JoePa Worship Reveals Danger in Obama Worship
Hagiography. I was not familiar with the word until reading Rick Reilly’s commentary on ESPN where he shares his thoughts on JoePa’s role in the Penn State Sandusky scandal. In this context, “hagiography” is used to mean the anointment or idolization of JoePa — those who bought in to his legacy literally thought he could do no wrong.
Reilly points out that even as the Sandusky scandal was breaking, he and others thought JoePa couldn’t possibly have had knowledge. As he put it, JoePa was “too old and too addled to understand, too grandfatherly and Catholic to get that Sandusky was committing grisly crimes.” For all intents and purposes, they believed Joe Paterno was a saint.
Even now, after the Freeh report has laid bare the extent of the coverup and of Paterno’s depth of knowledge, the Internet is alive with JoePa defenders. I admit that I find myself not wanting to believe the evidence, and I’m not even a Penn State fan. Clearly, the lure of the legend is powerful.
As I read ESPN’s article I was struck by the thought that Obama enjoys similar hagiography as JoePa. Case in point: Chris “thrill up my leg” Matthews recently commented that Obama was basically “perfect.” This from the same guy who said his job was to make Obama a successful president, and once compared Obama to Jesus. The Internet overflows with other examples of the cult-like support of Obama.
I believe that once a person buys in to a legend, in some ways they feel like they become a part of that legend. And they perpetuate and even grow that legend – and their own perceived role within it – through their own retelling. When this happens, their dedication to the legend becomes more powerful than the legend itself.
When people by in to a legend, they become incapable of seeing the truth. Anything which could shatter the legend is willfully ignored. Not just because it would destroy the legend itself, but also because it would mean the person’s investment into said legend would have been false from the beginning.
JoePa, Tiger Woods, Barack Obama. All legends, all recipients of blind hagiography.
The media really should wake up. I firmly believe that our leaders — regardless of party — should be treated tough by the media. Fair, but tough. There is no room for idolatry in a free country.
As the unnamed professor from Reilly’s commentary said, “What you media are doing is dangerous.” Yes, it is dangerous. Idolization allows Obama to be a lazy president and a weaker leader, which damages us both domestically and throughout the world. Media, take a lesson from the blind beatification of JoePa and do your damn job.
© 2012, Robert James. All rights reserved.
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So, the real question is, who is behind our media & why? Who stands to profit at ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN? Who stands to hold the power?
I do think that the Soros-types are behind a lot of the media’s light treatment of Obama. But there are other factors as well.
MSNBC, for example, has openly stated that they are a “progressive” news outlet, and I believe they have done so as a business model. They seek to be the progressive equivalent of Fox News. They realized that the “traditional” space (which leans left) was crowded. Fox came along with a “conservative” bent and managed to snatch up basically everyone who was right of center and many who were center. MSNBC figured they could do the same, but on the other side of “traditional”.
Of course, it hasn’t worked out well for MSNBC. Maybe that’s part of the reason they cut ties with Microsoft and just merged with NBC News. Either we’re going to see the progressive ideology lessened, or we’re going to see NBC News go all-in on MSNBC’s mission statement.
More importantly, people like Soros or others driving an agenda can’t get any traction without willing participants. The media is full of willing participants, from the editors on down. Many people ask why this is, and I think I have an answer: desire for change.
People who are unhappy with the state of the country tend to feel a need to “get involved.” That means picking careers where they can “make a difference.” A career like media/journalism is highly attractive because it gives people an opportunity to shape opinion.
There’s also the element of education. Our education system is poor in this country. We do a very bad job of preparing children for real life. No wonder so many people are dissatisfied with the state of the nation, and of course many of them are trained to believe it’s the fault of the rich white man by our very education system.
And, of course, I simply cannot believe that an admitted domestic terrorist (Bill Ayers) is teaching in Chicago instead of rotting in prison. How a man like that could ever be given responsibility to shape young minds is just beyond rational comprehension.
Ayers had his black roommate rape his date, he was experimenting with whitee guilt (how he got her to give in). To me, Ayers is a rapist and MURDERER. I believe Ayers murdered Breitbart.
I was glad this morning to learn Penn State is finally going to tear down that statue. It represents the IDOLATRY that led to their fall in the first place.
I clicked on the Freeh Report as I hadn’t seen it before and read just a little about one of the boys showering with Sandusky. He didn’t want Sandusky to get in trouble because he wouldn’t get to sit on the sidelines at a Penn State football game anymore. All the blame evidently doesn’t go to Jerry Sandusky, even though what he did was atrocious. Will this be taken into account when they figure up the million$ the kids will get from the college?
Are you fucking kidding me? A kid is molested and you blame the CHILD? You are sick.
“The media really should wake up. I firmly believe that our leaders — regardless of party — should be treated tough by the media. Fair, but tough. There is no room for idolatry in a free country.”
This paragraph should be written in stone at the entrance to every School of Journalism in the country! But sadly, the leftists know that if the general news watching public had all the facts, without the spin, the country would return to what the founders intended.
This media is bought and sold by the Obama administration.
They are complicit in the destruction or our society, and they should be ashamed but they are not .
Yes, and I’ve called FOX and other enemedia outlets to ask them WHY. I’ve been SCREAMED at over the phone. I wish I had them on tape!
Well we get to choose between two sons of polygamists for president in November because the Marxist media conspired to destroy all the Christian candidates. So if a member of a polygamist cult that is resposible for the inslavement of little girls in American Mormon compounds and a Marxist president who venerates Islam because , well he was raised by bat shit crazy self loathing white people, oh and a Muslim who his mother dumped when he grew up and became a capitolist,hen it is evident that America is in a very dangerous state of decline. Thanks Christian hating Marist media and British loyalist, progressive Bush family. You all suck!
I just want to point out that the LDS church officially discontinued the practice of polygamy about 120 years ago. Those who practice polygamy and call themselves Mormons (or “Mormon fundamentalists”) are not part of the official Mormon religion. It’s kind of like the Westboro Baptist Church claiming to be part of mainstream Baptism.
I also want to point out that while Obama’s father really was a polygamist, Romney’s father was not. Nor was his grandfather, as has been widely mis-reported. The Wall Street Journal has confirmed that it was Romney’s GREAT grandfather who practiced polygamy during the time when the church allowed it.
For the record, Mormonism is not the religion for me. They have tenants which mystify me. But I know a lot of Mormons, am even close friends with some, and I will tell you that they are some of the nicest people I’ve ever known. The portrait you painted of enslavement of little girls is not at all representative of the Mormon religion as a whole.
If anything, I would guess that those inclined to act in such a way are drawn to Mormonism simply because the legacy of polygamy gives them a reason to try to claim religious freedom to cover their actions. I personally do not believe that the acts you describe are the result of Mormonism itself.
Finally, I would just say that I do not think that Christians have anything at all to fear from a Mormon president. I certainly don’t. A second term for a quasi-Marxist president on the other hand… now that is scary.
I agree. I have known many Mormons over the years, and they are some of the nicest people I know. The Islamists though, are not. Obama has proven who he is, and that he is beyond incompetent. I have issues with Romney’s liberalism, but not with his religion.
Tony’s rant is just a taste of what the Obama campaign will do. You just watch.
There’s no doubt that they and their surrogates are going to try to come after Romney for his religion. They’ve already floated trial balloons. We all need to be prepared to spread the word as soon as it happens and hit back hard.
Well stated, Mr. James.
I think before everyone takes the Freeh report as the gospel truth you should google Louis Freeh and read a few of the articles about his time as director of the FBI. Given the fact that Joe Pa was an outspoken supporter of republicans in a battleground state, I doubt that Mr. Freeh was an un-biased investigator.
Sexual assault on a child is a horrible crime and this may well be a far reaching scandal. But I don’t doubt that the democrats will try to use it to their advantage by hurling charges against a dead man who can’t defend himself.
Remember, it was Freeh that labeled anyone that disagreed with the Clinton administration as a right wing terrorist.
JoePa was alerted to the possibility of abuse by McCreary. That much is a certainty without the Freeh report. There’s no way Paterno should have let that slide.
I have no problem with Paterno’s statue being removed and the University fined.
It does bother me, however, that all the game wins are being nullified. The players during those years had nothing to do with this horrible scandal, they played their hearts out and won the games. This is such a sad, sick state of affairs. Most of all, I am sad for the victims of abuse.
I agree that the abuse victims are the biggest victims at all. However, I’m not a big fan of punishing innocents to set an example. Fine the school, yes. Sanction any coaches/staff involved. Future bowl games, maybe. But nullifying wins? Damaging those already in the program? The solution does create more victims.
wrt JoPa, I feel ambivalent about demonizing a dead man who can’t defend himself. I don’t have any such ambivalence concerning demonizing BaOb, tho.