Is Whoopi Goldberg just that ignorant and insulting?

Question

Why is it that she would come to the defense of Michael Vick saying, "from where he comes from" in the South, dogfighting isn't that unusual? "There are certain things that are indicative to certain parts of the country."

Is she just that insulting to the black community and to the southerners like me?

Why is it ok for her to make stupid statements like that which are so divisive in nature?

Ellenwhoop, try reading what she said this morning on a show I can't believe you missed while eating your bonbons:

http://tv.yahoo.com/show/253/news/urn:newsml:tv.ap.org:20070904:tv_goldberg_vick__ER:66890

Maybe you were at the store buying more while the show was on, so enjoy the latest news from "The View".

According to Chalres Barkley which I saw a clip of on ESPN, this is not part of the black culture. According to Chalres, everyone grew up in rough neighborhoods. It is time to be a man and accept responsibility for your actions and stop blaming it on your "culture" and/or childhood.

BTW - If that is "The Black Culture", then they need to be removed from this country and go someplace where that is accepted.

Answer 1

Considering her blatant misuse of the word "indicative," I think the obvious answer to this question is yes, she is just that ignorant. I guess she meant to say, "indigenous," but is too ignorant to know the difference.

Answer 2

I just read what she said but I don't live in the South. I don't know how common dog fighting is in any particular part of the country. I don't think it is particularly black people who enjoy it either. I know that in the North East there have been many busts of Hispanic people holding cockfights but then again I live in the North East. When caught many of the Hispanic people who get arrested claim that it is a cultural thing for them.

I have never heard of dog fighting being a cultural thing to any particular group but it may be. What I think bears making a distinction is some small group of guys pitting one dog against another and a well structured event involving many dogs and an actual ring built for this purpose as in the Vick case. Just by the nature of it, it could not be done in a highly populated area. I suppose these events could be occurring in remote areas anywhere in the country.

Does anyone know definitively, if it occurs more in the South than in the mid-West or New England or anywhere else?


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Answer 3

I didn't see the show and don't care for Whoopi but I will say this....I don't think it is coming to Michael Vick's defense or anything of the such. What he did was deplorable and he should serve whatever sentence he is served. However by pointing out what type of lifestyle he grew up in is NOT in my book defending him. I think it is pointing out that some communities need to be taught better.
I just moved back to the city and we have noticed that many of the young black men in the neighborhood that own pit bulls. They walk around in the evening with them on huge chains. I can't even allow my children to play in our backyard because there are 2 tied to our backyard fence. I never thought in a million years that they were possibly fighting the dogs until the Michael Vick story. That would explain a lot.
I know that when we generalize it can point the finger at entire groups that may not have any thing to do with it. However there is a problem in several inner city neighborhoods with dog abuse.
Not that I'm defending Whoopi but she is on to something.

Answer 4

The problem with generalizations is that there are always exceptions to the rule. Did she mean that every southerner promotes dog-fighting or thinks that Vick did nothing wrong? Highly doubtful. It's like a person from Appalachia getting upset when someone says people in the mountains like moonshine. No one thinks that every single person from Appalachia or any mountain region for that matter, drinks moonshine but it's more readily available there than it is in...I don't know, New York City. I'm originally from GA and live in VA(just outside of DC) now and I didn't take any offense to that comment. You probably shouldn't either. It is, after all, true.

I don't condone what was done but this whole Vick situation is really getting on my nerves. If you're going to cry animal cruelty and blast the guy on those grounds, it should be applicable to all animals not just the cute, fuzzy ones. Chicken fighting is just as cruel, just as inhumane as fighting pitbulls and anyone who argues otherwise should dig a little deeper. FYI - dogs are considered food in some cultures.

Answer 5

No one can excuse what Vick did and to say that it's part of the Southern Culture is just insulting to anyone from the South. What Michael Vick did is reprehensible and morally wrong and nothing that whoopie Goldberg said has any value. She's an apologist for someone with no morals. This ranks right up there with her pornographic diatribe against the President, and it reflects on Barbara Walters' judgement.

Answer 6

I live in the South also and she's correct. Dog fighting is a problem and something that has been avoided and ignored. People tend to look the other way, when they shouldn't.

It's sad that instead of being outraged, she attempted to downplay the entire situation by apparently making light of it. "He's from the South where dog fighting isn't that unusual."

It's a bloody, inhumane 'sport' that needs to be highlighted for what it is. Too many serial killers, child molesters, wife beaters, grew up torturing animals before they moved on to bigger and better 'careers'.

I'm glad the Vick was caught and perhaps this will teach a lesson to those who are also involved in this horrid treatment of God's living creatures.

There are no excuses!

Answer 7

She also brought up cockfighting in Puerto Rico. What she said was not an absolution of Vick as much an explanation of what might have driven him to do this.

Right or wrong, one thing that it probably did was made sure that even guys on the Culture boards are paying attention to what Whoopi has to say tomorrow.

Answer 8

I don't think Whoopi Goldberg is ignorant or insulting. She use to be a stand-up comedian and in a way she spoke the truth. It does not mean she meant to insult the black community because she is part of it! I do not think she meant to insult southerners either. ( I'm neither). Stand-up comedians use a lot of stuff to make people laugh; often about themselves. You may not agree with what she said and that is your right but you should not take it personnally.

Have a beautiful day.

Answer 9

OK, the show is called The View and originally it was intended to showcase different perspectives on a featured issue. Did you get that? OK, once again, the name of the show is The View, and it was intended to show different points of view. So *that's* why it is OK for Ms. Golldberg to voice her opinon. Now that we have that out of the way, i will say that I am from Texas, and authorities are always busting up illegal dog-fighting rings here. I don't think dogfighting is OK, but what Goldberg was simply saying is that Michael Vick most likely comes from a background where dog-fighting is *unfortunately* common. I think she was playing *devil's advocate* more than she was defending Michael Vick. Perhaps this will help to shed the light on the countless dog-fighting rings that are in operation nation-wide.

Answer 10

I've lived in the South my whole life, as have my family for many generations, and my brother is a cop. The ONLY ones known for dog fighting are black gangsta types. Dog fighting is not indicative of the South. Whoopi is an idiot.