Vick: Stupidness Does Not Equal Racism
Like many, I’ve been following the dog fighting scandal involving Michael Vick and some associates of his. Although everyone is innocent until proven guilty, I felt pretty strongly that Vick was involved in the Bad Newz Kennels dog fighting operation at his Virginia property. I have watched with interest as the dominoes fell as his associates accepted plea deals, essentially forcing Vick to deal with the federal government. While some naysayers will say that he might be innocent and is pleading guilty just to get a better deal, I doubt that’s the case. At the very least, Vick funded the operation, but I believe he was more deeply involved than he’s admitting to in his plea agreement.
I have also watched how some African-American civil rights leaders and the Atlanta chapter of the NAACP have thrown their support around Vick. Some are saying he’s a target of racism and is being crucified by the media because he’s an affluent black man with celebrity status who single-handedly made the Atlanta Falcons matter. Personally, I’m just not buying the racism bit. Before anyone pounces, let me say that you’d have to be totally naïve not to believe that racism doesn’t exist in the United States. Just because the turbulent periods of slavery and extreme civil rights violations post-slavery are behind us, that doesn’t mean that we’re living in a color blind society where people aren’t treated differently because of their skin color and/or heritage. I know and see racism more often than not; I do live in the South, after all. Now, I’ve been following the Vick case since the beginning, and I have to say, I just don’t see the racism he’s a supposed victim of. If anything, he’s a victim of his own stupidity. Therefore, it puzzles me to see the Atlanta chapter of the NACCP taking a stance in the Vick case and citing racism for a reason in yielding their support to him.
Is Vick being crucified in the media? Probably but no more than any other celebrity in this day and age. If Vick is a victim of racism in how the media is covering him, then so are Paris Hilton, Britney Spears, Nicole Richie, and Lindsay Lohan. That being said, the Atlanta chapter of the NAACP should be lending their support to those four women. Al Sharpton and Jessie Jackson should all be in LA right now protesting the racism these “starlets” have experienced because the media has been merciless in their coverage of them over the past few months. A day can’t go by without me hearing about some new caper involving Brit Brit or LiLo, and believe me, their press is far worse than Vick’s.
Many Vick supporters, including the NAACP, are saying that the NFL shouldn’t ban him from playing in the league again. I don’t believe the NFL would ban him because he’s a black man. They would ban him because they believe he broke their code of ethics. I have no feeling about it one way or another, but if Vick is banned, then he has no one to blame but himself. No one forced him to get involved with dog fighting. The media didn’t jeopardize his football career. Vick is solely responsible for his own actions, and I would like to think that the Atlanta chapter of the NAACP has more important things to do than deal with a case that has nothing to do with racism or civil rights violations. Again, Vick’s case is one of stupidity, not racism.
Author’s Footnote:
For the record, I am no supporter of Britney Spears, Nicole Richie, Lindsay Lohan, and especially Paris Hilton. I want Britney to get on some medication because I really believe she’s suffering post partum depression. I want Nicole to eat some good country meals at Lionel’s house (if he still eats Southern meals) and put on some weight before she disappears. I want LiLo to move away from LA and be boring like Hillary Duff or Anne Hathaway. As for Paris Hilton? If aliens really are out there, please abduct her and keep her…I’m begging you.