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I know. I understand it's incredibly hard to prove or disprove sexual abuse. The stakes are so high that no one wants to charge an innocent person or let a guilty person off the hook. That's what makes this issue so difficult.
Given the number of victims that reported Sandusky's behavior, and the fact many of them reported the same kinds of unusual acts, leads me to believe that this is for real. After all, what the victims reported are not generic or easily made up. Many of them reported the same details, such as "touching on the left thigh" and "back-cracking" and "stomach blowing" and so on. None of those are typical sex acts, but they were all reported more than once by all of Sandusky's victims. Two other people witnesses sexual abuse even though they weren't themselves victims (the janitor and the graduate assistant). To me, it just doesn't seem like all those accounts could be made up with that much detail and consistency.
The laws make it easy for people to accuse someone of sexual abuse, but communities are incredibly resistant to following through with allegations. It's amazing how many schools and churches and other kinds of communities try to cover up sexual abuse rather than investigating it and expelling those members from their community. Instead, they try to preserve an image that isn't even real and let those members continue to be a part of the community. It makes absolutely no sense to me.
I have read your posts before and if I remember correctly, your boyfriend was falsely accused of sexually abusing someone. From what I remember of your story, it seemed pretty obvious it was trumped up, because of the way your boyfriend didn't have a particular interest in children. But when you read the Sandusky accounts, you find that he is around children in many contexts, and went to great lengths to make children into his "buddies" by trying to buy their affection. The way he rationalizes his behavior is classic of pedophiles too. It just all fits right into the classic patterns that psychologists observe among pedophiles. I think anyone who has experience with sexual abuse cases can instantly tell the difference between trumped up evidence and real evidence. Several sexual abuse experts have said that Sandusky's responses in his interviews and the accounts reported by his victims pretty much "fit the bill".
I understand where you are coming from, but I am truly convinced in this case that Sandusky is guilty of raping and molesting children.
Of course he is guilty.
No normal adult male would even put himself in that situation for the obvious reasons, and certainly not someone who was making a large salary in a high profile job.
I played basketball, fast pitch softball and volleyball in school and never ever showered with a coach not even in a different shower stall.
My son played football, basketball and soccer and no coach was showering in the locker room either.
I would find that totally unacceptable to find a coach showering with his team.
Yep, I was going to say the same... like, what neck of the woods did you come out of? Where I'm from, coaches don't jump in the shower with their team, especially if their team is prepubescent.
I played basketball, fast pitch softball and volleyball in school and never ever showered with a coach not even in a different shower stall.
My son played football, basketball and soccer and no coach was showering in the locker room either.
I would find that totally unacceptable to find a coach showering with his team.
To say that it is "totally unacceptable to find a coach showering with his team" is a little extreme. First, let me state that as a HS athlete, I never saw a coach shower at the same time as the team. One of the reasons is many HS locker rooms have a separate shower for the physical education teachers and coaches. It is connected to the office that is in the locker room. Second point, as a parent of both sexes, I can tell you that most HS athletes don't shower at school these days. HS girls rarely take showers after games or practices but ride home in a warmup suit. I'm aware of a few HS cross country coaches who run with their teams. Would there be something wrong with these coaches using the same shower facilities as the team members it there weren't separate shower facilities for the coaches? I don't think so. I think we have become a paranoid society. But the situation I describe would probably not occur because of the reasons I listed above. But CarolinaWoman, what should I do at my local YMCA? There is one one shower room in the men's locker room, which you have to walk through to get to the pool. Based on your logic, it would be totally unacceptable for any coach to use that shower.
Last edited by villageidiot1; 12-17-2011 at 07:34 AM..
Shame on Jerry Sandusky, Joe Paterno and all that swept this heinous atrocities under the rug!
[QUOTEThe bounds of normal behavior are not universal. They are not the same in a football locker room as at a church social.
Locker rooms have showers for a specific legitimate, functional reason. A coach and team members showering together is "normal behavior" or at least it was when I was in school. Whether Sandusky did more than that, I don't claim to know.
][/quote]
DJacques? Are you kidding me? It is unnacceptable no matter how you cut it! The guy has admitted to having sexual attraction to boys!~ Disgusting!
To say that it is "totally unacceptable to find a coach showering with his team" is a little extreme. First, let me state that as a HS athlete, I never saw a coach shower at the same time as the team. One of the reasons is many HS locker rooms have a separate shower for the physical education teachers and coaches. It is connected to the office that is in the locker room. Second point, as a parent of both sexes, I can tell you that most HS athletes don't shower at school these days. HS girls rarely take showers after games or practices but ride home in a warmup suit. I'm aware of a few HS cross country coaches who run with their teams. Would there be something wrong with these coaches using the same shower facilities as the team members it there weren't separate shower facilities for the coaches? I don't think so. I think we have become a paranoid society. But the situation I describe would probably not occur because of the reasons I listed above. But CarolinaWoman, what should I do at my local YMCA? There is one one shower room in the men's locker room, which you have to walk through to get to the pool. Based on your logic, it would be totally unacceptable for any coach to use that shower.
Why are we making excuses for this guy? People saw him performing oral sex and anal sex on children. Yes, locker-room showering can be totally innocent, but obviously in this case it wasn't.
Why are we making excuses for this guy? People saw him performing oral sex and anal sex on children. Yes, locker-room showering can be totally innocent, but obviously in this case it wasn't.
You're saying that I'm making excuses? I'm not excusing anything that he is accused of doing. What I have a problem with is the paranoia that has developed over this situation. With some of the comments that have been made here, people with think twice about showering any place but the privacy of their home. The comment I had a problem with was, "totally unacceptable to find a coach showering with his team." Sandusky was not showering with the Penn State football team, he was showering with boys 10-12 years old and having physical contact with them, which he has admitted; and sexual contact, which he is accused of. Let the judicial system do its job. Or would you rather be part of the lynch mob that strings him up?
We discussed this today, and it is sad that perverts ruin everything. I worked with a wonderful man who volunteered his time to coach kids for Special Olympics, just because he was a great guy, and believed that Special Olympics was important. He was never inappropriate with kids. My kids have had great male teachers, coaches, and scout masters--these were nice guys. I never thought they were perverts. And they never showered with my kids either.
Amen! That should be illegal in EVERY potential rape and abuse case. It is blatantly biased. The term "accuser" is appropriate and accurate and should be used.
The term 'victim' should only be used after a plea or finding of guilt
I can understand your point; however, I do not know if I can completely agree w/this statement completely either. I am very involved in my state in advocating and helping victims of violent crime, especially in regards to domestic violence and sexual assault. I became very involved because as a victim/survivor, the judicial system did not work appropriately for me. However, just because the system failed [as it does fail many victim/survivors], it does not negate the fact that they were violently assaulted.
I also agree that too often, the victim does not come out until they learn that others too, were assaulted and/or they are afraid to do so.
I find it reprehensible when a false accusation is made AND I firmly believe that someone who does falsely accuse someone of assault needs to be held responsible, accountable AND charged for making a false statement. When that happens, not only is the accused made to suffer, privately and publically, but it also affects, horribly, on those who finally and appropriately make a complaint - it undermines, in my opinion, all that the victim/survivor has gone through.
As with any allegation, there should always been a full investigation and that, unfortunately, does not always happen - both when falsely accused and when appropriately accused.
I have learned that the press jumps at the chance to do a story - the more graphic and outrageous, the better - it has become, in my opinion, far more of sensationalism reporting than what used to be true investigative reporting, generally speaking.
You're saying that I'm making excuses? I'm not excusing anything that he is accused of doing. What I have a problem with is the paranoia that has developed over this situation. With some of the comments that have been made here, people with think twice about showering any place but the privacy of their home. The comment I had a problem with was, "totally unacceptable to find a coach showering with his team." Sandusky was not showering with the Penn State football team, he was showering with boys 10-12 years old and having physical contact with them, which he has admitted; and sexual contact, which he is accused of. Let the judicial system do its job. Or would you rather be part of the lynch mob that strings him up?
Most definitely you are making excuses ... our local YMCA must be a bit more modern than your location. We don't have that problem here at the Y. Adults and children/teens do not shower together.
We have never had the problem with coaches showering with our students here BUT if it did happen ... yes I would find it unacceptable. Why would an adult male or female want to shower with teens or children.
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