Keith Olbermann's turn

You think you're going to get me in one of your famous pissing matches, and you're not. It's why I don't post much here anymore; it's all a couple of posters want to do.

 

I've made my feelings about Penn State and their sycophants quite clear over the years but is there really a need to piss on these kids who raised 13 million dollars for pediatrics?

 

First, I might suggest breaking up that second sentence into more legible parts. That baby's kinda tough to decipher.

Second, I fail to see why Olbermann should've said that, or anything like it, here. The students referenced in this tweet (ie. those participating in the pediatric cancer fundraiser) were probably not even on campus yet when all that was happening. They weren't the ones who allegedly "rioted." They didn't have anything to do with that whole episode. Nor did they ever attempt to defend or mention Paterno here. They're students who came along later and just participated in a good cause in support of pediatric cancer research.

I find the notion that such kids should still be bludgeoned over the head with constant Paterno taunts to be quite petty and silly. There was no "proper" way for Olbermann to chastise these kids, because they did not need to be chastised at all. It was just an unnecessary childish and meanspirited reaction, as Olbermann himself has now admitted and apologized for (albeit with his employer's encouragement).

 

The problem is the Penn State community and a wide swath of the state have never shown any understanding or remorse about the way the community as a whole was enabling. Too many people have acted like they are victims themselves. Yes, there are new students there now, but people who live in Happy Valley and choose to go there should have some understanding that perhaps people aren't ready to see them brag about how much Penn State does for kids.

Raising the money is great, but the need to be congratulated for it is off putting given the history.

 

Jake, it's just as offputting for those kids to be greeted with a roll of the eyes after raising that kind of money just because they decided to attend Penn State. I'm not saying that the Paterno synchopants deserve anything more. But the ones who danced for charity? Yeah, they do. And that's who was insulted.

I guess I'm saying that there's a point where you can suspend your disgust, and that might be to let the next generation get by without that hanging over their heads. That has nothing to do with the victims. That has to do with those kids.

In other words, there should be no "but" following "Raising the money is great."

 

shot, I'm not pushing for a pissing match. I'm trying to explain something to you. The kids who raised that money should be proud of themselves. They did something outstanding. But proud of their university? Sorry, but Penn State still has miles to go before anybody should be proud of that place. Jake is right. Olbermann had an opportunity to make a valid point, but he failed to do so. That is disappointing, because he certainly has the ability to pull it off.

Attacking my past as a poster does not change any of that. It is certainly valid, but so is my assertion that you refuse to fairly consider the strong negative view so many people have of Penn State. Sadly, the culture hasn't changed. The fight to get Paterno's wins back and the celebration when that fight was won demonstrated my point very nicely.

 

I agree with most of your comments on the thread, but I think it's unfair to expect students not to be proud of their university, despite its past. You can have pride in your school and still not agree with what happened before you got there. But maybe I'm misreading and you're just saying they should take a lower profile and not try to fight for Paterno's legacy.

 

In what world does a good deed erase the stigma of a bad deed?

The fact that no one associated with PSU wants to admit that by putting the football program above all else, they created the situation that allowed abuse to happen for years, on their campus, right in front of people like Paterno. Evidence was ignored in order to protect the program, and Paterno.

And, nothing about the culture that was created has changed.

And so the reputation of PSU is still in tatters, and rightly so. Until they take responsibility for what happened, and change the culture, all the charity work in the world won't change that.

 

Oh for cripes sake. ONE guy sent ONE tweet that merely said "we are" in reference to the pediatric cancer fundraising effort. That's what set Olbermann off here. Not exactly shameless groveling for congratulations.

And, guess what, EVERY University in the country tries to publicize its charitable fundraising efforts. They send out press releases about it, do interviews, and have people send out all sorts of tweets and other social media posts of all varieties to all sorts of recipients. They ALL do it, there wasn't any unusual credit seeking going on here that doesn't also happen everywhere else for this sort of thing.

The only difference is everybody else gets the customary words of commendation as responses, whereas Olbermann instead decided to respond to this one with snarky immature shots aimed at kids who had nothing to do with what he was slamming them for.

 

BCD, that is what I'm saying. Want to brag about the amazing work they did fundraising? Fantastic. Want to start with the"We are.." crap? Sorry. That is still going to bother people and for very good reason. They don't get to do that and then complain when it draws a negative reaction.

I even have to agree with YankeeFan now. Penn State's image is still damaged and it should be. Many of the people at fault were run off, but the culture has not changed and some folks won't even admit that the culture was the problem in the first place. It is too easy for them to blame only the individuals directly involved rather than those who let the environment fester in the first place.

 

True dat. It's a bitch not being able to live one's past down.

 

The difference is I've made a real effort to move away from mine. Can you honestly say you are doing the same?