to this issue of Sports Illustrated...
The sensationalize treatment propagated to a widespread audience
and the elements that have come to abuse and misuse this dog
became aware of the dog for the first time.
Most, or a large number I would guess, are interiorly insecure and seek vicarious power in the external. At least that's all I've ever been able to come up with. Kind of like what I read once about people who buy Hummers - it's like wearing a sign that says, "I have a small penis."
People always say this BS when somebody does something they don't like: own a gun, own a large-breed dog, own an SUV. Makes one wonder.
On the other hand, a dear friend of mine who also retired from nursing got herself a purebred pit puppy from a reputable breeder because she was going to be living alone after a divorce, and wanted a safety measure in case there was an intruder, to give her time to get to her pistol. Same reason I love having my mastiff, as a widow, although I bought him for a birthday present for my now deceased husband.
I really tire of the phallic analogies, which I’m afraid in most cases are false, both ways. Insecure about themselves (as opposed to phallic appendages), perhaps.