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Ntfs_encryption
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Ntfs_encryption
Post Number: 2587
Registered: 10-2005
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, August 22, 2007 - 08:14 am: | 
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July 18, 2007
Michael Vick can evolve from hip-hop prison culture
By Jason Whitlock
Honestly, I don't wish jail on the people who despise me the most. Incarceration is that dehumanizing.
So forgive me for lacking passion about the guilt, innocence and/or punishment of one-time franchise quarterback Michael Vick for his alleged involvement in a dogfighting ring. Hell -- given that the state, if inclined, can make a blind witness' vision 20/20 -- I'm even willing to give Vick his presumption of innocence.
Why not? He is an American citizen, last I checked, and we don't need to look any further than Duke lacrosse to see what can happen to a prosecutor when the media spotlight descends on a criminal case.
Nope. My desire is to see Vick evolve as a human being and for his troubles to serve as yet another wake-up call for black athletes to reject the hip-hop/prison culture that glorifies much of the negative behavior and attitude that has eroded the once-dignified and positive reputation of African-American athletes.
As much as I love dogs -- and I really do have an affinity for them -- this case primarily repulses me because I believe Vick got involved with breeding vicious pit bulls because rap-music culture made it the cool thing to do.
Listen, I don't want PETA supporters upset with me. Animal cruelty is intolerable. But I'm wondering what could turn a human mind and heart so cold that a person would find pleasure in breeding dogs for cruel destruction in 2007.
Seriously, Vick didn't do it for the money. The Atlanta Falcons gave him all the money he could ever hope to spend. Vick was involved in pit bull breeding (and quite possibly dogfighting) because he enjoyed it. He's a product of a culture that makes the 'profession' acceptable and honorable. It's the same culture that has turned the dope dealer into mayor of the neighborhood.
This is a human tragedy, too.
It speaks to the grip the negative aspects of hip-hop culture have on young people. Vick is a millionaire athlete who has spent most of his NFL career trying to maintain his street cred. Despite lifetime financial security, Mike Vick stayed on the 'grind,' hustling for that paper with his Bad Newz Kennels. Idiot.
Well, unless he plans on launching a rap career and releasing a solo 'Dogfighting Was The Case,' I don't see any of this ending well for Vick. Even if he's not convicted or reaches a jail-evading plea bargain, Vick has destroyed his athletic reputation while trying to keep pace with T.I.
This is a cultural phenomenon that has swallowed a small percentage of African-American athletes, but a large enough percentage to significantly damage the overall perception of black, American-born athletes. As Dr. Harry Edwards told me two weeks ago, it only takes a few key people to hijack an entire culture.
N.W.A., the late-1980s rap group, hijacked hip-hop years ago, and calls to return it to something resembling decency and self-respect have fallen on Def Jam ear$. Allen Iverson and his sneaker/jersey sales hijacked the image of black professional athletes years ago, and out of fear of being labeled a racist or a sellout, few have even dared question the sanity of it ... until now.
Now we can all see the stupidity. Gangsta-wannabe rappers masquerading as professional athletes is a public-relations nightmare waiting to tear apart sports franchises and leagues.
Vick's employer is in an impossible position. The right thing for the Falcons to do is support Vick through his legal proceedings. But how can the organization? Vick is a human distraction now. Atlanta has a new coaching staff that will find it nearly impossible to operate smoothly in the environment/media circus Vick has created for the organization.
Heck, even Al Sharpton and Russell Simmons joined in the castigation of Vick and dogfighting, penning a joint letter with PETA that was sent to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and all of Vick's corporate sponsors. True, the letter wasn't all that harsh, but the fact that Sharpton would in any way publicly hold a black person responsible for any action is historic. And, if you have a scorebook at home, we now know that Russell Simmons is adamantly opposed to the killing and brutalization of dogs, but he is in favor of the glorification of killing black men in music. I'm just passing that along without any editorial comment.
OK, where was I? Yes, the Falcons might as well name Paris Hilton cheerleading captain.
If Vick were to play this season, the fan hostility directed at Vick will engulf Atlanta's home stadium.
Vick needs a paid leave of absence to sort out his legal problems. He shouldn't be suspended or denied pay because the Falcons and the NFL have invested too much in Vick to treat him like Pacman Jones.
That's right. I don't believe in treating everyone the same. I believe in treating everyone fairly. Suspending Vick would be too prejudicial (legal term, not a race term) and inhibit his ability to receive a fair trial.
If he's convicted of a felony, the Falcons probably have provisions within his contract that would grant them the right to release him and go after a portion of his signing bonus if they so choose.
Ray Lewis was at the scene of a double murder, failed initially to cooperate with police and eventually pled guilty to obstruction of justice charges. Ray used to be in love with his street cred, too. It took double-murder charges to knock some sense into one of the game's best linebackers.
He evolved, and he's certainly been an asset to the NFL ever since his evolution. Will the same thing happen to Michael Vick? I doubt it, but I certainly hope so.
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Chrishayden
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Chrishayden
Post Number: 5119
Registered: 03-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, August 22, 2007 - 10:45 am: |
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He did it because he wanted to be a big man around the wrong kind of Negroes. I hope he learns his lesson-- |
Jmho
Regular Poster
Username: Jmho
Post Number: 248
Registered: 03-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, August 23, 2007 - 04:03 pm: |
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Chrishayden wrote:
He did it because he wanted to be a big man around the wrong kind of Negroes.
LOL I find it interesting that many of his supporters are saying that he should have let his thug friends go, when he signed his contract, not considering that he may have been as much a thug as his friends were. |
Ntfs_encryption
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Ntfs_encryption
Post Number: 2589
Registered: 10-2005
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, August 24, 2007 - 02:38 am: |
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"Chrishayden wrote: He did it because he wanted to be a big man around the wrong kind of Negroes."
True....true......
"I find it interesting that many of his supporters are saying that he should have let his thug friends go, when he signed his contract, not considering that he may have been as much a thug as his friends were."
This is also true. Unfortunately, many of these pro athletes came from impoverished thuggish backgrounds. And they still have this need to act as if they were back in the hood. Yesterday, I was reading where a star running back and a highly recruited freshman linebacker for a particular East coast university, were suspended indefinitely from the team. They lost their scholarships because of reckless street Coon activities. It's pandemic in the pros and college. Like Vick, their desire to "keep it real" and maintain their hard earned street cred with their homies, overrode common sense, acceptance of adult responsibility and the rejection of self destructive behavior. It's sad.
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A_womon
Veteran Poster
Username: A_womon
Post Number: 1834
Registered: 05-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, August 24, 2007 - 07:44 am: |
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Like Vick, their desire to "keep it real" and maintain their hard earned street cred with their homies, overrode common sense, acceptance of adult responsibility and the rejection of self destructive behavior. It's sad.
Thie is absolutely correct. This is what happened to Maurice Clarett of the Ohio State University Fame. The guy who took OSU to their first National Title in I forget how many years, maybe 40, and had a very promising pro football career in front of him. He let this same mentality take him all the way to prison and ruin his career.
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Abm
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Abm
Post Number: 9675
Registered: 04-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, August 24, 2007 - 08:39 am: |
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Ntfs: "Like Vick, their desire to "keep it real" and maintain their hard earned street cred with their homies, overrode common sense, acceptance of adult responsibility and the rejection of self destructive behavior. It's sad."
Was such overrode? Or did they never really have (or even have the capacity to possess) those qualities to begin with?
I think it’s interesting how we tend to assume a +$50 million dollar athlete contract is suppose to magically transform one into a civilized person. Hell, if anything, the very OPPOSITE effect is just as likely to occur. |
A_womon
Veteran Poster
Username: A_womon
Post Number: 1835
Registered: 05-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, August 24, 2007 - 08:56 am: |
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Every child is born with the same "capacity" to make reasonable humane decisions and to suggest otherwise just doesn't make sense.
This type of behavior is learned and is therefore a product of environment, parental modeling(or lack thereof) and other factors which are exclusive to the home in which the child is reared.
Most children become what they see, what surrounds them. And if they aren't shown something different, and that the different thing is within their realm of achievement, AND IN ORDER TO ACHIEVE THE DESIRED DIFFERENCE YOu MUST CHANGE YOUR THOUGHT PROCESSES if they aren't taught this then you produce teens and adults who become comfortable with the thug culture and therefore uncomfortable in other situations. They bring what they are comfortable with along with them no matter where they go in life. |
Cynique
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Cynique
Post Number: 9677
Registered: 01-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, August 24, 2007 - 10:41 am: |
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Well a human being's core personality figures into the equation. All people are not born the same. Some are naturally agressive and others are mild-mannered or even-tempered. Children have to be socialized and taught right from wrong, but as the approach adulthood, whether they choose to do right rather than wrong has to do with their core personality. "The same fire that melts wax, makes steel hard", so to speak and there are the "bad seeds" who come from all walks of life. It's been said that having the "killer" instinct is what distinguishes a great competitor from a good one. There are hundreds of football players in the NFL and their core personalities determine whether or not they are repelled by the cruelty involved in dog fighting. And, every neglected child in the ghetto is not a rabid fan of dog fighting or every well-raised middleclass kid a outraged foe of it. It all depends on the type of person you were born as. |
Abm
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Abm
Post Number: 9677
Registered: 04-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, August 24, 2007 - 11:16 am: |
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A_womon,
Perhaps we differ on what is meant by "capacity".
I would disagree that we all are innately born with the full "'capacity'" to make reasonable, humane decisions".
I am not making any excuses for what Vick is accused of having done.
Still, I thing body chemistry, early childhood experiences (including neglect and abuse), etc. all factor into whether and the degree that and manner in which one misbehaves. |
Chrishayden
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Chrishayden
Post Number: 5140
Registered: 03-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, August 25, 2007 - 11:01 am: |
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LOL I find it interesting that many of his supporters are saying that he should have let his thug friends go, when he signed his contract, not considering that he may have been as much a thug as his friends were.
(Could be. But when he walked into a room he should have been the only Thug in there) |
Cynique
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Cynique
Post Number: 9693
Registered: 01-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, August 25, 2007 - 12:51 pm: |
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Michael Vick is like the Don King of Dog fighting. The boxing game is pretty thuggish, itself. |
Jmho
Regular Poster
Username: Jmho
Post Number: 251
Registered: 03-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, August 28, 2007 - 03:27 pm: |
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Ntfs_encryption wrote:
It's pandemic in the pros andcollege. Like Vick, their desire to "keep it real" and maintain their hard earned street cred with their homies, overrode common sense, acceptance of adult responsibility and the rejection of self destructive behavior. It's sad.
So true. I liked how he sliced and diced and didn't admit to killing dogs by himself but some of his dogs died as a result of 'collective effort' and he provided the gambling monies, but when his dogs won, he let his business partners split the winnings, and he didn't receive any. Nor was he involved in any of the side-bets. Hard to believe he would be so heavily financially involved in a venture, in which, he didn't received any benefits or financial gain.
When this story first broke, he claimed he didn't know anything about what was going on at his house, as a relative was living there, nor was he involved in any dog fighting.
And, to top all of this, he found God, about the same, the Feds came and raided his property. |
Ntfs_encryption
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Ntfs_encryption
Post Number: 2604
Registered: 10-2005
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, August 28, 2007 - 06:42 pm: |
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"When this story first broke, he claimed he didn't know anything about what was going on at his house, as a relative was living there, nor was he involved in any dog fighting."
Vick is a lair. He has zero credibility. None! Just like when Bryant Gumble interview Adam "Pac Man" Jones, he lied and denied even though Gumble had all the police reports and witness statements in his hand. These thuggish Negroes will only admit their criminal behavior if confronted with jail time. Typical and predictable Coon behavior.
"And, to top all of this, he found God, about the same, the Feds came and raided his property."
Yep. More lies. That's why he immediately tried to dump the property at a 50% loss just to get rid of it and all the evidence so he could deny any knowledge. But it was too late. Negroes are too dumb and incapable of indulging in high level graft, racketeering and white color crime. Their field of expertise is street crime; low level drug dealing, dog fighting, mugging, liquor and gasoline store hold ups, physical assaults, drive by's, etc, etc... That's why they always end up in jail and prison.
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