[eagle2250]

"Why hasn't the (sexual) abuse scandal brought MSU and USA Gymnastics into the cross hairs, like Jerry Sandusky did Penn State".... was the headline of an article authored by Eric Adelson and carried on the Yahoo News feed early yesterday. Adelson opened with:

"It was one of the most abhorrent scandals in American sports history, with more than 100 victims and one doctor (Dr. Larry Nasseur) sentenced to 60 years in prison for child pornography charges and pleading guilty on 10 counts of first degree criminal sexual conduct."

Adelson goes into a fairly extended discussion about MSU and USA Gymnastics not having yet reached final conclusions with their respective investigations and states the NCAA has not yet (improperly) involved themselves in this more recent scandal, as was done in the Penn State scenario. While all this may be true, I think it to be a lot simpler than that. Eric Berne, MD, wrote a book years ago entitled "I'm OK, You're OK" and more recently a book entitled "The Games People Play," in which he introduces us to a mind game people play that he (Berne) calls "Now I've Got You, You Son of A Bitch!"

Herein lies the the concise, yet complete answer to the question posed in the article written by Eric Adelson. We, the masses, just cannot stand to have an icon of virtue, be it an institution, sports figure, academic or other celebrity that or who represents a standard of excellence that we cannot claim to match, continue to stand. Once we discover any small crack in their armor that provides the excuse for bringing it or them down, we do so.. Mediocrity must rule. There should be nothing or no one that we strive to live up to. This is as good as it gets...accept it or get over it! Pretty sad reality, I think?

 

[eagle2250]

Finding myself in general agreement with conclusions expressed in each of the postings above, I am left wondering...as we acknowledge and address the all too human frailties of our "hero's," must we also discount entire bodies of good works achieved throughout their (our hero's) lives and/or the institutions they represent? This approach seems decidedly vindictive and unnecessarily destructive...yes, no? And why does it apply to some, but not others? :icon_scratch:

 

[eagle2250]

^^"Harbingers of tomorrow's thought policing..."
Hoping not to mislead anyone into thinking that I harbor any positive feelings at all for the 'white supremacist' elements in our society, as the left wingers marched through the South over the past 18 months, building enthusiasm for and in fact greatly cleansing the area of any monuments/reminders of it's involvement in the Civil War, I found myself pondering "is this what America and it's values have come to?" Wouldn't it have made more sense to initiate actions to equally commemorate the historic actions of heroic black Americans of that period (or to document "the rest of the story," if you prefer), rather than smashing and trashing the monuments commemorating the other side of the argument and effectively rewriting history, rather than balancing the recording of it"

 

[eagle2250]

^^Good morning and a Happy New Year to you too, Jack. LOL. Referring back to the wording of my OP, I fail to see anything that could be viewed as a call for an attack on people with liberal political views or intimates that there are any cracks in MSU's or the USA Gymnastics respective suits of armor. However, I do clearly suggest that we/the masses seem to be troubled by and greatly resent the presence of those among us who clearly stand taller than the rest, are more sterling in character or more courageous in action, or for whatever reason are held up as examples of what we should all be striving to achieve and we take the first opportunity that comes along to fell those icons of excellence. The problem is not with any presumed cracks in their armor but that MSU and YSA Gymnastics have simply not reached high enough or been held in sufficient awe to find themselves "in the cross hairs of" or to incur the rage of the masses against them. Not wishing to stir up sleeping animosities or resurrect any old battles, but (my undergraduate alma mater) Penn State and the late Joe Paterno had and, regardless of the similarities in the Sandusky debacle and this present case involving the MSU/USA Gymnastics doctor, they clearly found themselves in those cross hairs and have endured the continuing rage of the masses.

We should all be held accountable for our shortcomings, but a single misstep/mistake/shortcoming should not incur the loss of credit for an entire lifetimes body of work/achievements.

 

[eagle2250]

Eagle, I would have more sympathy for your point if most of these monuments have been erected at the time the events happened, or shortly afterwards. As it stands, many were built at the height of Jim Crow to make a political stand that blacks should continue to be seen as inferior people and that the South should still be managed by their superiors. They were not erected to commemorate US history, but to make a political point to the "lower races". I am absolutely in favor of taking these pieces into museums, where proper context can be given, instead of their current places in public spaces.

My friend, you make a very valid point. Indeed, the context in which many of those monuments came into being should not be ignored. As the peoples of every nation progress through history, unfortunately we/they make choices and act in ways that should perhaps shame us all. Ideally, we learn from and correct such mistakes, but alas, in far too many instances we have proven ourselves to be extremely slow learners. Thank you for your thoughts.

 

[eagle2250]

Referring going back to the OP of this thread and updating same,
I read in the Yahoo news feed this AM of the more than 100 young female Olympic athletes who have reported Dr. Larry Nassar, many testifying at his trial and sentencing hearings and also claiming to have notified 14 to 20+ MSU officials over a period of more than 20 years. It seems the sole response of said MSU officials was to caution other (female) MSU employees working directly with Dr. Nassar to be careful, that Dr. Nassar was known to get a little frisky. No other recorded actions seem to have been taken and the doctor continued (uninterrupted) his employment at MSU! Where is the public outrage and widespread condemnation? :icon_scratch:

 

[eagle2250]

Tell that to Joe Paterno's family, former PSU President Graham Spanier, former Athletic PSU Athletic Director Tim Curley, and former PSU Vice President for Finance Gary Shultz; the first having a college sports Icon's legacy destroyed and taken from them, and the remaining three first removed from their university positions and then facing criminal charges and eventual convictions resulting from their alleged failure to sufficiently act on Sandusky's similarly egregious actions, with Dr. Nassar's offenses. PSU continues to endure the public outrage, but where is such (even initial) outrage against MSU and it's questionable response to this present equally or perhaps even more extremely sordid affair? Indeed, we do seem to have a double standard of expected behavior in play here!

PS: As the victim statements continue at Dr. Nassar's sentencing hearing and victim after victim has voiced concerns regarding the virtual total lack of corrective action on MSU's part, the calls for the University President's removal seem to be gaining some traction. Hmmm?