I grew up in a house with brothers and a father that loved football. Hearing them shout and cuss at the television on weekends was a huge part of my life. It was comforting, yeah I know that sounds strange but it was. They also loved animals.
My dad grew up in very poor in Louisiana. If he wanted to eat he had to hunt. He had a respect for all life like no one I have ever seen. When I was a little girl he would take me out in the bayou in his little boat to fish. He always carried a pistol, not because of the animals but because of the people we might encounter. When a gator would stray too close to the boat he would tell me to just be still and she would go on her way. When a big tarantula "shudder" would come in the yard and I would be screaming and having a fit he would gently reach down and pick her up, take her into the pasture behind our house and let her go. He would explain to me that she was just going about her way and that there was absolutely no reason to smush her. She wasn't a threat to me. I remember him going into my bedroom and picking up my hamster Goldie in those enormous hands of his. He would hold her in one hand and talk to her.
His father loved cockfights and dog fights. He was the meanest man I have ever seen. My father despised him. My dad would say "men can beat the shit out of each other if they choose, but animals cant choose so we have to makes their choices for them." My grandfather chose to be cruel and heartless and my father, despite his upbringing chose not to be even though it was part of his "culture"
I guess you know by now where this is leading.
I do not forgive Michael Vick. I don't have to. He should never play football again. He is not contrite. He electrocuted dogs, hung them, body slammed them until they were dead. You cant do those things and have a conscience. You just cant. He lied after he was arrested, to his coach, to the football comm and to a federal judge and on a lie detector test. He was still breaking the law after being arrested. How people think giving him a second chance to play football is okay is beyond me. Think of all those young talented men that would love to have his spot on the Eagles, who would deserve it, wont get to have a first chance because Vick "deserves a second chance" .
That crap about "its part of our culture" really burns me up. What a pitiful excuse. Lot of things used to be part of our culture; Slavery, human sacrifice, lynching, segregation, no justice for victims of domestic abuse, religious persecution, no vote for women and minorities and Jim Crow laws. Yep, they were all part of our "culture". I could go on and on. Can you tell me which one of those listed were okay because they were "just part of our culture"
10 comments:
You're speaking my mind, word for word. There is nothing good whatsoever to be said about people like Michael Vick. I don't consider myself a radical in any aspect, but he and his kind make me want to plead "eye for an eye." Everything these people did to animals, out of cruelty, boredom, greed, and pure viciousness, should be done to them! You may say I'm going to far here, but I want to see Vick taste some electrocution and see how it is to be hung from a tree or choked to death. I'm not a very religious person, but I console myself with the thought that people like him will eventually reap what they sow - in this life or another.
I agree and ask how to define culture. I think if this were an actual pure culture, that is to say one that no outside influences that defense could fly a little better. But here we do have choices, you can go to the supermarket and get an idea just how many.WE create out own culture personal and as a sort of micro-climate. Laws exist so these created cultures don't get out of hand. Oh, dear, I gone all philosophical.....
I'm with you 100%. Those poor dogs had no choice and they will never have a second chance. Why on earth would Vick be given a second chance? I'll never understand.
Okay...this is why I don't read the newspaper or listen to the news on tv. I didn't know about this. And wish I never had.
If there's a debate about whether this man's actions are criminal, then I'm living on the wrong planet. That kind of behaviour is common 'practice' among serial killers while they're ramping up to kill people - usually women. It's sadistic, demented, and evil behaviour.
P.S.
Your Dad sounds like a wonderful man.
Thank you Carolyn, Dad was a good man who despite his upbringing turned out better. Thats what I was trying to do. Show that "culture" is a sorry excuse for bad behavior.
Unfortunately our society seems to suffer from amnesia, quick to anger...quicker to forget. You are right, this type of behavior is cruel and in my eyes unforgivable. A person who exhibits the actions that MV has, has no morals, character, and no conscience.
Wow your dad sounds awesome
Second chance? He's not merely being given a second chance- he's just being given everything- crimes ignored, just cuz he's famous. A second chance would be education and going back to the beginning, learning a lesson, etc. Sigh. What kind of a second chance would he be given if he weren't a pro ball player? And no one can ever make it up to those poor dogs.
If anybody dares to try and justify Vick again, I'm just sending them a link to this blog post. It says it all.
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