On The Subject of Abuse

I'm going to tell two different stories in this blog post -- the one that the media has been covering in a frenzy and one that should serve as more than just a plaintive footnote, but won't.

The first story, of course, is the Penn State sex scandal, where former Nittany Lion defensive coordinator and professor emiterus Jerry Sandusky has been accused of sexually abusing young boys over the course of the past 15 years (or longer, for that the earliest reported incident was in the mid-1990s). It occurred at Sandusky's private residence and even on the Penn State campus -- apparently under the noses of Penn State administrators and now former Penn State head coach Joe Paterno. I'll save discussion of whether or not there was any merit to have Paterno terminated after over 60 years at Penn State for another post. The details of the abuse is absolutely disgusting and I feel deep empathy for the boys, now young men, that had their lives ruined. The coping strategy -- for both men and women that have endured years of sexual abuse -- is brutal. There's nothing that makes me angrier than innocent children having their innocence stripped at the hands of a predator that has pedophilia running through their veins.

Let's face it -- we're going to talk for years about the purported failure of Penn State to act, considering that the University Police, who has the same jurisdiction as the state police of Pennsylvania, did not take a more proactive role in pursuing an aggressive investigation into these allegations which could have prevented additional abuse. And who knows whether or not Sandusky has abused other young boys even in the past year, two years, or even three years as the targeted boys were from his annual camp. I would have to unfortunately err with the belief that Sandusky has continued his abuse because as my government professor once told my class that there is no such thing as rehabilitating pedophilia. It's the same conversation we have about the Catholic Church, which undoubtedly has a legacy of abuse that extends for centuries. It's heartbreaking.

The second story I'm going to tell you is about Ashley Billasano, a high school student of suburban Houston. After over 100 posts on Twitter of an emotional catharsis revealing the abuse she had suffered from at the hands of family members and other men, she ended her young life after attempting previously a month before. She was frustrated and depressed over the fact that she never received justice for the abuse that had endured. What is a damn shame, unfortunately, that there are more stories out there of young people getting abused, too scared to tell, cries falling on deaf ears, and justice not being served.

That is a theme that too many can speak of -- justice not being served. Lackadaisical police work, parents simply not giving a shit, courts enforcing laws that are rather weak when it comes to abuse. Yes, an argument can be made against those that choose to remain silent out of fear and shame, but an overwhelming majority of the time, the silence is not forever and they will speak up.  And on speaking up, whoever, listens or actually does the speaking, it is a call to action, for that now there is a moral obligation to do what needs to be done to keep the predators from preying. But of course, there is not anything that's absolute.

Granted, some people move on to have healthy and productive lives. But this is not a story about if one person can then another person can too. That mentality is foolish and unrealistic, because human emotion is human emotion, and I would think that the whole point of counseling should not necessarily about focusing on what worked on others previously but focusing on what will help the victim specifically. Humanity is a cruel and complex species, with saviors and savages of all shapes, colors, cultures, and ethnic backgrounds, and for what it is worth, it is in our nature to bring about a range of things in a continuum of pleasure and pain on to others and ourselves. Yet, abuse is about one brings pain to others for their own gratification, whether emotional, mental, or in the case of this post, perverse.

I'm trying not to sound too idealist. There's too many caveats to where any points that I am making can be absolute. What can be said, however, is that I hope that anybody that has been abused or is being abused -- and this is going beyond sexual abuse -- overcome their suppressing fear and speak up and act. Save yourself. Save others. Your voice is vital. And hopefully much as possible can be done about justice not being served in the wake of abuse because it's a reality that's not only painful, but can cost lives. There is no such thing as rehabilitation for pedophilia: pedophiles need permanent incarceration.