Focus Schmokus

I have trouble concentrating sometimes. Like, when I'm not alone or if the TV is on or if I'm thinking about sandwiches or when I'm sleepy. You might say, "But Erin, aren't those things happening all the time?" And you'd be right. My circle of life basically goes hungry, sleepy, hungry, sleepy, repeat as needed. Over the past few days a lot has been going on in the world. I want to pay attention and give them all the proper attention, however, that's a lot easier said than done.

Here are some bullet points I'd like to call, Crap That's In My Brain.

* Regarding the Penn State/Joe Paterno/Jerry Sandusky debacle: HELL YES they did the right thing taking that statue down. And hell yes the NCAA was completely right in their massive, $60,000,000 fine. AND they were right to take away Paterno's wins and to ban the football team from any bowl game activity for the next four years. They gave the student athletes immunity and are allowing them to transfer or to stay, without penalty. Don't cry to me about how unfair it is to the athletes who won over 100 games. The athletes get to keep that experience and any athlete who leaves the program or has come out of the program will still get "credit" for those wins but the program does not. Because the program? Was run by a monster and aided and abetted by another monster. You don't get to destroy lives and still be a hero. Doesn't happen. The athletes who won those 100+ games probably understand that they won them under a lie and as decent human beings, I suspect they support the decision as well because they understand, it's not about them. The victims of the heinous acts committed against them deserve to see this program washed clean and rid of the scourge of the Sandusky/Paterno era. Just another example of how things can look amazing from the outside but if you scratch the surface there is a world of bubbling sickness underneath the facade.

* If you haven't heard about Savannah Dietrich yet you need to.  In a nutshell, Savannah is a 17-year old girl from Texas who was sexually assaulted by two 17 year-old boys while she was passed out. They raped her while she was unconscious folks. And the best part is - the judge gave them a slap on the wrist and Savannah Dietrich said NO. That is not enough. She, as many of us do, turned to the internet to share her experience and try to understand what happened to her not just when she was attacked but after, when she put her faith in our legal system. She tweeted what happened to her and who the perpetrators were. She refused to remain anonymous as is the tradition with victims of sexual assault. But now? She may be going to jail for releasing the names of her attackers before the court case was completely closed.
JAIL. For the rape victim. For outing her rapists. For refusing to sit back and watch them get community service or some shit while she remains traumatized and forced to carry this with her for life. Yet another example of the shame and guilt our judicial system puts on the victims of sexual assault. Another example of how women are to be kept under wraps and silent lest we upset the fragile, fragile, boys.

For an awesome blog reaction to this see http://hellogiggles.com/savannah-dietrich-you-go-girl

So you see why I'm having trouble concentrating. My brain is overwhelmed with this shit. It makes me angry and want to do something about it. I'm a fixer. That's what I do, it's who I am. Having to sit by and watch things...I think we all know that's not my strong suit.

Maybe later today I'll be able to concentrate creatively. For the moment, I'm working on digesting this stuff.

Fingers crossed!