Post by aarubin35 on Nov 16, 2011 21:40:38 GMT -5
||The events that unfolded in the past few weeks regarding Penn State have been surprising and dreadful. Jerry Sandusky, a former assistant coach at the college was arrested for instances of indecent actions towards minors from since 1994. There were witnesses to these events, and the information was passed along to the famous and legendary head coach Joe Paterno, who then passed it on to other officials. From there however, the report died out, never to be heard from again until just recently. Joe Paterno only did what he was legally obligated to do, and many thought that it wasn’t enough. Because of Paterno’s lack of action, the Penn State Board of Trustees decided to fire him, ending his sixty years of involvement with and devotion to the college. Many of the students of Penn State were outraged with the Board of Trustees decision and that night congregated outside of the college’s administration building, chanting his name and overturning trucks; mass chaos. The events that had taken place in the last several days are another example of how crises lead to ideological shifts in society, which result in crises of their own.
||Jerry Sandusky was charged with sexual abuse of minors, which led to Paterno’s firing, which in turn led to hysteria on the campus by the student body. Paterno had the most wins in Division 1 College Football history. Joe Paterno was beloved by almost everyone. He was a legend, a hero on the campus, and a national icon for his leadership and legacy as a coach. After the crisis caused by Sandusky people saw Joe differently. People no longer saw him as infallible, but they now saw the other side and how he essentially covered up a serious crime that was committed under his watch. It literally shifted people’s ideologies of Joe, and led to serious questioning of his character by the Penn State officials and people everywhere. Originally, this was not the case for the students at Penn State. The college students adored the historic coach and took action to show how they really felt. The firing in turn led to a new crisis with the student riots. This affair in many ways paralleled what happened in Salem in the late 1600s. The witch scare, led to an ideological shift of the authority figures in Salem. They were now suspicious of many women being witches. They held trials and many people lived in fear. This ideological shift led to a new crisis. The government was now corrupt; countless innocent lives were taken, and the evil people had all of the power. Although on a much smaller scale, the incidents at Penn State shared many of these same features.
||The events that took place regarding Joe Paterno’s firing were similar to many incidences in American history due to the characteristics of crises and their effects and outcomes on society. There was a plethora of outrage and problems that ensued from many of the students because of the firing. This was all due to the original crisis from Jerry Sandusky and the scandal he was involved in. History repeats itself, and this cannot be more evident than from these series of events that had taken place this last week. Crises that shift people’s ideologies and create crises of their own have occurred many times throughout history. It happened with the Puritans in Salem, again during the Red Scare in the 1950s, and now with Joe Paterno and Penn State.
Word Count: 580
||Jerry Sandusky was charged with sexual abuse of minors, which led to Paterno’s firing, which in turn led to hysteria on the campus by the student body. Paterno had the most wins in Division 1 College Football history. Joe Paterno was beloved by almost everyone. He was a legend, a hero on the campus, and a national icon for his leadership and legacy as a coach. After the crisis caused by Sandusky people saw Joe differently. People no longer saw him as infallible, but they now saw the other side and how he essentially covered up a serious crime that was committed under his watch. It literally shifted people’s ideologies of Joe, and led to serious questioning of his character by the Penn State officials and people everywhere. Originally, this was not the case for the students at Penn State. The college students adored the historic coach and took action to show how they really felt. The firing in turn led to a new crisis with the student riots. This affair in many ways paralleled what happened in Salem in the late 1600s. The witch scare, led to an ideological shift of the authority figures in Salem. They were now suspicious of many women being witches. They held trials and many people lived in fear. This ideological shift led to a new crisis. The government was now corrupt; countless innocent lives were taken, and the evil people had all of the power. Although on a much smaller scale, the incidents at Penn State shared many of these same features.
||The events that took place regarding Joe Paterno’s firing were similar to many incidences in American history due to the characteristics of crises and their effects and outcomes on society. There was a plethora of outrage and problems that ensued from many of the students because of the firing. This was all due to the original crisis from Jerry Sandusky and the scandal he was involved in. History repeats itself, and this cannot be more evident than from these series of events that had taken place this last week. Crises that shift people’s ideologies and create crises of their own have occurred many times throughout history. It happened with the Puritans in Salem, again during the Red Scare in the 1950s, and now with Joe Paterno and Penn State.
Word Count: 580