Damnatio Memoriae and Joe Paterno by Matthew Goguen
The following post is written by the most
casual of spectators in the recent Jerry Sandusky/Joe Paterno/Penn State sexual
abuse scandal. This post does not condone Jerry Sandusky's behavior, Joe Paterno's
behavior or Penn State's response to sexual abuse allegations. The purpose of
this post is to briefly examine the act of removing a person's name from
history using Joe Paterno as a very recent example. Notorious and infamous
persons have often had their names stricken from history books for a multitude
of reasons. In the past twenty years, this act is very evident in sports. This
post is more concerned with the alteration of history than the persons who
found themselves altered.
Introduction
In 31 AD,
Sejanus, commander of the Praetorian Guard in Rome was arrested and executed.
The reasons for his arrest and execution are still somewhat shrouded in
mystery. It is believed that Sejanus was conspiring to overthrow the emperor
Tiberius. After being executed by strangling, the body of Sejanus was thrown
down the stairs of the Senate where it was torn apart by angry mobs. Anyone
believed to be a follower and supporter of Sejanus was hunted and murdered. The
Roman Senate issued an order of damnatio memoriae (condemnation of memory)
which resulted in the destruction of every statue of Sejanus and his name being
officially removed from all public records. In this way, Sejanus only exists as
a story, a legend and a name.
In the wake of
the Jerry Sandusky sex abuse scandal riveting State College, Pennsylvania and
arguably the country, a beloved figure is facing similar persecution. Joe
Paterno, the longtime Penn State head football coach whose sports
accomplishments need no further introduction, is currently having his name and
likeness edited or removed from murals, buildings, athletic awards and even an
iconic statue.
If you place the
removal of a person's name from history at one end of the memory spectrum, you
must place the elevation of someone's name and memory at the other end. We are
more accustomed to a person dying and seeing their name reach superstar status
and solemnity, rather than being stricken from the human record. The deaths of
Kurt Cobain and Heath Ledger are two recent examples of death causing a revival
in a person's work. Though Cobain and Ledger were very popular figures in their
lifetime, they were exponentially championed more after they died. But why do
we choose to punish our more nefarious public figures by expunging them from the
record? Why should we "forget" Joe Paterno? Does anyone actually
succeed in forgetting after "forgetting"?
Joe Paterno /
Joe Paterno (Halo) / Joe Paterno (Ribbon)
Twelve years ago,
Michael Pilato painted a 100 foot mural at State College, Pennsylvania depicting
notable Penn State figures including Joe Paterno and Jerry Sandusky. Because of
the allegations and recent conviction of Sandusky, his likeness has been
completely removed and replaced by a blue ribbon. The ribbon is a symbol of
child abuse awareness, much akin to pink ribbons for breast cancer awareness.
The likeness of Joe Paterno has undergone two transformations this year.
Following Paterno's death, an angelic halo was added over his head. That halo
has since been erased, and a blue ribbon has taken its place on his jacket.
It is the opinion
of this author that these three transformations of Joe Paterno represent his
public image in three distinct eras. The era of Joe Paterno is 1966 - November
8th, 2011. The era of Joe Paterno (Halo) is January 22nd, 2012 - July 11th,
2012. The era of Joe Paterno (Ribbon) is July 12th, 2012 - ?.
The era of Joe
Paterno (1966-2011) is rooted in two national championships and over 400
victories as a head coach: the pride of State College, the head of the Nittany Lions,
the coach's coach, and the cream of the crop. This era begins with Joe Paterno
being named head coach of the Nittany Lions and ends with the indictment of
Jerry Sandusky. The era of Joe Paterno (Halo) is a legendary coach caught in
unfortunate circumstances. A man who should've made a better decision,
should've done things differently, could’ve done more, etc. This era begins on
the date of Paterno’s death and ends with the publication of the Freeh Report.
The era of Joe Paterno (Ribbon) is a legendary coach who may have been involved
in a large cover up with unknown explicit motives. Saving Penn State face,
maintaining the visage of being the rock of a community, all of these are
hearsay because of Paterno's physical absence from this earth. This era begins
with the publication of the Freeh Report and may last for all time.
How does a
community reconcile from this? Does a community reconcile from this? It’s easy
as a spectator to comment and discuss the probabilities and nature of
"going back to normal" because the spectator does not have to engage
in those unfortunate actions. In an example of Pilato's public art mural, Joe
Paterno is remembered in three different and simultaneous ways. There will be
ardent supporters who will never look to Paterno as anything less than
greatness personified, there are those who will think he simply made the wrong
decision and there are those who will believe he was a lying criminal with no
regard for the well-being of abused children. He is all at once, a saint, a sinner,
and the devil, depending on who you ask.
When asked about
the changes made to his mural, artist Michael Pilato commented, "As a
public artist, you've got to listen to the public and I started to hear the
public, and I wish I hadn't put [the halo] up there, to tell you the
truth." Michael Pilato has the power to edit and paint new images on his
art as he wants to, but what of other bearers of the Paterno name?
Joe Paterno
Child Development Center / Child Development Center
Hours after the
Freeh Report claimed that Joe Paterno and various higher-ups within the Penn
State fold concealed critical information about Sandusky's victims that placed
past and future victims in critical jeopardy, Nike made an announcement that
they would be renaming the Joe Paterno Child Development Center in the near
future. The new name has not been unveiled yet, but it is rather disgustingly
ironic that it is a child development center that will be renamed. Nike, which
of course is a corporate entity will understandably do what it can to remain in
positive light. It is not surprising that they are choosing to rename the
center to distance their relationship with Joe Paterno, but will there be
anything more? Will Nike remove their sponsorship of Penn State athletics?
Joe Paterno
Outstanding Male Freshman Athlete of the Year / Outstanding Male Freshman
Athlete of the Year
At Paterno's alma
mater, Brown University, the Joe Paterno Outstanding Male Freshman Athlete of
the Year is also undergoing a facelift. This year, the award was given to an
athlete with Joe Paterno's name stricken from it.
Howard D.
Williams '17 / Joseph V. Paterno '50 Football Coaching Chair
Also this year at
Brown, the head coach position formerly known as the Howard D. Williams '17 /
Joseph V. Paterno '50 Football Coaching Chair has been eliminated. However,
according to the university, the reasons are due to issues that predate the
Penn State scandal.
Brown
University Hall of Fame
Not altered as of
yet, but Brown University is also looking into revising Joe Paterno's Hall of
Fame status at their school. A decision may be made in September during the
Board of Trustees next meeting. His induction in the hall took place in 1977,
long before Sandusky's actions are believed to have taken place. This is an
instance where Joe Paterno's athletic accomplishments are in jeopardy of being
erased due to actions that have nothing to do with his time in a Brown
University uniform.
Paternoville /
Nittanyville
On Monday, July
16th, it was announced by a Penn State student group that Paternoville, the
congregation of students who camp outside of Penn State's football stadium
before games, will now be referred to as Nittanyville.
The Paterno
Statue / Statua Paterno
In a final threat
to the legacy of Joe Paterno, Penn State is being encouraged to tear down a
statue of Joe Paterno that stands outside of the Penn State football stadium.
Rumor has it that an airplane flying over the college was pulling a banner that
read, "Take the statue down or we will." If the statue does indeed
come down, it would be akin to burning every photograph of Paterno wearing Penn
State colors. Will this make things better? Is it better to remember our
failures along with our triumphs? A senior at Penn State named Jeff Taylor
offered great words of wisdom in regards to the renaming of Paternoville,
"You can't remove Joe completely from history; that's something that
doesn't even make sense...we want, at least to...return to normalcy." In
addition to Taylor’s comments, the overwhelming sense in State College is to
prevent “distractions” from overtaking Penn State’s educational mission. Joe
Paterno is currently Public Distraction #1 thanks to the swift justice of Jerry
Sandusky. What more of a glaring distraction than the absence of the symbolic
Praetorian Guard leading his men to battle. His reputation and visage are now
all but cast down the stairs of public opinion, to be devoured and torn
asunder.
Aftermath
If Joe Paterno
cannot be removed from history, why do we feel it necessary to remove his
likeness and his name? The common answer is to distance oneself from the
scandal, the bad press, and the hurt feelings. But do these tactics work? It is
truly unfortunate that a man as revered as Joe Paterno has now been reduced to
mere mortality; a harsh fall from grace as a football titan. But we as a
society have been disappointed before, what makes this different?
Can
we forget Joe Paterno? The answer is an emphatic no. We cannot forget Joe
Paterno no matter how much we try. His image is synonymous with Penn State and
football greatness. Rather than destroying the image of Joe Paterno, we should
always look at it through the eyes of Michael Pilato's painting: Joe Paterno as
saint, as sinner, and as the devil. Joe Paterno, like all of us, does not
conform to one set of standards. Joe Paterno was a human being, who was not
black or white, but various shades of grey. Sometimes the most vicious of
wolves dress in sheep's clothing. The legacy of Joe Paterno will forever be
tarnished, but it is not worth being destroyed. If we condemn Paterno, we
cannot learn from Paterno. If he is reduced to rubble, he will remain as
rubble. There are lessons that we still need to learn. If we act hastily, we
will not be able to put the pieces back together. In this way, Joe Paterno will
only be a story, a legend and a name.
[Next series next week,
Ben
PS. What do you think?
7/28
Memory Day nominee: Lucy Burns, whose international
and American efforts on behalf of women’s
suffrage, women’s rights,
and pacifism exemplified the ideals of
the progressive era and movement at home and abroad, then and now.
7/29
Memory Day nominee: Daniel
Callaghan, the US naval
officer who served in both World Wars and whose courageous
and fatal efforts during the Battle of
Guadalcanal led him to receive a posthumous Medal of
Honor.
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