vs.
As you can see in the picture above, Mike Vick is more than equipped maneuver his way out of seemingly impossible situations, but in light of the dogfighting indictment, the self-proclaimed “Superman” will need to do everything short of donning the red cape to repair his public image and football career.
One of the most important developments in the Vick case is the polarizing effect that it has on the country, with sides on the culpability of Mike Vick about as racially segregated as an Alabama diner in 1932. We’ve seen this before, with the OJ case in 1995, you had the majority of the black community pulling for OJ to be dismissed of the charges, while the majority of whites wanted the Juice in jail until Jesus returned. Once the verdict of not guilty was rendered, it was almost like the President announced reparations for every living black person in the US, fervid celebration was commonplace in many African-American homes. Meanwhile, white folks protested and cried foul. Lesson learned, although it seems that our country has made progress in terms of race relations, it takes but one event to remind us that the proverbial battle lines are still drawn in the sand.
I’m not here to add to the raging inferno that is composed of Vick’s detractors nor will I blindly proclaim his innocence knowing full well the ramifications of a federal indictment with Vick’s name listed 50 times means he more than likely had some knowledge of what was going on with the dogfighting in his Virginia residence.
I want to tackle the external issue as to why this case has become the latest to have opinions of the innocence/guilt of the defendant to be racially divided. The following list will help to explain the underlying issues and hopefully spark some insightful discussion. Keep in mind, i’m not saying ALL white people and black people think in the following ways, so keep your panties out of a bind.
3 Reasons Why Black People Want Vick to be Innocent…
1) He is a black man.
Lord knows black people have seen their share unfair and racist treatment in America on a large scale, so the thought of another black person going to jail when accused of any charge short of rape or murder tends to be somewhat unsettling. We have seen cases when white men were proved to be the administers of harsh crimes against blacks, but yet were let off with slaps on the wrist. Also, with many statutes inherent in the US legal system that seems to target blacks and penalize them harsher than whites for similar crimes (see Reagan’s Drug Policy), the faith that black people have in the legal system is iffy at best. Is this line of thought a self-perpetuating idealism that is reflective of black people’s own paranoia and “they’re out to get me” mentality? Dismissive whites would like to think so, but history tells us that there is some truth to the claims of the unfair treatment of blacks in the US court system.
2) He is the quarterback of the Atlanta Falcons.
Let’s tackle the quarterback issue first, obviously the most important position on the football field, and is considered by many athletes of any sport to be the hardest position the learn and play well. Also, this is the position that many NFL owners did not believe that blacks possessed the mental capacity to excel in until Doug Williams of the Washington Redskins tore apart the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XXII. Even after Williams’ success, most black quarterbacks that came into the league thereafter and even until this day are percieved to less cerebral (see Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, etc.) and more athletic anamolies that bring a new dimension to the position. Although Vick seemed to be the personification of the latter description, especially with him holding the record for most rushing yards by a QB in a season, his wave of supporters and Atlanta Falcons fans believed that he can be just as smart of a passer as the current-era standard of excellence, Peyton Manning. If Vick were to go away, the whole project would seem like a disaster and a situation in which Vick would not have the chance to reach his full potential and represent black quarterbacks in a new light.
Next, being the (black) quarterback of the Atlanta Falcons, holds high redeeming value in a city where blacks thrive and excel at higher levels on a per capita basis than your average US city. In many ways, Vick was representative of some aspects of the A, fast and flashy, hit or miss, but definitely reflective of the hip-hop culture through and through. It’s understandably hard for the residents of the city to come to grips with the face of the city’s most successful franchise and face that reflects the city’s image of “black utopia” go to jail and never play again.
3) He’s better than Joey Harrington
Last but not least, after you consider the social impacts of a conviction of Michael Vick, you have to consider the football impact. As fans of the player and the team, blacks, just as well as whites, want the team to succeed and put the best players on the field. The Atlanta Falcons backup QB is the infamous Joey Har rington, yep the same Joey Harrington with a career record of 18-37 in 55 NFL starts, and the same Joey Harrington that got benched the past couple of seasons for the likes of Jeff Garcia and Cleo Lemon. I don’t even want to consider the Madden 2008 ratings drop for the Falcons’ offense.
To be continued…
(UP NEXT, 3 REASONS WHY WHITE PEOPLE WANT MICHAEL VICK TO BE CONVICTED)
AJ
How about “Because he’s innocent/guilty”?
None of these reasons are IMHO good reasons to decide a man’s innocence or guilt. Frankly, I think this is indicative of what is wrong with the legal system in the US… human error.
Try as we might, people do a horrible job of acting objectively (especially in groups). Our lives, opinions and our past experiences season every decision that we make, swaying objectivity one way or the other.
It’s just part of the human experience, I’m by no means saying that this is a bad thing and that we should all behave like robots. But in the legal system, only the facts should matter… did he/she commit a crime or not? Race, creed, class or color non-withstanding.
Unfortunately, as AJ has so kindly pointed out, that is not always the case. The system is flawed in that sense. The law is fine, but the people are incapable of objectifying the situation to 100% accurately interpret it. Sometimes good comes out of this (e.g. desegregation), sometimes it’s not (e.g. racial profiling). The problem is that one man’s good is the next man’s bad. But the system can work if the people want it to work badly enough.
Let’s just hope that the people in the courtroom can be a bit more objective that the people on the TV.
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This case, as is stated, reaches beyond the “guilty/innocent” mantra and moves into another realm of social consciousness. It has nothing to do with interpreting facts, black folks who want/believe Vick to be innocent are more than capable than just processing the information, but you think past that, when you have another black face plastered on TV and dozens of white faces persecuting that face on national TV (Bill O’Reilly, Skip Bayless, etc.) The sense of solidarity amongst any group of people will cultivate and become palpable.
Did you say anything about whites running to the aid of the Duke lacrosse team when they were accused of raping the black stripper? No you didn’t. The funny thing is that what some blacks accuse other blacks of doing, they either applaud or give passes to the white folks that do the same thing.
The legal system has proven to be about racial profiling, privilege, and what your money can/can’t buy you out of, so to expect for people to accept that the system is all of sudden on the up and up is ludicrous.
For every degrading cultural transgression that many black people are responsible for contributing (and we know that there are many), the diaspora still wants to minimize the losers and stragglers that reflect badly on our already damaged representation in the US. Just like being a member of a family and not wanting to believe that your uncle is a crackhead or your cousin is the neighborhood skank, black people (as a whole), as does any race of people, don’t want to be associated with such a negative image of themselves, especially in the public light.
While I understand the point that you’re trying to make, I believe that my point might have been missed. I’m not attempting to subvert your opinion, but rather to compliment it with an alternate take.
I understand (and pointed out) that people suck at being objective. I know that people see that a face is black or white before anything else. The point that I’m trying to make is that this is a problem. Either way that it works. If Vick is guilty shouldn’t he be punished? Conversely, innocent men shouldn’t be prejudged based on melanin.
The rules, the words on paper, work. Innocent until proven guilty. Due process. Burden on evidence. These things work. The point I’m trying to make is that the error is the people interpreting the law. That is how innocent men go to jail and how the guilty walk free. If I cheat you in a game of checkers, it doesn’t mean the game is flawed… it means that I’m a cheater. The same goes for the legal system.
Yes, it is wrong for people to want Vick to be guilty because he’s black, but it’s just as wrong to want him to be innocent for the same reason. For example, I think OJ Simpson is a murderer. I shouldn’t have to defend him just because he’s black. That’s ludicrous.
In the courtroom it shouldn’t be about rushing to the aid of a fellow black man. It should be about right and wrong. Innocent or guilty. Granted, I agree that it’s not always like that and I’m not turning a blind eye to racism, but perpetuation of the “us vs. them” mentality is not a step in the right direction.
I have been watching this unfold over the past few weeks and I really don’t see a race issue in this. I do know that this has the potential to turn into a race issue. Why, black man + police = race issue. Enough on that though. Essentially I think that Vick caused some of this mess hisself. When this first hit the media, I tried to give the man the benefit of the doubt, but too much info has come out since then. As a dog lover, if what is suggested ( from my understanding the feds have a hearsay case?) happened and Vick was a part of it then he needs to be punished. Wrong is wrong.
Think about it, how in the hell do you sign your name and money away to a house you claim you really know nothing about. Then when it comes out that this house was purchased before the ink was dry on your contract, mum is the word. I really do think that if Vick would have paid off the others accused with him when they asked (my speculation, and you know I’m right) then he would not be in this mess at all.
At the end of the day,this case is more media hype then anything. There is no valid or real race issue here. I have noticed over the past year or so that the media has become obessed with people in the spotlight. Mainly when it is something bad. It was just months ago when Anna Nicole’s death was breaking news on CNN (wtf!?). This story may actually help the falcons keep the seats filled after attendance went in the toliet last year. It’s time to face that america is becoming a society that feeds off of other’s downfalls. In the end, I do not see Vick being found guilty on the charges at hand (hearsay is the word). I do see Vick having his name and character dragged thought the mud over the months to come. So which side of the fence am I on? Neither,this the media at it’s best.
I just want to ask Micheal Vick one question though; Can your homeboys pay your salary? Because if they can then keep doing what you do. And the media will continue to be your bestfriend.
Intrinsically, the case is NOT racial and is a concoction of the media’s obsession with high profile celebs, but this article merely points out that race comes into play in alot of people’s minds whenever someone black is placed on trial. The reasons may be invalid, but they still exist nonetheless, from both sides of the spectrum.
Clearly, I’m late to the game (excuse the pun), but I figure I’d still drop a few lines.
As in the Duke Rape case, I think it’s extremely important to let the facts come out and we’ll process it as they come along. I believe that Vick is innocent until proven guilty, and we have to believe that.
Sports has been taking it on the chin pretty hard lately–the white guy accused of doping in the Tour De France, that white ref who bet on games he actually ref’ed, Barry Bonds so-called “tainted” record, and now Vick.
That’s how America treats it’s stars, regardless of race. The reason why Vick is catching hell right now is because you have to remember that he is one of America’s Sung Heroes. When you mention golf to the casual golf-watcher, Tiger’s name comes up–even ESPN does it when he’s in 34th place. In tennis, it’s the Williams’ sisters. in football, it’s Vick. So when such popular characters fall from grace, they can expect to be dragged through the mud. Maybe it’s not fair–but Heroes can become goats at any moment.
My only other point is that although I do believe that Vick made the mistake of buying property and completely ignoring what went on there, the media has blown this WAYout of proportion. Do a little Google search on NFL players Leonard Little and Ray Lewis (both black). These guys were either directly (or indirectly) involved in killing PEOPLE, and both Leon and Ray-Ray still have bright careers ahead of them. Vick is about to be thrown under the bus for owning property that fought and killed animals.
Or perhaps this may shake out in his favor. I doubt it though–PETA probably carries more clout than the People for the Ethical Treatment of People.