Should Paterno's statue get the axe?

[HeresJohnny]

http://www.latimes.com/sports/sportsnow ... 2227.story

I say break out the chainsaws. This guy may have been good at instructing young men on passing a cone back and forth, but he was a pretty big failure when it came to, you know, taking basic steps to ensure that Sandusky wouldn't rape young children over the course of years. And why is football so important at a college anyway? What relevance does that have in a facility dedicated to higher education? They should replace his statue with that of a student who overcame tremendous odds, or, for the sake of delicious irony, a memorial to Sandusky's victims.

[What a shame]

The statue makes him look like Elvis

[Andaluciae]

Unreserved no. Paterno's statue should definitely remain in place. It's a symbol of his entire career at Penn State, from the highly competitive national championship teams, to the increasingly weak teams of the past two decades, up to and including this scandal. Removing the statue would be little more than a passive-aggressive sweeping under the rug of what's happened--an attempt to forget a nasty bit of history.

So, leave Paterno's statue where it stands, but never forget what it stands for.

[Veblenia]

And why is football so important at a college anyway? What relevance does that have in a facility dedicated to higher education?

It underwrites the expense of providing higher education, both in gate receipts and alumni contributions. Oddly, libraries and research grants mostly do not pay for themselves.

[Zanzibarnia]

Tear down the statue?

Nah, they'll probably just cover it up.

[AiliailiA]

Now the reason is, Penn State's job now is to try to forget this thing.

Nah, fuck that. Give the statue a workover so it looks more like Pedobear*, and put a big sign up saying "Penn State, where anything goes until someone gets blamed for it"





*mind you, the statue looks enough like Pedobear already

[Farnhamia]

Unreserved no. Paterno's statue should definitely remain in place. It's a symbol of his entire career at Penn State, from the highly competitive national championship teams, to the increasingly weak teams of the past two decades, up to and including this scandal. Removing the statue would be little more than a passive-aggressive sweeping under the rug of what's happened--an attempt to forget a nasty bit of history.

So, leave Paterno's statue where it stands, but never forget what it stands for.

Perhaps a plaque on the statue's base outlining the scandal, because you're right, we shouldn't forget how a good man stumbled in not doing quite enough in the face of evil.

[Desperate Measures]

If we topple it, will Penn State greet us as liberators?

I'm kind of against destroying art even if it is mundane art. I think it should stay but I kind of have second thoughts about it if it causes the families of the abused pain.

[Gauthier]

Or maybe Penn State can build a somber Wall-style memorial for all the boys Sandusky buttraped?

[Alyekra]

http://www.latimes.com/sports/sportsnow/la-sp-sn-joe-paterno-bobby-bowden-statue-20120713,0,7542227.story

I say break out the chainsaws. This guy may have been good at instructing young men on passing a cone back and forth, but he was a pretty big failure when it came to, you know, taking basic steps to ensure that Sandusky wouldn't rape young children over the course of years. And why is football so important at a college anyway? What relevance does that have in a facility dedicated to higher education? They should replace his statue with that of a student who overcame tremendous odds, or, for the sake of delicious irony, a memorial to Sandusky's victims.

Good luck cutting through bronze with a chainsaw.

[Sdaeriji]

Tear down the statue?

Nah, they'll probably just cover it up.

Best suggestion I saw was to turn it around so it is looking the other way.

[Partybus]

Unreserved no. Paterno's statue should definitely remain in place. It's a symbol of his entire career at Penn State, from the highly competitive national championship teams, to the increasingly weak teams of the past two decades, up to and including this scandal. Removing the statue would be little more than a passive-aggressive sweeping under the rug of what's happened--an attempt to forget a nasty bit of history.

So, leave Paterno's statue where it stands, but never forget what it stands for.

I was going to vote yes, until I read this...Now I'm not so sure...You make a valid argument against. *shrugs*

[Ashmoria]

i dont know what they should do. it makes me sick to think that this "hero" let boys be raped. maybe they can put it away for a decade....

[Greed and Death]

He flounder in a particularly bad way that caused numerous children to be abused.
emove the statute acution it off to the alumni who still might care.

[Andaluciae]

And why is football so important at a college anyway?

Money, visibility, and prestige.

At Ohio State, despite having nothing to do with football, I received a thousand dollars a quarter in scholarship money from the licensing fees OSU football earns.

[Wamitoria]

Now the reason is, Penn State's job now is to try to forget this thing.

Nah, fuck that. Give the statue a workover so it looks more like Pedobear*, and put a big sign up saying "Penn State, where anything goes until someone gets blamed for it"





*mind you, the statue looks enough like Pedobear already

This.

[Minoriteeburg]

I was just in the car listening a local DJs opinion on this and I agree...

"They should tear down and rebuild Paternos statue. The new statue will be exactly the same as the old, except its turning the other cheek."

[Xomic]

They should cut the football program, and give the extra money to their science/engineering departments to build a big laser and or particle accelerator to blast the statue with.

[Idaho Conservatives]

Keep it. No matter what his role in this all was, he was still the face of Penn State football for nearly a half century.

[Twilliamson]

take it down and if the school doesn't do it somebody else will. Their a lot of students at Peen state.

[New England and The Maritimes]

Paterno is an example of this country's problem. A man who failed so crucially as a moral human being manages to be lauded as a hero because of a game. A game is more important than his lack of decisive action allowing children to be raped. What a country.

[Miss Defied]

Paterno is an example of this country's problem. A man who failed so crucially as a moral human being manages to be lauded as a hero because of a game. A game is more important than his lack of decisive action allowing children to be raped. What a country.

He did a lot more for PSU than coach football. All he did doesn't outweigh what he didn't do in the matter of Sandusky, mind you. But everyone keeps harping on the football aspect. In the case of Paterno's legacy, that's what has some people conflicted. The's no denying that he failed a huge moral test. There's no denying that Sandusky was somewhat enabled by those who looked the other way.
What to do with the statue is not a cut and dry case of "fertball is more important than child victims," it's a lot more than that.

I for one am conflicted. I had hoped the trial would somehow "exonerate" Paterno in that perhaps he was more ignorant of the situation than had been speculated. Doesn't seem to be the case. I was also thinking that somehow his death would cause most of the blame to be pinned on him since he's not around to defend himself. (Because, quite clearly, a lot of people wanted to place the blame on ANYBODY except the actual child rapist himself when the story broke nine months ago). This doesn't appear to be the case either.

The statue will probably be vandalized anyway, forcing them to dismantle it.

[Miss Defied]

Edit: double posting timegate anomaly

[Charlotte Ryberg]

The decision by Paterno not to investigate the cases seriously did influence my decision to support its removal.

[Lackadaisical2]

And why is football so important at a college anyway? What relevance does that have in a facility dedicated to higher education?

It underwrites the expense of providing higher education, both in gate receipts and alumni contributions. Oddly, libraries and research grants mostly do not pay for themselves.

Plenty of research uni's without mentionable sports teams manage.