General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: When Rick Reilly went to PSU to write about JoePa, he got a call from a professor who warned him. [View all]lindysalsagal
(20,670 posts)It's clear that these are the same stories: The people who first get an inkling are the closest to the star, and don't think anyone will believe them. Plus, if they're that close to a star, they stand to lose everything.
Before you know it, more people get wind of it, and now it's established routine behavior.The second group knows the first group is already covering up, so they see that as peer pressure not to blow the whistle.
And on it goes. People start to deliberately protect the abuser because it gives them power in an organization. The enablers become very important to the star, so they have everything to lose.
It's a classic case of bad group behavior.
Add that to the fact that we-the fans- really don't want to hear it. Even when we do hear it, we minimize, rationalize, delay, excuse. "Well, Michael was abused, too. "
We love our saints. It's a shared loss when they fall from grace.
When I bring up Michael, I get more people who assert Michael's innocence than guilt.
These two industries, music and sports, garner lots of power over the masses.
Paradoxically, another legend, Elton John, is leading the way in aids relief and is starting to organize fund raisers. He's married a man is adopting a baby. He gets some coverage, but not as much as if he was accused of something nefarious.
We feed the press with our own sinister appetites.