Vick is latest to take rap for the rap in our culture (a black perspective)

St. Louis Post-Dispatch ^ | 07/20/2007 | Bryan Burwell

[newgeezer]

All the breathless debates about Michael Vick are missing the point. The bigger issue has nothing to do with whether or not he deserves the right of due process, or whether NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell should suspend him, or whether Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank should enable him or give him tough love. It's not even about whether ... Nike should be launching another designer shoe with his name on it.

All of those are minor distractions from ...:

How did someone like Michael Vick ever come to exist?

Are we really ready to have that conversation? Do we dare explore how a young man of such unique athletic gifts and such obvious on-field marketing appeal was allowed to turn into just another unfortunate mug shot and potential ruined life? How did that remarkable athlete get a $100 million contract with the Falcons, become Nike's poster boy, rake in endorsements ..., then find himself on the verge of blowing it all because of an incredible tale that seems to come straight out of some hardcore gangsta rap video?

... The ultimate symbols of black athletes in our society used to be men of substance and positive image. Men with social conscience and resolve such as Jackie Robinson, Curt Flood, Jim Brown, ... They carried a burden and deep-rooted responsibility to portray themselves with a sense of dignity, pride and purpose. Even ... rebels such as Muhammad Ali ... stood for something more meaningful than a multimillion-dollar shoe deal.

But somewhere between Jackie Robinson and Michael Vick, ... "Street cred" became the anthem of the modern black athlete, this misguided notion that the only way to appeal to the young demographic of the sneaker-buying public was to adopt the negative attitudes of the thug life popularized by black hip-hop/gangster rappers. ...

[Ben Mugged]

The ultimate symbols of black athletes in our society used to be men of substance and positive image

And Hollywood used to be full of heroes instead of spoiled brats.

[F-117A]

Bump!!!

[i_dont_chat]

And our elected officials used to be men of principles.

Times have changed.

[Bluegrass Conservative]

The only thing in this column that I really disagree with is that he praised Curt Flood. *sigh* The man that ruined baseball.

[johnny7]

“Say wha... ?”

[newgeezer]

The problem is the hijacking of African-American culture by the hip-hop generation that has helped glorify every rotten, foul and disgusting racial stereotype it took generations to eradicate.

The minstrels used to show up in black face, shuckin' and jivin' like Amos and Andy or Stepin Fetchit. Now they come in baggy pants sagging over their butts, glamorizing thug life and prison fashion, legitimizing derogatory racial insults into the mainstream, and convincing an entire generation that this is the measure of true blackness and anyone who bucks this system is either a racist, hopelessly out of touch or a sad Uncle Tom.

Telling it like he sees it.

[Sherman Logan]

As improbable as it might sound, technically, there's a possibility that Vick actually could own a house, rent it out to his relatives and be dumb or naive enough to not know that there was a dog-fighting enterprise going on in the back yard.

This is more likely than Barney Frank not knowing a prostitution ring was operating out of his house while he was living there.

[DOGEY]

Jim Brown????

[reagan_fanatic]

The problem is the hijacking of African-American culture by the hip-hop generation that has helped glorify every rotten, foul and disgusting racial stereotype it took generations to eradicate.

BUMP for the truth.

[ClearCase_guy]

The problem is the hijacking of African-American culture by the hip-hop generation that has helped glorify every rotten, foul and disgusting racial stereotype it took generations to eradicate.

This guy gets it. Although I think that problems were there prior to the advent of the hip-hop generation. The culture needs to fix itself. White people aren't hurting blacks and white folks can't help blacks very much either. They have to choose to help themselves.

I predict it will take at least two more generations. Probably more.

[Badeye]

Another person making excuses for Michael Vick?

Thankfully, thats decreasing with each passing hour.

[birddog]

Well said Bryan! I really like this guy, says it like he sees it.

[End Times Sentinel]

Well, I can't just sit here and hold my tongue any longer as I see a patently unfair media fed mob ready to convict this guy without really thinking over all the possibilities.

Yes, it's kind of hard to deny that Vick had a hand in the killing of these dogs, but did you ever stop to think "What did these dogs do to Mike Vick?"

What if those dogs were barking all night keeping him up before a big game or practice?
What if those dogs peed on the rug?
What if they just wouldn't stay off the furniture?
There's a million things that could have gone on that would totally justify (or at bare minimum seriously mitigate) his actions.

I say we give this unbelievable athlete his day in court before crucifying him without knowing the facts.

Owl_Eagle

If what I just wrote made you sad or angry,
it was probably just a joke.

[RexBeach]

Wasn’t Jackie Robinson a Republican? No, seriously.

[Cyber Liberty]

I wasn’t aware there was a “black perspective” on the taunting and murdering of dumb animals. Huh. Now I know.

[Biblebelter]

It's the gangsters on the corner who are killing black folks. It's the idiots who are on TV rapping about it and glorifying it. We have to make black people understand those are the real sellouts, not the ones who refuse to accept it."

I appreciate what this man has said. But there are sellouts that he did not mention, not just the gangstas on the corner, but the race pimps and hustlers such as Jackson and Sharpton found not on the street corner but anywhere there might be a television camera. If and when the common sense stated here by these journalists, starts being repeated in the MSM by African Americans both self-proclaimed and MSM selected to speak for Black America, then the tipping point will have been met and things will be going in a productive direction.

[Jersey Republican Biker Chick]

For reasons other than yours, I say allow him his due process rights in court.

[dfwgator]

I don’t think Rodman, for all of his antics, was much of a hip-hop guy.

[ssaftler]

I think we also need to include Chris Vermin and his cohorts at ESPN (among others) who have transformed sports from “who’s best” to “who’s now,” whatever the he!! THAT’S supposed to mean.

It’s not enough to try to win, you have to do it while “stylin’ and profilin’” so you can get your face time on the sports highlight shows. They’re turning EVERY sporting event into a WWE-style spectacle.