Wednesday, August 22, 2007

Lost Cause

Just like so many of the things going on in our country today, the decline in purpose and meaning of the NAACP saddens me.

Once upon a time, the NAACP meant something. Stood for something noble and idealistic. Something that mattered. I don't know that this is true any more.

Not when the president of the Atlanta chapter can stand up and say something as ridiculous as his statement that equates deer hunting with dogfighting. Is he serious? Does he really not see the difference?

Does he not understand that deer hunting culls the population to a livable level, reduces the spread of disease, deer are eaten, and that when deer are hunted, they have a chance of getting away? How about that deer are wild animals and if they weren't hunted, they would starve to death?

Let's see how that compares to a dog that is chained up and beaten, thrown in a pen and forced to fight another dog to the death, and if it doesn't or doesn't win, is then drowned, or electrocuted, or shot at close range. Yeah...that's a lot like deer hunting.

Look. I get it. I know that a lot of African-Americans do not like dogs or fear them because there has been a long and sad history of dogs being used to torture and attack blacks going all the way back to the days of slavery. Still, does that justify cruelty to an innocent animal?

I believe that anyone who could do those things to an animal, would just as soon do it to a human. It's all just a matter of time. And I think it's a real shame that race has even been brought into the equation. This really has nothing to do with race, but a total lack of respect for life of any kind except his own on the part of Michael Vick.

Too bad the NAACP doesn't use its power for something or someone who actually deserves their efforts.
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5 comments:

Anonymous said...

All I can say is that you just hit bullseye with those comments.

2:35 PM
Anonymous said...

Completely agree!

2:53 PM
Anonymous said...

Amen, Belle. My family and I have been lifelong supporters of the NAACP, in fact my late father held a position there for a time. Michael Vick is being attacked no more than a white player would be in these circumstances.

Cruelty to animals is disgusting, abhorrent. The fact that a leader of the NAACP diminishes this is sickening, and tarnishes their good and noble name.

2:56 PM
Anonymous said...

I totally agree with you. I for one am sick and tired of the NCAAP screaming racism every time "one of their own" gets charged with a crime. It is not one big conspiracy by the government, or a nation wide conspiracy by white people against black people.

In the first place, people need to stand up and take responsibility. The truth is Vick is a grown man who chose to make stupid decisions. I don't care what race he belongs to or what he does for a living. Now the NCAAP is concerned about his career in the NFL? Well, if Vick was truly concerned about jeopardizing his own career, then he should have kept his nose clean. As far being remorseful, Vick should prove it by voluntarily stepping down from the NFL limelight and contribute his remaining wealth to the NCAAP (yeah right).

Professional athletes forget who pays their salaries. We do! And we have the right to expect a certain level of conduct. With all that money they get paid, I am sure they can find better things to do than buy drugs, assault women, and kill dogs. In most cases, many of these athletes come from impoverished or tough backgrounds. This is their one chance to stand up and shine. Conduct themselves with dignity, self-respect, and above all else HUMILITY. The day all the fans decide to find another pastime and boycott professional sports is the day many of these fellows will be back in the poorhouse or maybe worse, in prison or dead.

Forgive? Yes. Everyone deserves a second chance. Show mercy? No. If Vick was some high school dropout like his buddies, no one would even care. That fellow would have had to serve his time, end of story. Since Vick chose to put himself in the loser bracket, then he should be ready to be treated like a loser. Is the NCAAP concerned about the other fellows, no because they have nothing to offer them! People forget that it is a privilege and a great responsibility to be wealthy. It is the duty of persons in such influential positions to set an example and contribute towards society's improvement, particularly the improvement of their own community if that be their choice. Wealth and power are not meant to be used to satisfy one's own self centered pleasures and amusements particularly when they are destructive like Vick's and countless others.

What I would like to say to Vick and all those other morons like Pacman Jones, Kobe Bryant: Stop your bitching! Stop making excuses! Stop blaming others! And GROW THE HELL UP! And if you can't do that then go live somewhere else like Iraq where I am sure you will be greatly appreciated.

This country has made some bad decisions in the past, slavery and the treatment/extermination of the Native peoples. But this is TODAY, here and now we have to make a difference and quit looking back and crying over spilt milk every time it seems convenient (that’s you, NCAAP). This is truly the Land of Opportunity, because only in this country will the masses pay big bucks to some idiot who can run and throw a football, while neglecting its real heroes who are dying overseas for no damn reason. And the last time I checked, many of those men and women just happen to be African American. Who really deserves the support and admiration of the NCAAP? I think some people really need to think about it long and hard about it. We should all stand on the side that is right, irregardless of race. This is what I believe is the real American way.

3:22 PM
Jeremy said...

Mr. White (Atlanta Chapter President of the NAACP) certainly should not have compared deer hunting to dogfighting, but I believe his point, however inelegantly put, was worth considering: this country's justice system has not been blind and the ongoing perception of an agenda on the part of local, state and federal prosecutors is a cause for concern.

I don't personally agree with almost any of Mr. White's statement, but I do believe he was attempting to make a salient point. He just did a poor job of it.

7:56 AM

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