Posted on 07/23/2007 10:46:58 AM PDT by 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. ...
(Excerpt) Read more at stltoday.com ...
Glad someone finally said it. I'm originally a city boy who never heard of cock/dog fighting until I was stationed in Mississippi in '82. Like you I've never attended either a cock or dog fight but everyone knew where to go if you wanted to witness and bet on a fight. Again it's not my thing and I'm in no way defending Vick's actions but, I am a bit surprised by all of the "oh my God", coverage on this. Many folks who were raised or have lived in the south know this is a not so secretive part of the culture.
You disgust me.
Of course, whites flocking to The Soprano’s, tatoos and Harleys are how much better?
The black youth of today urinate on every hard working black person, just by opening up their illiterate mouths and talking on their 100 dollar prepaid cell phones loudly on the train while they’re hassling a white person. Ron Mexico is no different, except he’s 27 and he should know better by now.
Yes. Jim Brown.
Jim was a football player, an actor, and an angry black man of the 60s.
While angry, he always advocated self reliance and getting out of poverty by starting your own business in your own neighborhood and hiring black people from that neighborhood to work for you.
When Brown could have sat back and enjoyed his money he chose to become involved as an advocate for equal rights and self-reliance. Yup. He looked kind of dumb in a dashiki and he still wears the silly hat.
Ahhh for the good ol' days......"WHEN IT WAS A GAME"!!
I miss em!
The "young man"(vick) is the freakin devil from hell. Big deal, he can throw a ball. I pray that devil vick gets back exactly what he gave all those pathetic dogs. Then I hope he burns in hell.
They’ve moved up northwest to Minnesota where the welfare is freer and the white people are even more scared. Every day, I wish they banned cars with Illinois plates from crossing I 94.
yes he was.
The blacks who paved the way for today's modern athletes worked hard and had a point to prove. That they were deserving of a chance and were entitled to equality.
Most of today's black athletes, other than "working out hard", have had the rest given to them simply because they could run, pass, catch, shoot or dribble - from highschool on up to the pros.......
He sort of has a feeling of what hell feels like every time he takes a leak.
He's not even human, he's an extra-terrestrial freak..........
Ah, if it were only that easy. But the whole "gangsta" thing is just another symptom of a deeper cultural mess.
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Only one.
He hasn’t been convicted yet. At the risk of sounding racist, if they have nine blacks on the jury like they did in the O.J. Simpson case, forget getting a conviction.
I couldn't verify it either, but it certainly is in line with other quotes by him, so not improbable...
the infowarrior
And one day, I swear he's finally going to make it onto that truck in "The Dirty Dozen."
Been a quarter of a century, for me, and I haven't looked back...
the infowarrior
Vick's involvement in dog fighting would appear to go back to his days at VA Tech (ironic in light of your serial killer comment). I can't really say that he's a fledgling Ted Bundy, but the methods he (allegedly) employed to kill these animals certainly makes me concerned. That being said, I'm alot more concerned about the harm being done to the women that Snoop has pimped out over the years than I am about any number of dead dogs. But that's just me.
I think it’s sick and disgusting and I would run from anyone who does it but again, no one’s rights are being violated so no it’s not immoral.
Treat your dogs and horses how you like but can you stand there and honestly tell someone what to do with their own property?
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