Post to column deriding those who found off-color Jerry Sandusky jokes funny.  (I ultimately didn't post it.)

Link to column

Thank you for an excellent column.  I offer my perspective...

To me, the jokes and t-shirts are both offensive and  humorous at the same time.  To me, it is accurate and realistic to say that both feelings exist side-by-side.  The shrewd maneuver, here, to me,  is to first acknowledge both feelings, this ambiguity, which is the eyes-wide-open thing to do, then to downplay the the feelings of humor in oneself.  By ignoring the humor feelings entirely, we obstruct our field of vision.  It is just that type of tuning out of feelings, this shutting out of reality, that helped create this situation.  If enough of those who had observed Sandusky's actions, and felt that something was wrong, had stepped up to the plate and said something loud and clear, it would have been stopped earlier.  Alas, they let their feelings of not wanting to rock the boat, or the feeling of fear of losing their jobs, or losing social standing, or being disloyal to Penn State or Joe Paterno, override their feeling that this was wrong and should be forcefully publicized and stopped.  We benefit by seeing all sides of a situation emotionally, then working with those emotions with the tool of wise judgement. We lose when we say it's deplorable that feelings exist.

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