March 31, 2010 1:15 PM
Public school teachers or priests: more predators where?
I am not excusing priests guilty of sexually exploiting children - nor anyone guilty of covering it up.
However, I cannot help but notice the curious timing of the hyena-like media frenzy over suddenly-uncovered allegations - which they would clearly like to see topple Pope Benedict - and the extreme hostility Obama feels toward the Catholic Church for daring to advocate on behalf of life. Obama has done his best to undermine our faith and divide Catholics from their roots. Our propaganda press is eager to distract us from any discussion of the real substance of Obamacare - which will make every American pay for abortions and prohibit health care institutions and professionals from refusing to perform them.
Oh, and it's Holy Week. So what better time to target the Catholic Church?
I offer for your consideration the fact that the Propaganda Press for years has ignored a much more serious venue for sexual predators of children: the public schools. They haven't felt led to bring down the Secretary of Education or to smear the public education system because a percentage of teachers - much greater than the percentage of priests - have abused their positions by exploiting children.
Just for perspective, something I published last January:
According to a major 2004 study commissioned by the U.S. Department of Education - the most authoritative investigation to date - nearly 10 percent of U.S. public school students have been targeted with unwanted sexual attention by school employees, and in those cases, 40 percent of the perpetrators were women.Titled "Educator Sexual Misconduct: A Synthesis of Existing Literature" by Virginia Commonwealth University Professor Charol Shakeshaft, the report brought to light staggering statistics.
Compare the numbers with the much-publicized Catholic Church scandal.
A study by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops concluded 10,667 young people were sexually mistreated by priests between 1950 and 2002.
Shakeshaft's study, however, estimates that roughly 290,000 students experienced some sort of physical sexual abuse by a public school employee between 1991 and 2000 alone.
Source: WorldNetDaily - and scroll to the bottom of this article to see more in their continuing coverage of the problem. See also: The big list: Female teachers with students: Most comprehensive account on Internet of women predators on campus
Question: This is a study commissioned by the U. S. Dept. of Education, conducted by Virginia Commonwealth University. Why hasn't the mainstream media shown the slightest interest - since they were so concerned about predatory priests - evidently a much rarer creature than predatory teachers?
Why are public schools given a free pass when it comes to sexual abuse of children?
Posted in Catholicism, Liberal Hypocrisy, Media Bias, Public schools | Permalink
Comments
Barbara, this happened to my cousin. A priest defiled him at age 14. The only focus can be on the child. A representative of God, himself, violated him. Consequently, he has removed himself from the Catholic Church, became an alcoholic, and is trying to find his way back to a normal life and God. We have to look at the act, not what everyone else is doing. Public schools do not represent God, priests do. Who protected him? No one. Even his mother would not go against the Catholic Church. Where did that leave a 14-year-old child? When people do things wrong, they cannot point at others who did wrong, also. Do you understand that when a person thinks God has abandoned them, they are lost?
I realize you won't publish this, and that's okay with me. I just thought you should see the other side.
[Phyllis, maybe because you are so close to the situation and still emotionally scarred yourself that you can't hear what I'm saying. I'm not excusing the Catholic Church. And I'm not saying "They did it too!" I'm pointing to the media, which ignores the one while using the other to bring down an institution.
As a childhood victim myself, I also believe in personal responsibility. Your cousin is stuck and I will pray for him. But excusing his continued destructive/self-destructive behavior on the harm that befell him will not help him at all. I was on that path for many years but pulled myself out, with God's help. The next step is to give up self-pity. The world is full of hurting people, many of whom were harmed as children - Satan loves to get his hooks in early. But God gave us a beautiful story in Genesis to help us find our way out of self-pity. Joseph, after all he went through, forgave his brothers and addressed their surprise by saying, "You meant it for harm, but God meant it for good." Maybe I'm an optimist, but I believe any person can change, if they want to. we are not victims.
[I understand now why you are so bitter toward the Catholic Church. I hope someday you reconsider.]
Posted by: Phyllis | March 31, 2010 3:34 PM
"Why are public schools given a free pass when it comes to sexual abuse of children? "
Because Satan likes to bring down the church in any way he can.
Posted by: Courageous Grace | March 31, 2010 3:35 PM
Protecting children is important no matter where the violation happens. It is hypocritical for the media to address the violations done by the Catholic Church and ignore those in other facets of our society. Abortion is another violation of children that is fatal and condoned by much of the media. The sex-trade perpitrators is another whole realm. I hope that what is done in the dark will come to light so the filth can be cleaned out by the love of God and healed. Yet, Jesus calls us to approach the violator in love, knowing that we too are sinners saved by grace. The violator and the violated need the healing touch of Christ to be made whole.
Wise words, Barbara and very perceptive. You are a blessing.
Posted by: Glynna | April 1, 2010 2:25 PM
This entire "priest abuse" story is being distorted and fed by two forces: first, a secular media which is deeply offended by Catholic sexual mores and Catholics' failure to adjust to its dicta about how we should live our lives: and second, the millions of lapsed Catholics, many of whom have run away from the Church because of the Church's strict rules. Pumping up the scandal and trying to bring down the Pope somehow justifies their slinking away from Christ's Church.
Posted by: kevin ryan | April 11, 2010 3:34 PM
Again, the problem was in the coverup. Men of God shifting predators from church to church. That is what has so many people upset with the Church and why the media jumped on it. There is no evidence that there were years of systematic coverup by the public school systems. I am glad the scandal came to light, I am happy that those abused have a voice.I am hopeful that abuse of children will continue to decrease. I think children are safer now in a Catholic church than other churches. And in my opinion Phyllis does not appear to bitter against the church, she appears, in her post, to be saddened about the abuse her cousing suffered and that no one was able to help him.
Posted by: lynn | September 12, 2010 9:36 AM
lynn - you're missing the point.
First of all, we keep harking back to these terrible events which occurred long ago - during a time when people were not as enlightened as they now are about this issue. I was exploited/raped myself as a child of 8 and it was never dealt with. I'm not excusing what happened, but I am saying that to judge it by today's standards and sensibilities misses the mark.
Also, many, many more kids are abused /exploited by public school teachers - even today - and you are wrong about it being handled differently than in the church: teachers do go on to get jobs in other districts. When you say there is no evidence, it is because these events are ignored and not covered by the media.
But again, you have missed the point. I was not defending this behavior - how could I, as a child victim myself? - but pointing to the double standard in the media treatment. And also noting that the media focuses back on these old issues whenever they feel like beating up on the church.
Posted by: Barbara | September 12, 2010 7:24 PM
