tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8617381729745817926.post5470495977136963156..comments2023-02-21T11:54:25.843-05:00Comments on Little Bird, Poet Tree: Open Letter to Penn State: #WEstillARE...but how and why?Cori Wonghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10695826047350834389noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8617381729745817926.post-8528285737298727432011-11-30T16:07:47.914-05:002011-11-30T16:07:47.914-05:00http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/epi...http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/451/back-to-penn-stateAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8617381729745817926.post-87483882495392512022011-11-22T08:04:38.032-05:002011-11-22T08:04:38.032-05:00http://leiterreports.typepad.com/blog/2011/11/penn...http://leiterreports.typepad.com/blog/2011/11/penn-states-culture-of-secrecy.htmlAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8617381729745817926.post-1377476400521600952011-11-19T12:02:48.644-05:002011-11-19T12:02:48.644-05:00cw, if you get a chance check out Taylor Branch an...cw, if you get a chance check out Taylor Branch and co. on Charlie Rose:<br />http://www.charlierose.com/view/interview/11999Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8617381729745817926.post-73740858098750008392011-11-15T14:13:08.001-05:002011-11-15T14:13:08.001-05:00Here's another take on the moral accountabilit...Here's another take on the moral accountability stuff that I addressed in my video:<br /><br />http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/15/opinion/brooks-lets-all-feel-superior.html?_r=1Cori Wonghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10695826047350834389noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8617381729745817926.post-86706422308251950192011-11-15T13:58:37.533-05:002011-11-15T13:58:37.533-05:00There are a number of solidly-written, and well th...There are a number of solidly-written, and well thought-out pieces available. I think this is one of the best:<br /><br />(copy and paste)<br /><br />http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/7233704/the-brutal-truth-penn-stateCori Wonghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10695826047350834389noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8617381729745817926.post-30682878563143631032011-11-15T13:39:21.275-05:002011-11-15T13:39:21.275-05:00Thanks for the above comments!
Richard: Yes, I fu...Thanks for the above comments!<br /><br />Richard: Yes, I fully agree that the utilitarian calculation could be adjusted to account for different end goals and other preferred means to those ends. I was only trying to consider how many people might "weigh" the costs associated with being out with the scandal. <br /><br />Molly: Yes, to you too! Students do have high stakes in the university, which reveals yet another possible twist to what has been referred to now as the utilitarian calculation. Of course they still should have done as much as possible to report immediately, but in terms of the "weighing process," the administration could have also thought, "It'd be so much better for everyone to pursue right actions now rather than turn this into a scandal that risks being uncovered 15 years later, thereby undermining so much of the credit that would be afforded to the University in that time (and threatening the reputation to such an extent that people will negatively judge all of the PSU community)." And student are trying to take issues back into their hands. Which leads into Rachel's comment. <br /><br />Rachel: I would first assume and hope that the #WEstillARE campaign was launched to highlight the other parts of Penn State's leadership and service that have always been there and that persist especially in light of these recent events. Like most things, though, the intention can be lost on many people, and there is the risk that people will reclaim the name of Penn State in the way that I have cautioned against. This is a bigger problem one faces when trying to lead the masses. Masses can be led for good or for ill, but part of that "mass" is that many will not be thinking on their own..and to retain a specific intention or goal or message, everyone will have to be thoroughly educated on what that is to begin with before they sign up to wave the proverbial banner. (Think about other mass movements: people vote based mostly off of who got the most airtime and who SNL made a parody of rather than fro knowing the platforms of candidates, even in OWS many protesters probably don't know the details of how they came to be the 99%--they just care that their in it!. As an example of educating those who participate, I think of Ghandi and King's leadership. Those who were participating in the movement had to first be trained in non-violence, to understand and agree to the goals of civil disobedience, to uphold a particular image so as to deliver a unified message...and that takes training, deliberation, and organization *before* collective action. In this case, there wasn't much time to do that since people, I think, felt the urgent need to respond to the riots and present a different image of Penn State Students. <br /><br />And with that said, I think that the fundraising for RAINN has really shown the incredible good that can come out of shared commitments and affiliations. Like I said in the post, the network of Penn State students and alums is amazing for its ability to produce something together. When they set out to raise money for THON or now RAINN, they can make things happen. I just wish that that same energy could be channeled in the right ways at the right times (which is less an issue of leadership and more an issue of how people think about things (or don't) on their own). <br /><br />I also want to note that since the Erickson has stepped in as president of the University, I think he done a nice job of communicating with the community, being transparent, and reiterating the moral integrity and justice are priorities. His weekly emails demonstrate a commitment to openness and honesty, which I think is a very important and helpful move from the administration.Cori Wonghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10695826047350834389noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8617381729745817926.post-61194469809345428162011-11-15T12:57:34.699-05:002011-11-15T12:57:34.699-05:00Cori,
Cori,
I agree with everything you've ...Cori,<br /><br /><br />Cori,<br /><br />I agree with everything you've said here, which is why I have chosen to be selectively supportive of student initiatives on campus.<br /><br />Throughout this experience, I have firmly believed that the true issue at hand is that a powerful institution (one known for supposedly preaching and supporting principles of good ethical behavior) abused its power to cover up a series of human rights violations, in favor of protecting its own image over its responsibility to protect the needs of these abused victims and the integrity of students' reputations. <br /><br />My biggest concern is that the student body is primarily being characterized as a group of ignorant, apathetic students only willing to mobilize in support of Joe Paterno. I wholeheartedly support the BOT decision and know many other students who agree. As far as I'm aware, the #WEstillARE campaign was designed to encourage students to consider the ways the student leadership culture can be engendered and the civic community can be restored, given that we clearly cannot trust or rely on our administrational leaders to act relative to an acceptable code of ethics.<br /><br />It's only by speaking out that students can ensure that this campaign and other initiatives are not misconstrued (both by members of the outside public and other students) as extensions of mob-mentality-driven "be part of something bigger than yourself" mindsets.<br /><br />Again, I wholeheartedly agree and we should talk more; the commentary confirms my fears that we're not doing enough to counter assumptions about some students’ true feelings about where the blame lies, and about the ways we plan to create targeted interventions to rebuild a healthier, more honest and ethical social/administrative culture here.<br /><br />I’m not speaking out in support of the brand; instead, I’m trying to show support for individual people I know that live and work within the framework of this community, who have powerful, principled views and deserve more than to simply be characterized as part of a mob too weak to do more than look the other way. There are plenty of students here who know what the true issue is, and genuinely want to help counter the persistence of this corruption. <br /><br />RachelRachelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17816981971519065615noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8617381729745817926.post-7866842871670623312011-11-14T22:31:27.675-05:002011-11-14T22:31:27.675-05:00Penn State isn't the first example of people c...Penn State isn't the first example of people continuing to support a decadent institution for selfish reasons, even when children are being used for sex. Feudal Japan, the Catholic Church and modern-day Southeast Asia come to mind readily :(<br /><br />The phenomenon seems to happen so often I wonder if it's part of the natural life-and-death-cycle of man-made institutions. <br /><br />Students are ironic stakeholders in the Penn State situation. With as much as college costs these days, they have a great deal to lose if their Alma Mater falls from grace. Because they are still students and are less fettered by the hypocrisies of a professional life, they also have the potential to cause real change in their institution.<br /><br />I just hate how the word "decadent" has gained something of a positive nuance, these days.<br /><br />-HDNo https://www.blogger.com/profile/13262011892888862499noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8617381729745817926.post-27159756951416340162011-11-14T18:05:08.722-05:002011-11-14T18:05:08.722-05:00Hello Cori. I am not aware of all the facts, and I...Hello Cori. I am not aware of all the facts, and I am on the other side of the Atlantic, where we do not make quite such a big deal of college football or other sports, but your post seems to me to strike the right note.<br /><br />It is obviously correct to say that the welfare of children matters more than the reputation of institutions. Anyone who thinks it does not, is proof of the inadequacy of utilitarianism as a sole ethical doctrine. We should therefore conclude that arguments like "We should look the other way so we can preserve this great institution and continue to provide education to many students" are bad arguments. But I think there is a way to make this conclusion acceptable even to utilitarians. And we can do this without changing either the weights that they attach to different objectives, or the conditions for an institution to be worthy of support (always doing what is right, etc).<br /><br />The argument is simply that human beings can identify important objectives, and then work out how to achieve them. One ethically acceptable way of achieving them is as good as another. The objective here is to continue to provide education and to support research. A university can do that. But if it were to collapse (and I don't suppose that Penn State is in any danger of that), we could work out another way to achieve the objective. So the fear of the consequences of going to the police straightaway, a fear which might have led people to reason that it would be better to keep quiet, was based on a false premise. If someone had called the police straightaway, Penn State might well have suffered. Funding might have been lost, top professors might not have wanted to work there, and so on. But education and research would have gone on elsewhere. And even if some strange development made it very hard to run any universities at all, we could think of other ways to carry on education and research. Someone who thinks that a particular institution or type of institution must be preserved at almost any cost, because of what it achieves, is assuming that it is the only means to the end. And that belief is usually false. It is a bit like the belief some politicians have, that their countries need them, so it is alright to lie and cheat a little in order to stay in office. In reality, plenty of other people could do just as good a job.<br /><br />Note the contrast with trolley problems, Jim and the Indians, and the like. In those situations, there is no other way to achieve the desired objective.<br /><br />Finally, those who have just been fired should surely have resigned immediately, before they got fired. We don't expect people to shoot themselves any more, and I am glad that we don't, but "I'll go at the end of the season" really isn't good enough.Richard Baronhttp://www.rbphilo.comnoreply@blogger.com