September 17, 2012

Jerry Sandusky as written by Malcom Gladwell

A chilling read but a great insight into the mind of a child molester. At The New Yorker -- Gladwell is a really good journalist:
In Plain View
In a 2001 book, �Identifying Child Molesters,� the psychologist Carla van Dam tells the story of a young Canadian elementary-school teacher she calls Jeffrey Clay. Clay taught physical education. He was well liked by his students, and often he asked boys in his class to stay after school, to do homework and help him with chores. One day, just before winter break, three of the boys made a confession to their parents. Mr. Clay had touched them under their pants.

The parents went to the principal. He confronted Clay, who denied everything. The principal knew Clay and was convinced by him. In his mind, what it boiled down to, van Dam writes, �is some wild imaginations and the three boys being really close.�

The parents were at a loss. Mr. Clay was beloved. He had started a popular gym club at the school. He was married and was a role model to the boys. He would come to their after-school games. Could he really have abused them? Perhaps he was just overly physical in the way that young men often are. He had a habit, for example, of grabbing boys in the hallway and pulling them toward him, placing his arms over their shoulders and chest. At the gym club, he would pick boys up and turn them upside down, holding them by the legs. Lots of people�especially gym teachers�like to engage in a little horseplay with young boys. It wasn�t until the allegations about Clay emerged that it occurred to anyone to wonder whether he might have been trying to look down the boys� shorts.
A longish read but the take-away is: Sandusky, Rope, Tree His appearance of careful management is just a careful management of appearances. No wonder Paterno died when this crap started to hit the fan -- he knew full well and it killed him. Posted by DaveH at September 17, 2012 10:59 PM
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