Could You Be the Next Joe Paterno?

On Thursday, July 12, 2012 the "Freeh Report" was released detailing the disregard and cover-up by high ranking Penn State officials, including the legendary coach Joe Paterno, of the sexual violence committed against children by convicted pedophile Jerry Sandusky.  Following the release of the report there was a title wave of self righteous indignation on the radio, television, Facebook, Twitter, and across the internet.  The four horseman of Penn State (Spanier, Paterno, Curley, and Schultz) are now monsters on a scale just a step below Jerry Sandusky himself.  Rick Reilly of ESPN was especially critical of Joe Paterno:

I tweeted that, yes, Paterno should be fired, but that he was, overall, "a good and decent man." I was wrong. Good and decent men don't do what Paterno did. Good and decent men protect kids, not rapists.

I think it is easy to look on from the outside and stand in harsh judgement of these men and I have no intention of defending their indefensible actions. I do think some of the scorn being cast down on these men is based on the notion that it is incomprehensible that a "good person" could do what they did and fail to protect those children.  I guess that is where I differ from most people.  What these men did was awful and they should be held accountable for it, but I can see some reasons why it might have happened and how other "good people" could find themselves in similar situations.

What would you be willing to cover-up or hide if you felt your way of life was at risk?  I would like to believe no one I know would cover up sexual violence against children, but I am not entirely sure that is true.  If you felt that your name, career, home, and ability to meet the needs of your family including your children was at risk, how much would you be willing to ignore or cover up in the name of self preservation.  Self preservation is not always a conscious decision, it is something we often seem to do as if on autopilot.  I am not saying it is okay to do so, but I can understand the instinct.  Even if some level of self preservation was part of the puzzle in this circumstance, it is still inexcusable, but it has caused me to reflect on where is my line?  What would I be willing to knowingly or unknowingly look the other way on if the risk to me and my family was too great?  If I look the other way on something important to my values or that hurts other people, can I still be considered a "good person?"

I hear a great deal of shock at the idea that these men, and especially Joe Paterno, did nothing.  Why is that so shocking?  Do you interrupt every sexist comment you hear in the workplace?  Do you address every racist comment made at family gatherings?  Do you challenge every homophobic comment that you overhear while in public?  Maybe you do, I wish I would.  It is my assumption that most, if not all, institutions have built in advantages that benefit and protect able-bodied straight white males at the expense of women, people of color, LGBT people, and individuals with disabilities.  Does this go unchallenged by you some or most days?  The point here is that most "good people" I know are only able to have the courage and gumption to fight for what they believe in some of the time.  While failing to challenge a bigoted or ignorant comment is not on the same level as disregarding a child molester, it is part of a slippery slope of inaction that could lead us to supporting damaging and unjust environments with our silence.

If reading the book Thinking, Fast and Slow has taught me anything it is that the mind can believe anything it wants to, regardless of the evidence.  Our default position is to believe what will make the most sense to fit what we already believe.  The author introduced the concept, "what you see is all there is" to describe how we simplify the world to fit what we already know.  It would not surprise me if these men were in denial of what they were doing and the possible consequences of their actions.  Our ability to lie to ourselves is very strong and making information fit what we already think is what our minds are wired to do.  The most common lie we tell ourselves is that the ends justify the means or that our actions fit a greater good.  Did these men feel all the good done by them and Penn State football was more important and outweighed the safety of those children or concerns about Jerry Sandusky?  If almost the entire Republican Party leadership can dismiss the evidence of climate change even though the scientific community is fairly settled on it, then I believe it is possible that these four men knew what was happening and lied to themselves and the rest of us about it.  It makes me wonder what lies do I tell myself that might be damaging to me and others?  How can I prevent falling into those traps?

The point of what I have said here is not to give these four men a pass.  No matter the intent behind our action or inaction, I still believe that we are always accountable for the impacts we have on people and the world.  In this case, the action and inaction of these men clearly lead to further sexual violence being committed against children and that is a burden that they and their legacies will and should carry with them forever.  I would just suggest that before we get on a high horse about how awful these men are, that we spend some time looking within ourselves.  By putting all the focus on these "monsters," we take no responsibility for the possible roots of their actions that might exist within each of us.  When might we compromise our values or allow others to be hurt to protect ourselves, our family, and our way of life?  When are we silent in the face of individual acts of discrimination and institutional oppression?  When do we choose to falsely believe something that fits with what we already believe?  The answers to these questions are important as we seek to have our actions match our values and because we are just as responsible for the impacts of our action and inaction as these men, regardless of our intent.

Edmund Burke said:

All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.

Other than being male centric, I could not agree more.  Unfortunately, I think good people (including me) do nothing, or less than we should, far more often than we care to admit and I think the situation at Penn State should be a catalyst for individual and cultural examinations of why that is and how we can change it.