Everyone has compared the Penn State sexual abuse scandal to that of the Catholic Church, and in many respects, such an analogy is warranted. That being said, some correctives are in order.
In the case of the Church, most of the problem took place between the mid-1960s and the mid-1980s; almost all of the allegations being reported today extend back decades. Why not discuss Penn State’s most salient rival, namely, the public schools? That’s where “passing the trash”—moving molesting teachers to new school districts—is still a major problem.
Planned Parenthood is notorious for covering up cases of statutory rape, yet no one is fingering them. That’s because they have the support of many in the media.
“Occupy Wall Street” gatherings are rife with sexual assault, and in Baltimore, the protesters were told, by directive, that “we do not encourage the involvement of the police in our community” about such matters. A protestor in New York said she knew of cases of rape but that “We don’t tell anyone. We handle it internally.”
Many blame “all male hierarchies” for the abuse. But recently the top Episcopal bishop in the U.S., a woman, was cited for welcoming a known child molester into the clergy. Also, why wasn’t anyone talking about the Penn State issue as involving homosexuality? Male-on-male sex, involving mostly postpubescent guys, constituted most of the abuse. But everyone is afraid to mention the obvious.
