What do you do when you're branded?
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What do you do when you're branded?
The remarkable Charles Pierce cuts to the quick of the Penn State scandal:
It happens because institutions lie. And today, our major institutions lie because of a culture in which loyalty to "the company," and protection of "the brand" — that noxious business-school shibboleth that turns employees into brainlocked elements of sales and marketing campaigns — trumps conventional morality, traditional ethics, civil liberties, and even adherence to the rule of law. It is better to protect "the brand" than it is to protect free speech, the right to privacy, or even to protect children.
If Mike McQueary had seen a child being raped in a boardroom or a storeroom, he wouldn't have been any more likely to have stopped it, or to have called the cops, than he was as a graduate assistant football coach at Penn State. With unemployment edging toward double digits, and only about 10 percent of the workforce unionized, every American who works for a major company knows the penalty for exercising his personal freedom, or his personal morality, at the expense of "the company." Independent thought is discouraged. Independent action is usually crushed. Nobody wants to damage the brand. Your supervisor might find out, and his primary loyalty is to the company. Which is why he got promoted to be your supervisor in the first place.
And that's the way it is.
what— tomhanks- Everybody up to and including Paterno and Spanier should face a jury. They may have followed the "rules" but not a moral compass.This isn't recruiting violations or theft of property. It's violation of a child and theft of innocence and .They let it go on.They all need to answer for this.— georgel
- Whatever Will. And you are branded as a cheerleader for another criminal enterprise, OWS, where rapes (Phila), drug dealing (Boston) and murder (Oakland) occur and you have even written a book cheering them on. Shame on you.— Comrade Noodlehead
- Yeah, just try exercising your personal morality at a union meeting. "Gee fellas, I'm a Republican and I really don't want you using my union dues to stump for Democrats. Is there any way I can get out of that?"
"Sure, just go out back with Bruno and he'll get you all signed up."— jmc - Paterno is dead by Spring. He woke up each morning for PSU football and now that's gone.— 2ndNlong
- Will in 1998 unemployment as between 4.4 and 4.6%. Thus, your grammar puts our current unemployment rate to the 1998 occurrence. McQueary could find a job somewhere else, if he wanted to leave happy valley. Again, facts are less important than the reality of the story. Union / thug rate is 11.9% in 2010 down from 2009 rate of 12.3%. Again, just facts, they build credibility.— Fisher
- Has Bunch been hitting the bong with those OWS losers?— Keep The Change
- That's not the way it is, Will, and your claiming so just legitimizes the spineless, cowardly reaction that McQueary and others had. Real men (and women) stand up to injustice - when it's in your DNA you don't worry about such things. You can't "crush" honor and integrity.— michael_b
- Did any of you actually READ the grand jury report? Paterno DID go to the police. He went to the AD (Curley) and the VP of Business and Finance (Schultz) who also happened to be the HEAD of the police department. He did all he was supposed to do, and required to do. Paterno lost his job because the MEDIA screamed without knowing the facts.— Tomahawk37
Comment removed.- Tommy, Paterno lost his job because he just shrugged his shoulders once he did his "legal" duty. Paterno did what he was required to do, but he didn't do what he was supposed to do.— SteveMG
- And today, our major institutions lie because of a culture in which loyalty to "the company," and protection of "the brand"
WOW...so that's the reason the Lib media acts the way they do. Thanks for that insight!— sarah89 - Fisher you have got to be kidding me. You question someone's grammar then type out that attempt at comprehension? Wow. Atkins wow will contributed to ruining McQueary's life? You used your scientific method to determine his life is ruined? Will branded him, did he? Remind us what entity put Mc on leave? What does the grand jury report tell us?— Murrayman
- Anyone who thinks Pierce's article was smart, ought to remember that he blames the profit motive for why a NON PROFIT university didn't take action. Unreal. His whole ranting and raving comes off as nonsensical. This has happened at two state schools, and a non profit religious org.— RG
- Call it what you want. PSU's Alumni Fund and Building Fund have eight-figure balances. They charge their own employees to park after years of somehow never feeling the need to do so. Twenty-eight of the twenty-nine athletic teams lose money so without the football team making a monstrous profit the other 28 would disappear overnight. Without a "profit" any nonprofit will go out of business so it IS ALWAYS about the money. When is the last time the United Way proclaimed they have enough money in their checking account? And when you have "losses" as a nonprofit, you must sell assets to survive which eventually leads to extinction of the organization. "Nonprofit" is simply an accounting term, not a description of how any solvent economic enterprise functions. Pierce's article will stand the test of time. Ten more victims since the grand jury report was released...and counting. This is not ending anytime soon.
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