[itvnetop]

I think the fact McQueary didn't react when he witnessed what he did is twofold. The easy answer is that the man lacks a sense of moral compass... hence everyone else outside the situation is incredulous by his response (going to his dad first). The other answer may reflect more about the culture at Penn State. McQueary's a former QB, definitely athletic enough to do something about what he saw. A former D1 football player, where most men have grown up their entire lives in an alpha-male environment... Normally one where instinct would have driven McQueary to act immediately.

But because he didn't, I'm wondering if the program is placed on such a pedestal that a simple graduate assistant's first reaction is one part fear of retribution and the other part filial obedience to the deific football culture. We can hypothesize all day, but I'm wondering if McQuery reacts differently had he gone to another school. This isn't to say Penn State breeds cowards or miscreants... I've never been to Happy Valley. But perhaps Nemo can shed some light here: Is football bigger than life at Penn State? I've witnessed Texas high school football, SEC country, etc. While those areas are highly fanatical, is pigskin almost transcendental at your alma mater?

The cover-ups, the demonstrations (in spite of), the general student body and alumni reaction... it's just too strange to ignore. I was reading a Penn State forum last night and some guy was recanting a talk he had with his daughter earlier. I can't sift through all of the posts now, but it went something like this (paraphrasing from memory):

Daughter: Why did Joe hurt that little boy?
Dad: It wasn't Joe. It was another man.
Daughter: Why didn't he stop it?
Dad: He didn't see it. Another man did and then told him about it.
Daughter: Did Joe help?
Dad: Yes, he told his boss.
Daughter: So he did something good?
Dad: Yes.
Daughter: So why is he getting fired? If you do something good, why does something bad happen to you?

Then the dad said he was at a loss for words and couldn't answer his daughter's last question. Then there were several replies commending this frustration. My initial thought was, "Dude, your daughter was on the right track (post first question). You totally swayed her to believe that Joe is a total victim! Why would you raise your daughter to believe this man's lack of action is not only acceptable... but a good thing?"

I sincerely don't believe these are evil people. I'm starting to think the minds of many within this community have been twisted by an abnormally prioritized culture.