A thousand pardons if I am not in a hurry to enshrine Michael Vick's name in the Adolf #### Hall-of-Fame for the most di####able men in human history as so many of you have rushed to do. I suppose God will just have to forgive me.
Color me racist also, if you will, for not buying into the load about Vick being a marked man due to the color of his skin. NAACP leadres and controversial televsion analysts be damned. The idea of playing the race card in attempt to deflect accountability for a man's actions hinders a person's ability to really grow.
Vick and his cohorts may have committed a disgusting act, and compounded their troubles by setting up a gambling ring that crossed state lines, but they (well, Vick) do not deserve the amount of scrutiny they have received in the court of public opinion.
What is deserved is the one to five years that the gambling charges hold. A loss of reputation for sure. But given the time that will be served, is Vick not also worthy of a second chance? They were, after all, just dogs.
While those six words may send animals lovers and decent people in an uproar -- the thought that people have used that reasoning to defend Vick's actions is literally sickening -- when contrasted and put into context with some of the other actions found on the back pages of our newspapers, what does it say about our moral priorities?
Many have pointed out that while Vick has been so scrutinized, other, more serious crimes such as murder, rape, or abuse have largely escaped the national spotlight. Some have even tried to shape that fact as evidence there really is an agenda to tear down successful black men. After all, lots of people become victims each day without nearly a whisper. But a black quarterback abuses a couple of dogs and it is a national scandal (other's reasoning, not mine).
But beneath the fold (aspring journalists should know this term), in the back pages, and on the side bars of websites are a couple of stories reporting crimes much more heinous than any Vick committed. Yet the facts of each case hardly raise an eyebrow. Is race a factor? Some may think so, but consider a few of the stories that have yet to break onto CNN.
Houston Rockets point guard Rafer Alston, he of AND1 fame, is about as hip-hop and #### you could get. Yet we care little to read that he reportedly stabbed a man in the neck after a dispute in a night club. That crime goes beyond cruelty to animals, it is attempted murder. But while the story may still develop as we learn more details, newspaper have yet to pick up on the scandal as it only had a brief mention on the last page of today's San Antonio Express-News.
And while it may be responsible to get all the facts before causing a national scene, especially as it concerns the life of a man, contrast this reaction with the thousands of rumor and hate-filled columns reported on Vick before evidence was release. Or consider the Duke Lacrosse Team.
Even better, applaud the government for stepping in on the nation's steroid problem when our drug and alcohol dependencies destroy so many more lives. Though he may not be cheered, Leonard Little has neither been persecuted nor prosecuted for his role in the death of another person while driving under the influence. Not to mention the additional DUI's the defensive end has picked up since the incident.
Which brings us back to Vick. Is what Vick did a di####able act of cruelty and indifference? Yes. But does the young man deserve to rot in hell and have every limb torn to pieces by the very dogs that he helped torture for all of eternity? That is not for us to decide, nor should it be up to a blog to tell.
That PETA has gained so much support for a good cause is an admirable thing. But that PETA is a much more famous organization than, say, MADD (Mother's Against Drunk Driving) is disturbing.
They are, after all, just dogs. Again, those words ring cold and cruel in our ears in the context of dogfighting. But given how we treat the loss of human life does the same twisted logic not apply to us. Alston stabs a man in the neck: It is, after all, just another night club stabbing. Leonard Little takes the life of another person driving while intoxicated. It is, after all, just another in a long line of such deaths.
The point of this post is not to make light of what Vick did, but rather to shed light on how desensitized we have become to violence in the world around us. How little we truely value each other as human beings. As cynical as it may sound, Vick's biggest mistake in regards to his reputation was that he went after dogs. If he had, in fact, gone after another person it might have just escaped our attention in the background of an everyday police blotter.
When a quarterback indicted on felony gambling charges and misdemeanor animal abuse can carry national headlines while a war, corrupted health care policies, and increasing national debt remain secondary issues, it causes reason to give us pause. They are, after all, just dogs.
It's all about Vick's personality. As soon as rumors started swirling he said he owned the property but never went there. That other people might have been up to no good but not him. That he can't monitor all his properties all the time.
He walked proudly down the hall as a reporter asked him questions, annoucing that all around the world there will always be people that love Mike Vick.
His attitude of "I can do whatever I want" is what's in these days. Notice the news about Lohan, Hilton, and the rest. That's what's popular in the news today and Vick fell into that.
Vick's undoing was his popularity and his celebrity. As a nation we have a short attention span and a love/hate relationship with the rich and famous. Vick is both and people love to hate him.
I see your point, but with most celebrities that act up, it is more of a morbid curiousity that we put them on television so much. So that while we might be a little sick of Lohan or Hilton, we rabidly hate Vick.
Unfortunately, ublanj, our skewed sense of reality comes from the incredible number of malfeasances we have witnessed over the years. We have become almost numb to reacting to unacceptable behavior.
Ricko --
During one of my many journalist classes in college (Media Ethics I think) we had this professor, Antoinette Winstead, who said a very insightful thing.
We were discussing the role of the media in society and the conversation led to one student offering that the media makes things look worse than they actually are by showing nothing but negative images (murders, rapes, etc.). The professor replied that part of the reason that the news covers these events so extensively is that they are breaks from the norm and, thus, are newsworthy. She then went on to say that it is when the news stops covering these things that we should really worry, as it would indicate that this would mean these acts were now commonplace in society.
With so much attention given to celebrity misdemeanors, at the expense of giving real news stories the attention they deserve, I wonder if it is now time to start worrying.
Either way, on a side note I'd like to note that I finished with all the high school football previews I had to do, which should allow me time to posts actual sports blogs on this site as opposed to social commentary. I need the break...High School Sports, especially 3A, can be so boring.
This is hopefully my last blog dedicated to this matter and I'm trying to finish up a comprehensive basketball preview for each team to post in time for training camp.
ublanj
From the outset this hasn't been about the race card other by than those who've sought to use it. And nowehere was this more prevailant than with the NAACP and other bodies of that ilk. When are they going to realize that if someone breaks the law there'll always be a price to pay ? Even if it isn't ultimately to their liking.
That's what's so sad by all of this as there'll always be a distrust amongst the races for all the wrong reasons when it comes to accountability for wrongdoing.
I've a new piece up under this guise titled Oh How The Mighty Have Fallen ! written 08/27/07
And under the rampantfanatic guise there's the following To All My Peeps In Da House ! written 08/22/07
If you've got the time , take a read of both and let me know what you think as to the merits of both pieces ?
I'll look forward to reading your comments.
it kills me that when a high profile player like vick gets caught with his hand in the cookie jar, people scream " they don't like him, he's black!"
screw that and to anyone that says that about him, yes he's a black athlete, but same to em if he were white, go to prison, never play in the nfl again....period!. no they are not just dogs, let's put you in the pit and then when your #### gets handed to you, lets go hang you..........one quick note, people talk about race.....so is it fair to say " they were just slaves? " or " they were just jews!"
I cannot for the life of understand why nightly news shows lead off with Lindsay Lohan, Paris Hilton, Britney Spears, etc. I haven't met one person who cares nor whose life is affected by anything these people do.
Ha Ha...Hey 86750nine...err..DeMarus Ware??? Missed a little of the blog there. My point was that the loss of the dogs or the treatment of said dogs was not wrong, it's that we could be so offended by someone saying "they're just dogs" while not flinching when we say "just another drunk driving accident, just another rape victim, just another Iraqi."...
I do believe this is the first time anyone offered to put me in a pit and hang me though. Although I will have to check with the brief era I attacked Mavs fans everywhere...I guess the moral of the story here is stay away from Dallas.
I think that the issue of race enters the picture when white celebrities, athletes etc commit similar crimes and receive a fraction of the villification of black celebrities and athletes. Everyone claims;"it's not about race". Really?
I wish that were true. Example, Rick Tochett operated a national gambling organization that bet on everything from football to his sport of hockey, 2 years probation, no outrage. Bertuzzi atempted murder on the ice, a suspension but no prosecution. Michael Phelps, 19 yr old swimmer tries to elude police because he had been drinking, blew twice the legal limit and was let go with nothing(ala nicole ritchie) Brian Urlacher allegedly assaulted his wife and you cant even find the article or police report. Tim Couch uses HGH in comeback attempt, does he now become the face of the NFL steroid era?
The reason I site these examples is not to agree with the assessment that Vick's situation is racially motivated, but to at least validate the reason for the perception.
The fact that Vick operated this ring for years is disturbing, however what's more disturbing is the fact that the Feds supposedly gathered evidence on it and allowed it to grow for that long instead of stopping it in it's infancy.
Makes you wonder if taking down the dog fighting was even the priority. It was discovered in a drug raid on the property. In light of these questions, can we say beyond a shadow of a doubt that blacks are way off base?
But, that is my point exactly. Just because nobody seems to care is it a cause to sweep it under the rug? Yes Little killed someone no backlash, most people outside of ST.L dont know Leonard Little, or care. So does that diminish his crime? Heck no!
But everyone knows Brian Urlacher, the NFL makes sure they do, and his story was buried.
My question was; because of the disproportionate treatment that white athletes SEEM to receive. Is there a basis for blacks to feel as though Vick was unfairly treated?
Also could you answer why if dogfighting was the reason Vick is being taken down, why it took 6 years to build a case strong enough? He gambled off the bat, killed dogs off the bat what was the need to wait? Please some legal eagle enlighten me.
You're a making a great point, but let's not be naive. The media exists to make money - just like any large corporation. The news media/sports media is ALWAYS going to spend the most time on the most shocking stories. There are real athletes out there doing amazing things every day and we have to sit through 20 hours of Michael Vick coverage. Think about all the infamous sports stories over the last few years: Michael Vick, Tim Donahue, John Amaechi. You have a dog-killer, a dishonest referee, and a #### ex-NBA player that averaged 2 ppg for his career. People murder each other every day. People rape each other every day. What's another rape story? Ray Lewis has completely avoided any heat from his posse killing a guy - the Raefer Alston story is non-existant. Meanwhile - The Anger against Vick, Donaghue is overflowing. Heck, That imus guy became a sports story because he made some stupid comments! These are HOUSEHOLD SCANDALS! Why? Because they're more interesting than "Just another murder." The media doesn't exist to inform - it exists to make money from advertisers. As long as that is the case, you can forget about responsible media coverage.
The Tim Couch HGH story is non existant because a doctor gave it to him during rehabilitation. When I was a kid I had to take steriods when I had a really bad virus. He didn't do it to get bigger. Have you SEEN Tim Couch lately? He's a bean! Also - the reason some of those people you named (minus Urlacher) have no stories tied to them - is because WHO THE HELL ARE THEY?! Michael Vick was the FACE OF THE NFL for a few years. If anything, I think racists will always be racist and that if anything, the fact that Vick is black has led to him having some more support from the Black Community. If Tom Brady killed dogs - it would be a BIGGER story/Scandal and you could forget about any support for him from anyone.
Ublani,
I love it when someone mentions an issue of race (which our country has a long history of) and a mass of white people dismiss it as "playing the race card." I'm sorry, I did not know we were playing a card game. It is very insulting and ignores the truth.
Yeah, people DO care about hockey. I don't, but I remember when that player hit the other with a stick. I saw other players defending this ####'s character, saying that he is just a "good guy who made an error." If the player would have been black...well, just remember Carmelo Anthony got 15 games for throwing a weak punch last year.
Leonard Little didn't "take someones life." He was drunk and had an ACCIDENT which led to a death. An unfortunate mistake on his part. I can't see the angst that is supposed to be drawn. It could have been anyone driving drunk. Of course, you never do, right? To TAKE someones life, it has to be on purpose. This incident doesn't reveal actual intent, just negligence.
Alston committed "attempted murder?" You must have all the facts of that case to make that claim. I noticed you didn't even consider self defense. He is a black hip-hopper, that is all you need to know, right?
Just two perfect examples of guilty 'til proven innocent.
The NAACP is lost! You are right on that point. Imus should not have been fired. Blacks got nothing out of it other than an image of a race with a collective thin skin. Supporting Vick at the same time is downright stupid. Having said that, The "race card" that others claim as being used is a dismissive tactic to avoid re
Tsunami,
Why should Ray Lewis be responsible for what others have done. Makes no sense at all. Another example of guilty even after being proven innocent.
"His posse did it!" News flash-WE ARE ALL RESPONSIBLE FOR OUR OWN ACTIONS-SOMETHING YOU SEEM TO BE TRYING TO PROMOTE. THAT MEANS THAT THE ONES WHO DID THE KILLING ARE RESPONSIBLE, NOT ALL OF HIS FRIENDS, ####.
But of course some want to convict him of being associated with someone who killed someone. Can't seem to draw the angst on that.
#1overall seems to get it. Other whites seem to see the same thing that other blacks do. Different reactions to blacks for the same occurances is a reality. Don't get angry or defensive when it is pointed out. Race card my ####!
If you are wondering about the skewed sense of morality, please see #1's post. The fact that people would say its racist to prosecute someone who killed(anything dogs, humans, etc..) to further extents than someone who gambled, that right there is a morality issue in and of itself. When I read comments like that, it makes me wonder if I'm the only sane one left..... or maybe I'm the 1 insane one, who knows.
867530 most of your comment was a little irrelevant, but I do agree with one point. People say humans are worth more than dogs(the "they were just dogs" argument.) In the time of slavery, slaves were viewed less than whites, so is it right for us to now say, "Oh it's no big deal, they were just slaves"? makes ya wonder
Last edited by PhilliesFan117 on August 31st at 7:31 AM.
Mdeill,
I don't mean to imply that racism never takes issue (being a victim of it myself from time to time), but when a man pleads guilty and people are still trying to exploit this to turn it into a societal issue of white vs. black -- what else can I say? As far the "playing the race card", I didn't coin the term but will use it as it applies...which it does here (although, I'd like to point out not by his defense, but rather a few writers and analysts who would support Vick). To sum up one of my points: This is not an issue of race, no matter how bad many would like it to be.
To follow up on other points: People DON'T care about hockey. Otherwise it wouldn't be on whatever backwards network it's on right now. The player got punished...and 'Melo deserved to get suspended just for running away from Jared Jeffries (that was a joke, lame, but a joke).
As far as Leonard Little...It is taking someone's life, accident or no. He had no business being behind the wheel and now a family had to suffer because of his indifference. And it was indifference, as the guy picked up a few more since the incident. It may not be murder, but it's still taking a life. As someone who has lost friends to idiots like that, no sympathy or tolerance for it. To answer your question, I've never put down a few and then driven off.
Finally, I love Rafer Alston....he was wildly entertaining as Skip to my Lou. But let's be realistic...This is his second police blotter this summer... Sometimes it's not about race, sometimes it's just about common sense.
But just to get back to the 'race card' thing for a sec...I use the term when a defense brings up racism to deflect the truth when no other defense will hold up.
So far as I know, the term was put into popular use during the OJ Simpson trial. Why was it coined? His defense team played it like a card, turning the trial into a game. As much as that trial polarized the nation, we can see so many years later that there never was racism involved, just a man trying to get out of prison.
And if you think "If I Killed my Wife, this is How I Would do it" was only a hypothetical book then you've been 'Juiced'.
I'm actually on Vick's side to an extent. The point was that I think he is getting a bad deal here in the media. My take is that he made a mistake, eventually honed up to it, and is getting punished. He's already admitted to it and is getting sentenced...what more justice do people want?
Personally, I hope he takes a lesson from this and becomes a better person for it. If I root for a team to fail in sports, I never root or enjoy the problems of a person in life.
Tsunami,
I am aware of the media and it's need to act as a business. My point is, while I understand the need to make a dollar the media ultimately still needs to act as a public service. It's a double-edged sword (or some cliche like it). You need the media to be independent so that it may report freely, but doing so means that it must generate its own funds.
I wrote a paper on corporate journalism my senior year in college that made it's way into some sort of journal or another (I'm not sure what the professor sent it to, only that it was with other submissions from graduate students). The point was that the media faces a problem. As corporations take over media outlets they are losing their true role in society.
At the risk of sounding like a complete spaz/nerd/dork...the first amendment grants the press a lot of power, and with that power comes responsibility (nerd moment). The reason for the media's protection was put in specifically for the press to act as a watchdog. But when it starts to reject that role in favor of being just another business, does it still deserve that freedom?
Just like government, it is because we grant the press that freedom that they have a responsibility to us. And that means giving real issues coverage rather than bombarding us with a so-called Michael Vick scandal.
excellent post man. very good read. real thought provoking. and i agree with you. our nation does have a skewed sense of morality, and its a shame seeing the road that we're headed.
Ublanj,
I appreciate your thoughtful responses. I see that we do have some common ground. Our media and culture leads the masses to argue about sports, steroids, obortion, #### marriage, immigration when it ignores the real issues of corporate welfare and corruption, broken health care industry, fuel dependancy on the middle east, counterproductive farming practices(nationally and globally), the failure of the world bank and the IMF, and the failed war on drugs.
Mdeill,
My point exactly. If you'll read a post I wrote earlier in the week I stated that the media is concerned about steroids in schools when recreational drugs destroy so many more lives. Our government is holding investigations to determine if gambling may have rigged a few games, but what about the bribes that rig elections?
Just so that it does not seem that I am blaming the media for all of this, it is our responsibility to take action here too. Democracy is failing here because people are refusing to take serious action.
I am a 5th year senior at Our Lady of the Lake University. I changed my major from art to journalism (which explains why I'm taking an extra year) half way through. Sports are my thing, play as often as I can. Would be pretty good in fact if it weren't for the fact that I have little athletic ability. Seriously, my vertical leap is tip-toe. So, I decided to try and break into sports journalism, which is hard to do at a university with no sports program. Well, we play community colleges and get blown out all the time, but that's another story.
