Only the most diehard of GeekMom fans might have realized what a Penn State fan I am. Because of the first avatar image I had used for my first six months writing here.
This picture. I have been a proud life member of the Penn State Alumni Association since I graduated in 1995. My house is decorated all over the place, my husband and I have a closet full of sweatshirts, polo shirts, hoodies, football jerseys, and my sons have more than their share of posters, pennants, and stuffed Nittany Lions decorating their bedrooms.
But that pride has been bruised quite a bit this past week.
If you’re an American, unless you’ve been living under a rock, it’s hard to miss how the web world is all aflutter with the Penn State Athletics Sex Scandal. Or whatever you want to call it.
This incident makes me ashamed for all the times I’ve called Florida State’s mascot the “Criminoles” and equated red sweater vests with “Liars”. What Penn State’s leaders have done makes all those NCAA violations child’s play. How could you????
The blogosphere has been filled with essays and op-eds from all walks of life. My husband and I saw this particularly brash (but well written) essay by blogger John Scalzi, comparing Penn State with science fiction writer Ursula K. Le Guinn’s short story “The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas”. In Omelas, one youngster must suffer to keep the rest of the land in grace and harmony. Might Penn State have allowed a few underprivledged youth to suffer to save their reputation as a university formerly famous for balancing academic and athletic integrity?
Read the rest of Patricia Vollmer’s post at GeekMom.
