The Penn State Child Sex Abuse Scandal & the Desperation of David Brooks
Frederick Clarkson printable version print page     Bookmark and Share
Fri Nov 18, 2011 at 05:04:14 PM EST
Neoconservative New York Times columnist David Brooks recently illuminated an important dimension of the neo-conservative alliance with the Religious Right.  His column about the Penn State sex abuse scandal suggests a gnawing sense of desperation in light of a certain bitter truth: The same lack of accountability and abuse of authority in the Catholic Church exposed by the priest sex abuse scandal is also being exposed in the iconic football program at Penn State, and it is natural and inevitable to make this comparison.  This bodes poorly for the neocons and their Religious Right allies.

Therefore Brooks, in his desperation, wants to direct our attention elsewhere.
Brooks claims, without any evidence to justify his hyperbole, that "a zillion commentators" have engaged in "vanity" because they are outraged about the alleged child rape, serial sex abuse and cover-up at Penn State.  He claimed, again with no specifics, that this mass "indignation is based on the assumption that if they had been in Joe Paterno's shoes, or assistant coach Mike McQueary's shoes, they would have behaved better.  They would have taken action and stopped any sexual assaults."

"Unfortunately," Brooks co