Outrageous!
Since I live in Georgia, and have been an Atlanta Falcons football fan for 30 years, I have been following the Michael Vick story with great interest. Vick is accused of forcing dogs, which he owned, to fight to their deaths. If a dog failed to perform in these dog fights Michael Vick is accused of executing the dogs in the cruelest of ways.
For the record let me state, I think he's guilty. I also want to state I wanted him traded last year for different reasons. This post is not about a star struck fan wanting his favorite team to keep their best player. This is about fairness and priorities.
That being said I think to this point Vick is getting a raw deal. I'll pause so all the animal lovers of the world can catch their breath and please don't cuss if there are children around. Does Vick deserve to be punished? ABSOLUTELY! But what is a fair punishment? Financially Vick has already been penalized a million times more than the average person and he hasn't even been convicted yet. All his endorsement deals have been pulled, as they should have been in my opinion. That alone probably cost him at least 25 million dollars. I would bet it's much more. Is that enough? Maybe not. Does he deserve jail time? Yes, but wouldn't he serve society better if he were made to go into communities that promote dog fighting and advocate against this barbaric sport?
The first problem I have with this whole mess is with all the horrific events in the world people are pissed about this the most? People are mad enough to show up at the court house and boo the man. The wife has expressed an interest in seeing Vick mauled to death. I don't think she's alone in this feeling. What about the murders, rapist, pedophiles, child abusers and spouse abusers? Where is the outrage for those crimes? Where is the people lining up to boo them? Are these crimes not worse or at least equal to animal abuse? Oh, but we're here to protect the animals, right? How about the thirteen year old prostitute living on the street being forced by a pimp to sell herself? Where's the outrage there? Where is the mass of people lining up to protect her? I don't see the FBI down on 52ND Street trying to save her.
My second problem, why can't he play football? Certainly we don't all lose our jobs when we are accused of committing a crime. "It's to protect the NFL's image" I think I heard someone say. Bullshit! There are plenty of felons playing football in the NFL. Some are habitual violators of many crimes. Hasn't the precedent already been set many times? Kobe Bryant continued to play basketball even after he was accused of rape in 2003. The difference, no public outrage.
So no, I'm not defending Michael Vick or his actions, that would be crazy but I am condemning a society that has a higher regard for an animal's life than human life. I question people that can watch a news cast about a murder or a rape without batting an eye but must turn the TV off at the mention of a story about dog fighting because they're afraid the images would literally make them sick.
When it comes to crime shouldn't there be more outrage for crimes against a person than an animal? Where is it? Seriously, where is the outrage?!
20 comments:
Vick should be hung up and skinned alive, so should murderers, rapists, pedophiles and their ilk... but that would be my world, and this is not my world yet. So the most I can hope for this lame excuse for a human is that he suffers the most he can possibly suffer in this life and I will see that it continues on in the next life.
There IS outrage for the crimes you speak of. Plenty of it.
I think the difference with animal abusers is that it is victimization that is akin to child molestation - the victims can not defend themselves and are exploited for being exactly what they are, not forced to do something against their nature. As the habitual pedophile uses a child's natural curiosity and malleability, the animal abuser exploits the trust and domestication of the animal.
Neither can defend themselves against such a sinister and sideways attack.
Michael VIck will lose his job and his endorsements because, in the public's eye, he is no better nor different than a child molester.
And having been a breeder and owner of the majestic and powerful Pit Bull breed, I can only look upon his choices with contempt and disgust. I certainly don't ever want to watch him play football again. I share your wife's sentiment that he should be placed in the pit with an abused dog and left to fend for himself. Good luck to him.
IMHO, of course!
Yes, the vicious abuse of the innocent is the ultimate betrayal, humans with the mindset and lack of morals that can perpetrate this kind of abuse have no right, place or business being in society.
Sorry guys I wish I could see what you do, but I don't.
I just don't see MOST people being upset by these horrible crimes I see in the back pages of the news paper. It's like rape, aw that's sad, murder.. what a shame, abusing a child... what's wrong with people? DOG FIGHTING, DOG FIGHTING AND ANIMAL ABUSE oh my God, we can't have that kill him, kill him!!!!
I understand your analogy to child molestation but even there I'm having a hard time. I just can't put an animal on the same level as a person, especially an innocent child. A molested child will be scarred for life. In a lot of cases a life is ruined because of this abuse.
Listen, I don't give a damn about Vick. The bastard could rot in hell for all I care, I just think his case illustrates that a lot of people care more about animals than people. That makes me sad and I don't understand it.
I'm not trying to convince you, because I understand very well what you are saying....
But the difference is that we can DO something for victimized people. Victimized people are able to understand that what happened to them IS NOT their fault... they can understand that the suffering perpetrated upon them was a result of something outside of themselves and does not constitute NORMAL living.
Dogs understand nothing of the sort. In this sense, animals don't "suffer" like humans do, because "suffering" requires cognition of something outside the norm.
SO we - intelligent people - suffer for them.
The "evil that men do" is a normal fact of everyday life. We know that violence and pain and horrific victimization is going to occur between humans. So it is and so it has been since we stood upright and claimed our power. But it takes a special sort of sickness to abuse an animal. It takes a truly unique psychopathy to inflict pain on something that will NOT suffer, that will NOT understand, that will NOT retaliate. And to do it for monetary gain? FOr the self-absorbed pleasure of gambling?
Inexcusable. Untreatable. Unconscionable. SICK.
Again, IMHO.
As long as you understand my point...
I think I'll stop here because my next direction would really piss people off and it might sound as if I'm defending the guy which was never my intention.
As I stated in a previous post, I cried when I watched "Old Yeller" I understand peoples compassion for animals, I just wish they had a little more for people.
But RT, you are trying to say there is more outrage over the Vick situation than other crimes against people; that is just not true, we don't hear enough of the abuses against animals.
How many times do you see animal abuse on the front page of newspapers or on the T.V, you don't, Unless you are in the trenches with animal protection groups you wouldn't know the widespread bullshit people inflict on animals and the lack of prudent sentences or punishment for these lowlives.
Bravo Daughter, you understand well the correlations.
And I have to agree with HB here... crimes against animals are very rarely reported and are even more rarely prosecuted. This is another HUGE difference between the two sorts of crimes.
A man and a woman lock their child in a closet and chain her to a potty chair. When they think about it, they throw bits of food into the closet. They don't touch her, they don't interact with her, they leave her there for 13 years.
This scenario is still studied today, 30 years later, and continues to horrify new generations of psychology students and laypeople alike.
An illegal immigrant dressed her children up in their finest clothing and took them to a local toy store to play. While the two little girls, one just barely walking, were engrossed in their play, the mother left them. Trusting in the system of care available in the United States for the two children she was unable to care for, she fled the country.
This scenario was followed in our local papers for MONTHS while we hunted the woman down to crush her with the inexorable weight of the State of California.
These same things happen to animals EVERY SINGLE DAY. We don't read about it in the papers for weeks. We don't hunt down the perpetrators and prosecute to the full extent of the law, which is intolerably lenient anyway. We DON'T hold people to the same standard when they victimize animals the way we do when they victimize people.
Michael Vick's story is in the prime time because he is a celebrity and we hold him to a higher standard. Michael Vick is supposed to be a role model for our children. He is a symbol of the American Dream and is a person that children aspire to be. Michael Vick has become the symbol of loathing that he has because he LET US DOWN by being just a sick and scummy as the guy next door who leaves his puppy outside all day to scratch and whine and be terrified. We feel powerless to change the situation with the guy next door, because when we go to talk to him about it, he tells us, "it's my dog and I'll do what I want." When we call the police, they cite him for "noise disturbance." He doesn't appear in Court and no warrant is issued. The puppy, now irretrievably damaged, continues to whine and scratch and live in fear until the man next door finally leaves the gate open and allows the dog to escape, wherein he becomes one of the faceless, frightening, ever-starving feral domesticated animals that we IGNORE on a consistent basis. Just another victim of unconscionable and reprehensible irresponsibility.
With Mr. Vick, we are not so powerless. We CAN punish him. So, fair or not, he is the brunt of a righteous indignation that is felt on a DAILY BASIS and cannot be answered satisfactorily. Does his punishment seem overexaggerated? Perhaps. But in most cases we can't DO anything. In his, we CAN.
And to me, it feels GOOD. He broke our trust. He let us down. He thought he would get away with being a psychopath because he has fame, money, and power. Had he been guilty of JUST abusing animals, we would not have had the legal power to hold him accountable. Because he chose to do it for Federally-controlled gambling purposes, he is feeling the brunt of the People's powerlessness.
Can I say justice has been done? No. But I can say that he deserves to be knocked of his pedestal to flail about in the muck with the rest of the scumbags. He showed us, in no uncertain terms, that it is PRECISELY where he belongs.
IMHO.
First of all I'll start by saying that I started reading the comments then skipped ahead to making my own comment. I don't want to get into the depth that you guys are in.
RT, great post. You made some good points. It'd be nice if society would get off it's lazy ass and make more of an effort with the human victims of vicious crimes, and the people who choose to inflict that damage on other people.
I agree that he should have lost his sponsors, and he should pay an ass load of money, and serve jail time, but you posed a good question. Should he lose his job over it? I would say no, except I believe people who put their existence in front of the camera from the NFL players, to movie actors, or musicians even, forfeit their right to a "fair" trial. We, as in society in general, watch them have children with baited breath, wait to see what they're wearing on Saturday night, and on an illegal extent we watch as they are made into an example. Such is the way of the world. Does it make sense? Not really. Is it a common phenomenon? Yep.
So, he'll be persecuted to a ridiculous extent, and the world will wait till the next time they can watch this kind of drama unfold.
I think it's great that in a time when the world is watching this celebrity melodrama unfold, you're asking the questions that the rest of the world should be asking! That doesn't make you any less upset about the animals that had to suffer at this moron's hand.
*shrug*
That's my take on it.
Good post.
Everyone who reads your blog thinks this asshole deserves to pay for what he's done. In my head I try to think of it in terms of who's in line first. They're all going to hell, but there is a basic order that murders, rapists, dog fighters, and thieves go in. They all deserve a stiff punishment.
Me personally? I'm happy to hear about anything aside from Paris Fu*king Hilton for more then ten minutes at a time.
*wink*
HB: you're very passionate when it come to protecting animals, a lot of people are, and they should be. I'm not saying people should do less for animals, I'm saying people should be doing MORE to protect the innocent and unfortunate in our society and be outraged when bad things happen to people. At the very least have as much compassion for them as they have for a dog. For the record HB you are not the problem I'm talking about in my opinion. I know you would do what's needed to handle ALL criminals.
Daughter: I wrote a thousand things but erased them all. I can see you get the point I was trying to make. And just like HB you're not the problem, in fact you're part of the solution because you're trying to do something about it. Not so with most people, at least not the people in my neck of the woods.
I don't care what they do with Vick but compared to what society does with worse offenders he's getting a bad deal. That's it. I don't want Vick to get less I want the others to get more. I don't want the bar lowered for animal abusers, I want the bar raised for crimes against people. No slam against animal lovers, of which I'm one, it's a slam against a society that has it's priorities screwed up.
Jen: you said it better than I did "I think it's great that in a time when the world is watching this celebrity melodrama unfold, you're asking the questions that the rest of the world should be asking! That doesn't make you any less upset about the animals that had to suffer at this moron's hand." thanks. As far as losing his job, the fans will decide that. Although I have some doubts about that long term. That part comes down to money. Remember there are some people that still want OJ's autograph but then again he only killed two PEOPLE.
I agree with you 100%. Everything comes down to money. I think that's why people are still able to get OJ's signature instead of just having to put cheap, poorly constructed wreaths on his dirt spot.
Keep blogging RT! I enjoy the thought provoking..
:-D
I think there are two points of this story:
1. Why are people more outraged by animail cruelty than human suffering.
2. Does this guy deserve the 'punishment'.
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1. People have more compassion for animals than humans because animals are innocent all of their lives. Children start off innocent but eventually become adults who can become synical or selfish and are capable of becoming the next narrow minded politican or bent policeman etc. I hope you're getting my point here.
Children are even capable of cruelty or even murder - google 'jamie bulger'.
You don't really see an evil animal - you may get a vicious dog but it's usually because the owner has made it that way.
2. This guy reaped the rewards of fame. If he donates some money to charity he will be all over the news - exposing himself to more fame and inevitably fortune. He will benefit much more than a normal person would.
If he runs a marathon for charity the same applies.
There are lots of people that run marathons for charity or perform other selfless acts but they don't see the benefits that he does.
Now, if a normal person who works in an office as you say was cruel to an animal as he was - he wouldn't lose his job.
It seems unfair. But if that same office worker ran a marathon for charity would he see the same benefits that Vick would?
You can't have everything. Fame comes at a price.
Jen: Thanks, and THANKS!:D
20Something: Maybe society has just become to jaded. Maybe people can't muster up more compassion because there is so much evil out there being perpetrated. I think I just get pissed off because when you see people get mad at Vick, you know they have it in them to care.
Good point about the his fame. Live by the sword die by the sword. Of course Mike Tyson was convicted of rape and went to jail. He lived to fight another day and be treated like a celebrity as well. Why was that allowed to happen? Where was the outrage with Tyson? That's my question.
People are fickle :( thats the sad truth. They becae outraged by this incident because the media were probably having a frenzy over him and people bought into it.
Yes :( They should have been outraged by Tyson. I think they were for a while but it was forgotten probably by clever PR. People should have refused to go and see his fights. Why didn't they?
All in all, this is truly a great post, RT - look at the dialogue that has opened! You really got people thinking!!
20 Something: Priorities, screwed up priorities *shrug*
Daughter: Thanks! The comments gave me a little more perspective than I expected.
For the 'what it's worth department' the wife agreed with YOU and HB 100%.
I can't help it! I have more compassion for animals than humans. I think it goes back to communication. An animal can not tell you how it feels - they are very innocent and people are sick.
I can't bare any sort of cruelty to animals. My neighbour's cat had it's tail cut off by some sick bastard. Seriously! How sick are these people??
I totally understand compassion for animals. We have five pets and three of them are strays we took in to save them.
I don't even hunt because I can't stand the thought of wounding an animal and making it suffer, even if it's just for a little bit. Being a hunter in my area is almost law but I just can't, it's not in me.
Could you hunt and animal for food? Just a thought.
If I needed the food or my children were hungry, yes.
When I was young my dad took me hunting. It's not as clean as you may think. Most things don't just die right away from being shot.
A few years back my dog was old and sick. I took her to the vet to be put down. They told me they would take care of it. I said, no I need to be there with her, it was the least I could do for her being so loyal and loving. He was surprised because most people don't do it. I can't believe everyone doesn't do it. The wife said she couldn't do it either. It's all about priorities to me.
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