BLIND EYE

What were Penn State officials, including Joe Paterno thinking? Time and time again, they were approached by credible witnesses who presented evidence that there was one person in their midst who, by his actions, was harming both the institution they represented and one or more innocent victims. Victims, who, because of the authority that the figure of Jerry Sandusky wielded, were being hurt, maybe irreparably. Time and time again, these officials expressed their "party line" that they didn't exactly know how to handle it, or were afraid that it could hurt Penn State's image. It was easier for them to turn a blind eye.


How often, in day to day life, do we run into this situation? How many of us will follow what the other members of a group do, even if we know it is wrong, just because we don't want to stand out, or be the only one standing up for what is right. How often have we participated in a group decision just because it was easier to go along and not make waves. Are we really more comfortable turning a blind eye to a situation we know we should do something about? Apparently we are because we see it time and time again.


But, more importantly, how many of us have been the victim of this kind of situation. It doesn't have to be as serious as that of being molested. It could be anything from a simple case of "schoolyard bullying" to a more difficult case of a person in power deciding that they don't like someone who is subordinate to them, and making their life a living hell. How many people are the victim of a workplace coverup, being bullied by a person who has the power to make or break their reputation in the workplace and not being supported by those above that person because to do so would cause them embarrassment or shame?


The government has enacted laws to protect those suffering discrimination because of age, sex, disability and several other "protected" reasons. Even whistle-blowers are protected by the law. But the law has no provision to protect a person from an official or a boss who has just taken it into their head to dislike them. It's not illegal for a person in power to harass and bully a person, to humiliate and embarrass them in front of their peers and others just because they don't like them. There is no protection for that person unless they can prove that it was done for one of the protected reasons. But we all know that this is not always possible. Those with the real authority find it easier to turn a blind eye.


We know how hard it is for a victim to come forward when they feel they have been wronged. But it is even harder for those victims who have seen that time after time the persecutor is supported by those who should be stopping the reprehensible behavior. Jerry Sandusky was able to commit wrongs against young people for years because no one protected those children, even though it was known they were being hurt. We need to stop protective behavior of those who are obviously and clearly hurting other people. Yes, one person may be a fluke or a false accuser, but when others come forward, all with enough matching threads in their stories to make them plauseable, those in authority must not turn a blind eye, but act decisively to look into the situation and put a stop to the harmful behavior.


Penn State, their football team, their fans, their students, their future students, and their entire school would be in a much better place if the officials who were entrusted with the monitoring of abusive situations had not been afflicted with a blind eye.