I am listening to This American Life's replay of an episode from several years ago about Penn State's number one reputation as a party school.  I remember hearing it the first time when I was still living in a Wisconsin college town whose economy was based on drinking and students.  The local culture was a reason I stayed only a short time; I had volunteered on a local committee formed to look at town/gown relationships, and kept feeling like an alien when I would point out dysfunctional practices that were long-cherished traditions to support binge drinking.

Anyone who has even a fleeting knowledge of alcoholism, treatment, family relationships where alcohol is a central feature, knows that denial is a primary mode of operating. Every family member has a tacit role in the collusion.   In the town where I lived, there were annual student deaths related to drinking.  Every year.  Some fell in the river and drowned, some fell from a height, a second story, down a stair case, and died.  Some died from alcohol poisoning.  There were crimes related to rape, or robbery (robbery is easy when the victim is falling-down drunk). Drunken driving deaths. A homicide; both perpetrator and victim were drunk.

When the H1N1 flu hit the local area several years ago, and there were a couple deaths reported, the authorities responded on high alert.  Binge drinking is predictably more deadly and ignored.

It's just the way it is.  You can't change a culture.  It's the German heritage.  It's a big part of sports celebrations.  It's a big part of the community celebrations.  Lighten up.  Everybody enjoys going out for a drink.  The Tavern Owners' Association is a political powerhouse.

Sound familiar?  It can't really be that serious.  You must be mistaken.  I'm sure he didn't mean anything.  Everyone engages in horseplay.  Football is the lifeblood of this community.  You can't fight the alumni support and investment of the football program; they're too politically important.

I'm not suggesting that the reality of the child sexual abuse scandal is not incredibly painful to everyone in that community, or that they are culpable by participating in a local culture that celebrated football and partying as a birthright. 

But denial is also woven into any culture that embraces binge drinking to the degree it values that culture above the many real harms experienced by many individuals.   As I recall, the actions taken at Penn State were similar to the Wisconsin actions:  provide a drunk-ride-home van; encourage students to get drunk at secure party settings.  Don't take a from-the-president down leadership position that behavior has to change.    Try to minimize the harm by containing where the behavior takes place; don't name the harm and insist on change.