Post by sadejoh35 on Nov 16, 2011 21:52:15 GMT -5
In football, referees are often referred to as zebras. For a long time, Anti-Bullying campaigns have taught people not to be “zebras”. According to these campaigns, a zebra is defined as a bystander who witnesses an injustice but doesn’t do or say anything to remedy the situation. In the recent Penn State sex abuse scandal, there are many examples of figures that fit that category. According to reports of one victim, the first act of sexual abuse took place in 1994. Since then, four men have admitted to having known about these events, and two others are under suspicion. All of these men, including two who directly witnessed these crimes, informed people of higher standing but none went to the police. In this regard, the events of the Penn State scandal can be closely related to events in The Crucible. In both cases, people in positions of power failed to demonstrate heroic or even helpful behavior that could have put an end to the crisis at hand.
Many people are afraid to stand up to an injustice for fear that they could suffer in some way. Although the crimes were committed by defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky, the spotlight is on Head Coach Joe Paterno. Since the beginning of his coaching career, Paterno has been seen as an idol. He has been a successful coach for over six decades, earning respect and admiration from schools and people across the nation. Paterno received the news from graduate assistant Mike McQueary, who was an eye-witness to one of the instances. Paterno went on to inform senior vice president for finance and business, Gary Schultz, and athletic director, Tim Curley. Like the others, Curley and Schultz never brought the case to the police. People such as those mentioned are often worried that their reputations and/or well-being, or the reputation of their company or organization, will be at risk when they reveal information of this magnitude. However, in incidents such as these, there is a great need for someone selfless to stand up for what is right. Sadly, there were no such heroes in the Penn State scandal.
The Crucible can be seen as a parallel to these events in the sense that there was nobody bold enough to risk their own well-being for the good of the community, until John Proctor. Unfortunately, there was no John Proctor at Penn State University. The only people there were “zebras”. Abigail and the Penn State officials all manipulated the situation by concealing valuable information. The Penn State officials didn’t want to lose their legendary head coach or defensive coordinator because they thought it was more important to have a winning season than to stand up for what is right. In addition, a story of something that horrible happening at Penn State would have been awful for the school’s reputation, and these men knew this. In the end, Paterno was rightfully fired, and Curley and Schultz have been charged with perjury for not reporting the claims made by McQueary to the police. Power is often placed in the hands of people who don’t ask for it. The difference between “zebras” and heroes is what they do with the power given to them. The children who were abused needed a hero to reveal the knowledge of the crimes. Unfortunately, the man who was once an idol was too selfish to do so, and for that many children suffered. In conclusion, there will always be injustice in the world, what’s important is if there is anyone brave enough to stop it.
Word Count: 591
Many people are afraid to stand up to an injustice for fear that they could suffer in some way. Although the crimes were committed by defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky, the spotlight is on Head Coach Joe Paterno. Since the beginning of his coaching career, Paterno has been seen as an idol. He has been a successful coach for over six decades, earning respect and admiration from schools and people across the nation. Paterno received the news from graduate assistant Mike McQueary, who was an eye-witness to one of the instances. Paterno went on to inform senior vice president for finance and business, Gary Schultz, and athletic director, Tim Curley. Like the others, Curley and Schultz never brought the case to the police. People such as those mentioned are often worried that their reputations and/or well-being, or the reputation of their company or organization, will be at risk when they reveal information of this magnitude. However, in incidents such as these, there is a great need for someone selfless to stand up for what is right. Sadly, there were no such heroes in the Penn State scandal.
The Crucible can be seen as a parallel to these events in the sense that there was nobody bold enough to risk their own well-being for the good of the community, until John Proctor. Unfortunately, there was no John Proctor at Penn State University. The only people there were “zebras”. Abigail and the Penn State officials all manipulated the situation by concealing valuable information. The Penn State officials didn’t want to lose their legendary head coach or defensive coordinator because they thought it was more important to have a winning season than to stand up for what is right. In addition, a story of something that horrible happening at Penn State would have been awful for the school’s reputation, and these men knew this. In the end, Paterno was rightfully fired, and Curley and Schultz have been charged with perjury for not reporting the claims made by McQueary to the police. Power is often placed in the hands of people who don’t ask for it. The difference between “zebras” and heroes is what they do with the power given to them. The children who were abused needed a hero to reveal the knowledge of the crimes. Unfortunately, the man who was once an idol was too selfish to do so, and for that many children suffered. In conclusion, there will always be injustice in the world, what’s important is if there is anyone brave enough to stop it.
Word Count: 591