The UMD vs. Penn State game brought the worst possible kind of chirps to the online field of social media.
Photo by Audrey Widodo
The first post about the Penn State game on @barstoolumd’s Instagram page is a reference to the late Joe Paterno having early knowledge of Jerry Sandusky’s abuse claim. According to CNN in 2012, Sandusky was convicted for sexually abusing 10 boys over 15-years-old and is ‘serving a sentence of at least 30 years in prison.’
Photo courtesy of @barstoolumd on Instagram
This is the first image that would lead @barstoolumd to publish more content that not only uses sexual abuse as a means to ‘hype’ up a rivalry against Penn State but also highlights the issue of ad hominem.
Ad hominem is a type of argument that personally attacks a person rather than the issue at hand. In this case, some UMD students chose to attack Penn State ad hominem by referencing former football coaches’ scandalous pasts, instead of the quality of the football game itself. This attack to spark humor should not be taken lightly in any shape or form.
Photo courtesy of @barstoolumd on Instagram
Another post hung on a balcony is another example of using this kind of argument to spite Penn State fans, and received backlash from users.
Photo courtesy of @barstoolumd on Instagram
Photo courtesy of @barstoolumd on Instagram
Sexual abuse of minors is clearly not an issue that should even be part of college sports rivalry. These coaches have traumatized victims that were younger than most of us, and now are forever changed carrying this suffering for the rest of their lives.
A tweet from @barstoolUMD highlights the score of the game in reference to the victim’s youth. With the score being 0 – 59 to Penn State.
Photo courtesy of @barstoolUMD on Twitter
A user responded with:
Photo courtesy of @barstoolUMD on Twitter
There are no words to express how difficult sexual abuse, violence, rape can be to discuss. The stigma surrounding the victims, the blame put on them, the ignorance that still persists today. I would only like to share this: