His interview where he can't give an immediate NO to a
question about being sexually attracted to young boys was more than just
creepy...it was astonishing. He seems to have no concept of the tremendous
damage that he's done to children who looked up to him...trusted him...and in
many cases loved him.
I think the same is true for the unbelievably large
numbers of priests who did similar and worse things to young kids who also
trusted and loved these men who eventually injured them for life. For an "at
risk" kid, sometimes these men who have preyed on them have also been the only
person who seemed to care about them. That's the most twisted part of these
crimes as I see them.
I find the whole Penn State mess sounding more and more
familiar...people knew what was going on...just as people in the church knew
what was going on...and both chose the "humane" response of remaining silent.
Humane?
I have a friend who's brother was being molested by a priest
years ago, and nothing was done...even his parents didn't believe him..."Father
would never do that".......trusted family friend...mentor...kindly old man.
That sure sounds a lot like " Jerry?....nah, he's just always horsing around
with the kids..."
The witnesses who testified at Sandusky's trial were
incredibly brave...and took an enormous risk. The exposure was one thing...but
the psychological impact of accusing a man of a crime...when the man in many
cases was someone who "saved" you..looked out for you...and treated you better
than anyone else did, is another story altogether. These people were traumatized
in the past, and may have had a similar experience on the witness
stand.
If every person who was in any way physically abused as a
child by a trusted adult ended up telling their story in a courtroom, we'd
probably see a hundred year backlog of cases waiting to be heard. Speaking up
takes it's toll.
No comments:
Post a Comment