Why most people "get it" and some people just don't.
By Francis Battista, Best Friends Magazine Nov/Dec 2007
It wasn’t surprising that the nation turned against superstar NFL quarterback Michael Vick and his friends when the news broke of fights to the death by dogs bred and trained to be aggressive toward other dogs, the losing dogs often being killed in brutal and spiteful ways. And it wasn’t surprising that some of his NFL colleagues, possibly familiar with dog fighting themselves, came to his defense before they got a reality check from a hostile public, press and law enforcement.
What was surprising was that some people didn’t get it at all. “Better to be accused of rape then dog fighting,” one TV analyst said, referring to the Kobe Bryant case a few years back when the LA Lakers star was indicted for rape in Colorado but allowed to play basketball. Michael Vick, by contrast, was prohibited by the league from practicing with his team and has become something of a pariah, having most of his product endorsement deals pulled, which some saw as unfair.
Another unexpected dog beating came from Joel Stein, the funny, wisecracking syndicated columnist:
“The mass public shaming of the Atlanta Falcons' quarterback, who was indicted by the Feds for running a dog-fighting league called the Bad Newz Kennels, has been way out of proportion.”
He goes on to point out that
“It's not that I hate dogs. I used to believe that I hated dogs. But now I realize that I'm apathetic about dogs, as I am about any animal that is not delicious. Dogs to me are a lot like flounder.
“What I've come to realize is that what I really hate is you, the dog owner. Because you're the one who honestly believes that your dog is sentient and that he loves you.”
Stein’s a funny guy, but he really missies the point whether he likes dogs or not, and this is not about political correctness. He, and a significant minority of people out there, don’t get it.
The Vick case brought public attention to what everyone in animal rescue and everyone living in inner cities or rural backwaters knows perfectly well: dog fighting and other blood sports are unfortunately alive and well in America. Where you find illegal dog fighting, you are likely to find gangs, guns, drugs, gambling, prostitution and, frequently, children. It’s a cruel, vicious and deadly activity that cheapens life and serves as a gateway to other violent crimes. It also drives the proliferation of backyard-bred pit bulls, much in demand by wannabe tough guys and a cause of shelter overcrowding.
The fact that Bryant’s behavior was tolerated, even if was ultimately unsubstantiated, only means that perhaps the NBA needs to look at its own policies, but obviously the public, not just the animal welfare community, regards deliberate cruelty, torture and killing of animals as an unconscionable crime for very good reasons.
It’s said that if you want to know what a person is really like, give them the power to do whatever they want to do. That’s what Vick and his friends had: absolute power over the dogs in their care. What they did with their power revealed their character. The public verdict on such character traits is that they have no place in our society.
The reactions to the allegations against Vick and his cohorts are primal. Cruelty, be it to animals or people, is no joke and has been identified as categorically evil as far back in human history as you care to look. It’s about time that this particular form of cruelty was dragged into the light. Let’s hope that this case is the first of the many such investigations that it will take to put an end this form of animal abuse.
Vick has copped a plea and is scheduled for sentencing in December. Understandably, lots of people want to see him go down hard and never be given the privilege of playing professional football again. After all, if he were an “athlete” in the league that he and his friends ran, he would have probably been hosed down and electrocuted a long time ago for his underachievement on the field.
But, I have a different take on this. Sure, I want Vick to pay for his crimes and his cruelty, but if he is banned from the sport, his value to our cause is lost. He will be forgotten and may turn up on a “What ever happened to…?” segment of “60 Minutes” in 10 years or so. But, if Vick is prepared to devote a significant percentage of his salary to campaigns against dog fighting, and if he becomes a serious advocate for our cause as part of his public contrition, then I’m all for his reinstatement into the league after his jail sentence, and I would wish him all the success in the world if his fame and celebrity were committed to an ongoing testimony against dog fighting.
This I say to Michael Vick: You can’t undo the horror of what you have done, but maybe you can help point some kids in the right direction and do something meaningful for homeless pets. A good place to start would be to visit a city shelter in Atlanta and then to visit Best Friends Animal Sanctuary here in Utah. Hey, I’ll give you a tour myself. After all, I used to be a fan.
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