wrist for disrupting his class at school and Jerkoff’s parents file suit. You can even get arrested for spanking your own unruly child in a public place! I certainly don’t advocate beating children but a timely whack on the butt can do a world of good.
As for the recent theater massacre, I have no idea what happened to this guy but my instinct tells me that it is somehow associated with his suddenly dropping out of his PhD program.
Troy
http://www.ncaa.org/wps/wcm/connect/public/ncaa/20120723/21207236
In lieu of the decision, here is the press conference remarks on the Penn State punishments. Do you think the NCAA, based on this speech, “gets it?” Why or why not?
I think the NCAA should throw itself off a cliff. The “punishment” for Penn State was a joke compared to the damage done to all those young lives.
I hold out hope that there still may be criminal or civil charges brought against those who failed to do their duty.
What the NCAA fails to acknowledge is that the huge amount of money involved in this racket is itself the root of the problem.
I have no objection to semi-pro sports if that is what people desire. I just want them totally disassociated from the “education” system.
Troy