tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post8745638460019434015..comments2024-03-28T05:37:00.890-04:00Comments on the daily howler: The mainstream press corps IS Penn State!<b>bob somerby</b>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02963464534685954436noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-79580450547114749612011-11-16T16:40:57.005-05:002011-11-16T16:40:57.005-05:00Mr. Somerby, I agree with your overall point here,...Mr. Somerby, I agree with your overall point here, but let's not get carried away:<br />"In this morning’s New York Times, David Brooks talks some sense about the outrage being voiced by our highly self-confident pundits. <br />“Let’s All Feel Superior,” his headline says. Given what we know about human functioning, Brooks suggests that his colleagues might not have acted in the glorious ways they’re prepared to suppose, had they confronted the ugly events which transpired at Penn State." <br /><br />Brooks' column was atrocious. A combination of schlock sociology and inaccurate history put to the service of implying that Joe Paterno et al. may have failed in the their moral duty to protect children from a sexual abuser only because the DFH's have caused our society to lose its moral compass (which always = strict rules for Brooks).mchnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-39541548868900143242011-11-16T09:17:43.817-05:002011-11-16T09:17:43.817-05:00Anonymous@November 15, 2011 9:28 PM wrote, "T...Anonymous@November 15, 2011 9:28 PM wrote, "Those fired were not fired because Sandusky raped little boys. They were fired because they covered up the fact that someone alleged Sandusky raped little boys."<br /><br />Excellent point.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-38464234103839344092011-11-15T21:28:19.928-05:002011-11-15T21:28:19.928-05:00"Because everything that Penn State has done,..."Because everything that Penn State has done, both to the president and everybody on down, has presumed guilt in this case."<br /><br />I disagree with this characterization. Unless I am misunderstanding, the people who have been disciplined by Penn State have been disciplined for failing to report allegations that were brought to them to the proper authorities. This failure has nothing to do with the veracity of those allegations.<br /><br />Those fired were not fired because Sandusky raped little boys. They were fired because they covered up the fact that someone alleged Sandusky raped little boys.<br /><br />Let Sandusky have his day in court. The outcome of that trial won't change the incomprehensible moral failure of those who were in a position to take some sort of action.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-41611606168042124862011-11-15T19:21:47.741-05:002011-11-15T19:21:47.741-05:00Brooks just wanted to write a column that would al...Brooks just wanted to write a column that would allow him to use the phrases "Normalcy Bias" and "Motivated Blindness."Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-54251306930915132532011-11-15T18:02:56.975-05:002011-11-15T18:02:56.975-05:00For the opposite extreme in a very similar case, r...For the opposite extreme in a very similar case, read the story of Red Sox clubhouse manager Don Fitpatrick (Boston Globe 11/8/2001).<br />The Globe story was a full ten years after the story should have gone public.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-54060939627300416272011-11-15T15:26:03.891-05:002011-11-15T15:26:03.891-05:00That should be "Gore did NOT put his penis an...That should be "Gore did NOT put his penis anywhere it shouldn't be . . . ." <br /><br />Sorry for the mistake Gore . . . not that you'd do anything about it.Walter Wit Mannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-57306522576745701252011-11-15T15:21:49.946-05:002011-11-15T15:21:49.946-05:00"Attempts by Clinton to 'stand up for him..."Attempts by Clinton to 'stand up for himself', often just brought more derision and abuse."<br /><br />Well, Clinton kept the presidency while less pugnacious politicians, like Gore, may have resigned under similar pressure. So Clinton won there; he really fought when his own skin was on the line.<br /><br />And when Clinton stood up for himself by denying the charges against him he was at a critical disadvantage: he was guilty as charged (of philandering at least). <br /><br />I too was skeptical of the charges against Clinton at first (and I guess I was correct to be skeptical b/c as Bob informs us some of them were false). However, Clinton was lying when he denied all the underlying charges--as we later found out. <br /><br />Whereas Gore was innocent of the underlying charges. Gore did put his penis anywhere and he did not cover up for his superior. But Gore was there for the so-called achievements of the Clinton administration so he should have taken credit for those achievements instead of running away from Clinton. Gore should have given the "I did not have sexual relations with that woman speech", angrily rejecting the charges against him. Clinton couldn't get away with it because he was lying. Gore could have gotten away with it because he was innocent of the charges against him . . . .<br /><br />But Gore legitimized the attacks against him. Gore's pragmatic Democratic approach to politics is too little too late.Walter Wit Mannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-33081380104452911412011-11-15T14:45:36.241-05:002011-11-15T14:45:36.241-05:00With regard to Nocera's column anyway, wasn...With regard to Nocera's column anyway, wasn't Brooks attacking a straw man? Nocera didn't say anything about what he would have in anyone else's shoes; he offered opinion on what Penn State should do now and in the future. I don't agree with Nocera's prescription, but he didn't claim that he would have personally taken any morally superior actions. <br /><br />I couldn't really figure the point of the Brooks column. I thought it was close to a "let him who is without sin cast the first stone" sort of argument. Or was it that we shouldn't judge until we've walked a mile in Joe Paterno's shoes?<br /><br />And coming from Brooks, I can't believe the column was just a meditation on the human condition. The message I got was that we shouldn't go too far in punishing anyone involved--because, after all, who knows how we ourselves would have acted. I don't recall Brooks having these views about allegations about Bill Clinton nor do I expect he will have this view when the politics are different in the future.tinboxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12497368524093391053noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-38854919914038857212011-11-15T14:23:35.063-05:002011-11-15T14:23:35.063-05:00Don't fully agree with Wit Man fully here, but...Don't fully agree with Wit Man fully here, but let's assume some of what he says is true. Attempts by Clinton to "stand up for himself", often just brought more derision and abuse. Gore's approach of taking the "high road" may have been a political loser. Still, it's hard to hold him in contempt for it. <br /> It's a bit like asking someone who's being waterboarded to stand up for themselves.Greghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09288008924419574934noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-73396206990514881912011-11-15T14:22:32.215-05:002011-11-15T14:22:32.215-05:00Another example of media piling on was the Duke la...Another example of media piling on was the Duke lacrosse team rape accusation. The New York Times reporting has been cited as particularly inaccurate. In this case, the lacrosse players were officially declared innocent by North Carolina State Attorney General Roy Cooper . Yet, the media piling on was so awful that many people still believe that the lacrosse players did something wrong.<br /><br />Duke University has already paid millions in suits relating to their misdeeds, and are being suied for more. The City of Durham is facing a suit that will likely cost them many millions of dollars. However, the media are almost exempt from libel suits, so they will pay no penalty.David in Calnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-9449835264576308892011-11-15T13:36:41.323-05:002011-11-15T13:36:41.323-05:00Gore was the school dork and he was teased in ways...Gore was the school dork and he was teased in ways that the other kids weren't. It wasn't fair.<br /><br />I used to be outraged by this media's repeating story about the cool kids picking on the dorks . . . but now I don't care.<br /><br />Yeah, the media game is rigged. But I blame Gore for not standing up to the bullies. Bush stood up to the bullies when he was treated 1/10th as unfairly as Gore got treated. But Gore wanted to be the Jesse Owens hero type figure that could jump one foot before the line and still come out on top. Gore legitimized his attackers and abusers (and it's not just Gore--Democrats in general do this).<br /><br />IMHO, Gore's biggest mistake was not taking on the school bullies. First, he should have embraced Bill Clinton instead of running away from him. By running away he looked guilty.<br /><br />Same thing with the press treatment. Gore should have taken on the press instead of trying to reason with them or play by their rules.<br /><br />But I no longer care about the injustice Gore received. He too is a neoliberal who simply can't offer enough change to do any good. Why defend him? It's not worth it. <br /><br />The professional media is shameless and broken beyond repair. They are incapable of meaningful change . . . as are the politicians in the two legacy parties. <br /><br />The media and both legacy parties have to be completely destroyed and replaced with something new. <br /><br />Propping up Gore or some other lily-livered "progressive" to try to change the system is a task that is doomed to fail. I mean it's good to document the injustice and I'm interested . . . but not like I was in the past. <br /><br />I know the media is Penn State. What are we going to do about it?Walter Wit Mannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-48629810615549092342011-11-15T13:14:08.050-05:002011-11-15T13:14:08.050-05:00The media was Penn State when they sat on the ille...The media was Penn State when they sat on the illegal spying allegations until after the 2004 elections. That's one example of finding the government in our pants without our consent and instead of reporting the crime as they should the media went home to daddy (NY Times Editor?) and asked him what to do. <br /><br />Guess what? Our media would rather cover up the crimes of filthy perverts than do their jobs.Walter Wit Mannoreply@blogger.com