SNAP Wisconsin
November 18, 2011
http://www.snapwisconsin.com/blog/2011/11/18/the-courage-of-john-matko/
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On Saturday November 12th the Penn State football team played its last home game of the season amid the turmoil of the sexual assault scandal that has enveloped the university. The world was just beginning to learn of the reported crimes committed by Jerry Sandusky and the cover up of those crimes by coach Jo Paterno and other officials at Penn State.
NPR reported that those who attended the football game, and the players themselves, made an effort to show that they stood in solidarity with the victims of sexual assault. A photo accompanied the story showing college students who had painted their chests blue with white letters so that when they stood in unison the message “FOR THE KIDS” was proclaimed. Likewise many of the over 107,000 fans who attended the game wore blue to show their support for those children who have been harmed. The football players themselves entered the field and a moment of silence was held for the victims of Sandusky.
It was a wonderful public show of support for the victims at the heart of the Penn State scandal, as well as for all children who have been subjected to such heinous crimes. It was a heartwarming moment that stood in stark contrast to the rioting that erupted only days earlier when the university announced that Jo Paterno would be fired from his coaching position effective immediately.
The heartfelt emotions that were expressed inside of the stadium tell only a part of the story. Outside of the stadium something much darker was taking place.
The Philadelphia Weekly reported on what happened when one man stood up to support those children at the heart of this scandal. John Matko, a Penn state graduate, stood on the street, which had been closed to traffic, with two handmade signs. The signs read “The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil but because of those who look on and do nothing”, a quote attributed to Albert Einstein, and “Honor the abused kids by canceling this game and the season NOW”.
John found himself surrounded by hundreds of fans, many who proudly wore shirts that proclaimed “We Love Jo”, displaying their undying devotion to a man who is reported to have covered up the rape and sodomy of a child. These individuals descended upon John and let him know what they thought of his message. They attempted to humiliate him by spitting on him, dumping beer on him, calling him a “faggot”, and a “piece of shit”. They ripped his signs from his hand and threw them to the ground, after which John bent down and picked them up again. It is reported that John stayed silent in the face of the crowd’s hatred.
He later said that “I knew I was gonna be outnumbered today, but I didn’t know quite how much. I was part of this community and I know how narrow minded everybody is around here, and they still don’t get it”.
John is right. There are still people who “don’t get it” and they possibly never will. They do not understand the harm that is done to a child when they are sexually assaulted, and they do not comprehend that a child’s life and future are more important than protecting the image of an institution whether it is Penn State or the Catholic Church.
We should be grateful that there are people like John Matko, and other brave souls, who are willing to take a stand, and subject themselves to misunderstanding and ridicule, in order to give voice to children who depend on us to keep them safe.
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