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Paterno
Joe Paterno was stated to be in serious condition tonight, as he continues his battle with lung cancer. Reports by some news outlets have 'apparently' noted that he had passed away earlier in the day. So, we will have to see what transpires over the next day+ in this regard.
As we move further away in time from the Jerry Sandusky caused scandal, I can't help but think of how the entire situation represents corporate culture.
Schools that are actually corporations
Penn State, like every other large university and many large public schools, is actually a corporation for all intents and purposes. You can call them schools, land-grant institutions, publicly funded school districts, or whatever you like. But, the reality is that these multi-million dollar entities (as in hundreds of millions, or in some cases more than a billion dollars) all follow the money trail.
ANYONE WHO HAS EVER WORKED FOR A CORPORATION KNOWS THAT ONE PERSON DOESN'T DICTATE A DECISION, THERE IS A CHAIN OF COMMAND WITH MANY LINKS RATTLED ALONG THE WAY.
As such, Paterno didn't decide how the Sandusky matter should be handled. He, like everyone else, was forced into dealing with that unsavory matter. Most, if not all, of people who were drug into this problem were confronted with this type of situation for the first time in their lives. It was weird and they didn't know what to do, plus the invisible trustees wanted to protect the 'brand'.
If Paterno was so powerful, he wouldn't have been ousted in the manner that he was. The people who did so are the same ones, or on the same level of people, who decided how the Sandusky response was going to be handled in the past.
Sandusky, his family, friends + lazy journalism
I believe that Jerry Sandusky deserves the attention in this matter.
In all directness, the first person who should have stopped that behavior/crime(s) was him. We humans aren't animals. Our developed brains set us apart from those lower life forms and with that Sandusky had the free will to stop himself. He chose not to.
Never let anyone convince you that people don't make choices. Everyone in this situation did to varying degrees.
His family should have done something, as it's impossible to conclude that none of them knew about his problem. And what about his close friends? The responsibility for this situation would then fall on his employer and all connected co-workers.
But, it would be difficult work to track down all of the people connected to this situation. Of course, many of them aren't famous either. It was far easier to locate Paterno, along with the powers to be at Penn State, and then seize on them.
Joe Paterno was never the person most responsible for stopping that situation. He sits far down the logical chain of responsibility in this matter.
By the way, don't forget that most media outlets are branches corporate entities as well and they have their own established methods of work.
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