Michael Vick: Sharing the Blame?
Former Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick was released from federal prison recently after serving most of a 23-month sentence for his role in running a dog fighting ring.
But Vick’s new role—campaigning with the Humane Society to end dog fights—unleashed a torrent of public skepticism, from infuriated animal lovers to sports and opinion writers.
“People won’t easily forgive a man at the center of a ring that killed dogs that failed to fight well by hanging, drowning and electrocution,” stated one newspaper editorial. “A nation that fawns over Bo and Barney and queues up for ‘Beverly Hills Chihuahua’ and ‘Marley and Me’ will understandably be skeptical about giving Vick a second chance.”
As people pondered whether Vick was truly sincere, genuinely remorseful, and/or accepting responsibility for his actions, an assistant sociology professor at Tulane University declared that Michael Vick had been punished for “our crimes” as a “nation of outraged lobster-boilers.”
“What did Michael Vick do that is morally reprehensible?” asked Professor Shayne Lee, writing in The Philadelphia Inquirer. “Some of us forget that dogs are mere animals, and that animal mistreatment is as American as Apple iPods. Like Vick, most of us shamelessly abuse and kill animals”—for science, “leather jackets, ham sandwiches, or horse-racing.”
Noting that Vick’s actions “did not lead to the abuse of one single human being,” the sociologist said, “I think we have it backward. Let’s give the federal sentences to athletes who harm humans by beating them or jeopardize their safety by driving drunk. And let’s give slaps on the wrist to animal abusers.”
His conclusion: “If Vick is guilty, then we all are.”
Tell us what you think: Are we all guilty—or responsible—as charged? Michael Vick did the time for the crime, so should he be forgiven? Was his sentence too harsh?
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Vick
I understand that what Vick did is wrong, but he served his time. Still, everyone wants to judge him as if thry never commited a crime. Give him a chance, maybe he truelly is sorry. By the way, why is everyone putting so much pressure on Vick? Donte Stallworth killed a man, nobody is saying anything about that. I would think that a human life is more important than a dogs.
Lonnie Rounds | 6 months, 2 weeks ago
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DogFighting
I believe that he should be given another chance in his career, I am horrified over what he did. I have 2 black dogs from a shelter , that i love my dogs and i cheris them ver much I, can’t wait to come home from work and see them , they are my medication when i am tired, and stress out. I would be out raged if anybody hurt my dogs as I was when the story came forward. Let Mr. Vick move on and he can do good for all of the shelters in the world to protect our animals, let him speak out what he did was wrong , Go out with these groups like Peta, ban the Dog Fighting , HELP THESE ANIMALS THAT ARE ABUSED, OPEN A SHELTER DO GOOD, PEOPLE WILL FORGIVE AND FOGET WHAT YOU DID, I AM SURE DEEP DOWN IN YOU ARE A GOOD PERSON, WE HAVE TO HAVE COMPASSION AND TO HAVE TOLLERANCE IN LIFE AND TO FORGIVE PEOPLE, GIVE HIM A CHANCE TO DO GOOD THINGS AND THE RIGHT THINGS IN LIFE. MICHAEL VICK YOU CAN HELP SHUT DOWN ALL OF THE PUPPY MILLS , MAY GOD BLESS YOU ..
Mary Lou Murphy chretien | 6 months ago
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MICHAEL VICK, HOW COULD YOU?!?!
How could you be so cruel to inocent loving animals? They never did anything wrong to you did they? NO they didn’t!!! So ask youself this, why did I kill those poor things, why? Do you have no feelings?
No feelings at all, you killed and had so many humainly uthinised because of your neglectful doings!!! Now how do you feel? Huh, HOW DO YOU FEEL NOW?
You were looked up to by so many families and young kids till this…Well, I bet you feel like the big man now don’t you?
_I will hate you forever now, for your cruelty!!!ShastaFallen | 5 months, 2 weeks ago
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to Professor and the rest of the jackasses that be
First of all, torturing animals is not the same as killing for food. We don’t torture before killing for food and if you do then that just makes you an animal abuser. Also animals are not just “Mere Animals.” They have feelings too, and in fact are much smarter than you Americans who seem to think that animal abuse and dog fighting is not a crime. They rely on us humans to take care of them, and trust that their owners would never hurt them. What mike Vick did was inexcusable and in my opinion he should NOT be forgiven at all. I don’t think he was sorry for what he did but instead sorry he got caught. He’s just another ####### who knew what he was doing but just didn’t care. It is very obvious that he has a psychological problem and he should seek help. As for those of you who don’t know already animal abuse often leads to abuse of humans so by not correcting the problem you are just setting him up to abuse humans later. If you think that he was right and that society was wrong for punishing him then you are just as big an ####### as he is.
JJ | 5 months, 1 week ago
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to Professor and the rest of the jackasses that be
First of all, torturing animals is not the same as killing for food. We don’t torture before killing for food and if you do then that just makes you an animal abuser. Also animals are not just “Mere Animals.” They have feelings too, and in fact are much smarter than you Americans who seem to think that animal abuse and dog fighting is not a crime. They rely on us humans to take care of them, and trust that their owners would never hurt them. What mike Vick did was inexcusable and in my opinion he should NOT be forgiven at all. I don’t think he was sorry for what he did but instead sorry he got caught. He’s just another ####### who knew what he was doing but just didn’t care. It is very obvious that he has a psychological problem and he should seek help. As for those of you who don’t know already animal abuse often leads to abuse of humans so by not correcting the problem you are just setting him up to abuse humans later. If you think that he was right and that society was wrong for punishing him then you are just as big an ####### as he is.
JJ | 5 months, 1 week ago
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Dear Professor
Look at some pictures and tell me that isnt crule
julia mcintyre | 5 months, 1 week ago
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Animal Abuse
Is the most outrageous criminal act. It is a fact all sociopaths, begin by torturing, abusing animals.(example: Silence of the Lambs: Buffalo Bill who held his victims to starve them and then filay them to make a suit out of human skin. Lovely. Is that what the world is all about? Torture, fear. People who have no compassion should be skinned alive, done the way these animals have been done. And how? God will make them go back to a 2nd life here on Earth to endure being the most tragic abuse animal victim there ever has been. And, not these “little” things; i.e.; an animal burned tortured, electrocuted, or at best lets say have all your teeth pulled out by plyers. But worse. True hell. This not a racial thing. Statistics show more whites have done what Vick did or worse. I don’t care if I’m black, white, asian, native indian, etc, if you do this to a living creature, or shall we say one of God’s creatures and can condone Vick’s behavior, I don’t know what to say except sorry that you are an unintellectual manifesto with your head stuck in the wrong place.
Andrea Herron | 5 months, 1 week ago
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No.
I disagree with the sociologist. We do not all abuse animals. Vick didnt just abuse dogs; he tortured them. We dont shamlessly kill animals, the only animals people kill shamelessly are animals that are bred for food, and even then they dont kill the animals unhumanly, they do it quick and get it over with, unlike Vick who made the animal suffer.
Tanner A | 5 months ago
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highschool stundent
i think he has to learn from his mistakes he should get another chance. I know he has to do the time or his crime.But people will always see him as a aninal abuser and that what will effect him for the reast how his life. But peopel m,ake mistakes we all do and we should forgive eash other and start something new never hold a gruge on someone.
alnathan willaim keys | 4 months, 3 weeks ago
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Michael Vick
i think that michael vick should deserve a second chance because like the author said people be carring guns and having weed on them and all they do is get a slap on the wrist then he had so serve his time in jail so i think he does deserve a second chance.
joe kinnaman | 4 months, 3 weeks ago
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