20070902

Michael Vick and the Minefield

I am going to attempt to wade into the minefield of race relations and the Michael Vick killing dogs issue.

I am going to put myself firmly in the center of the minefield and do some lecturing (preaching) on the subject. I will walk with confidence knowing ahead of time where all the mines exist. With as much confidence, I can stand there with a clear path out of the minefield without any harm to myself from having been there.

Michael Vick needs to be held accountable for his actions. We, the American People, will not stand by while he escapes unscathed for some form of accountability being enacted for what he has done.

Now anyone who tries to explain that Michael Vick should be excused for his actions because he is black or something needs to get a spanking. If Michael Vick is excused BECAUSE he is black it sets back the cause for black Americans in their pursuit of equality and empowers white racists who have no problem saying "nigger" in their conversations (instead of saying "N-word").

Michael Vick gets no special consideration ONLY because he is black on this issue.

In my mind, Michael Vick's conduct is completely indefensible. Perhaps some argument could be made about "sport" and allowing dogs to compete against one another in a manner they were "naturally" inclined to do by putting them in a ring and allowing them to attempt to kill their opponent. It is my belief this argument would have been weak, but it could have been made and it could have convinced some.

But Michael Vick did not stop there. If the dog that lost was not killed in the ring, he executed them. If they were unfortunate to not have had their throats torn out in the ring, but yielded to their opponent by tucking their tails or something, like they instinctively do when they are beat by the superior dog, he executed them for having done so.

Michael Vick did not just put these dogs to sleep by putting a gun to their head because they were worthless or "put them to sleep" by injecting poison into their bloodstream, he killed them through especially cruel methods. He either drowned them or hung them. Both of these methods are especially cruel and involve unneeded suffering.

What did Michael Vick do? Did he gather all his "gladiator" dogs that had not yet fought and teach them a lesson? Did he put them in a circle to watch as he executed the losers to motivate them to never give up because death in the ring was preferable to death at his hands if they happened to lose?

Michael Vick does not seem to understand that in the society he lives in dogs receive special protection. Most of us nod our heads in agreement when someone describes dogs as being "man's best friend" (although we will get some argument about even this from cat lovers).

Michael Vick's conduct needs to be punished. That man was rewarded with a multi-million dollar salary for playing a game because he was gifted with extraordinary abilities from God to play that game. What did he do with the gifts given to him by God? Did he only selfishly indulge himself in his great fortune? Nope, if that had been the case I could have lived with that. He would have not been any worse then the average white guy. Most of them do that.

Now I am willing to be reasonable. Let Michael Vick serve no more time in prison (only because he is black) then anyone else who has engaged in similar activity. But Michael Vick is special. Whether he likes it or not, as quarterback of the Atlanta Falcons, he serves as a role model for many of our children. As role model, he needs to serve as the role model that improper behaviour results in punishment. If he is unwilling to serve in this role, I guess he should have decided to become a politician or something. "Becoming wealthy beyond your wildest dreams" is not an excuse for evil behaviour. I will point to Albert Pujols (another minority athlete) as proof that untrained wealth does not automatically yield improper behaviour.

If Michael Vick had been white instead of black I would expect that he be punished. I am unwilling to excuse him only because he is black. I have met too many black people that knew how to live their lives in an acceptable fashion for me to excuse Michael Vick for his conduct only because his skin color is a little darker then mine.

I want to hold Michael Vick accountable to the same standard that I hold Paris Hilton.

I think Michael Vick should be put in jail for at least a couple of months. I think the Atlanta Falcons should take the 22 million in bonuses Michael Vick would have received and donate them to the SPCA or PETA (let's spread the wealth) or something. Then after Michael Vick has been taught a lesson, let him return to the arena and entertain us.

0 Comments:

Post a Comment

<< Home