Whoopi's comments on Micheal Vick......opinions?

Question

I'm not sure if any of you caught or heard about Whoopi Goldberg's comments about Micheal Vick on The View this past week, but if you did I'd like your opinions.


Whoopi Goldberg decided to defend Michael Vick for his dogfighting. And what logic did she use to defend him? "There are certain things that are indicative to certain parts of our country [the South]...this is part of his cultural upbringing."

Wow, so that's her defense? Yeah, as if his "upbringing" has anything to do with why he got into dogfighting. When co-host Joy Behar challenged her on this and asked her about dog torturing and dog murdering, Goldberg said "unfortunately it's part of the thing. You're a dog lover. For a lot of people dogs are sport."



I suppose using her logic, everyone from LA should be able to get away with drive-by shootings and everyone from New York should be able to mug people simply because its part of their environment. Get real. Then why did he lie when confronted?

She sort of forgot about that whole interstate gambling ring thing. I guess thats ok too?

Does anyone else here think what she said justifies his actions? Why on earth would someone defend those reprehensible actions? And don't try to say it was a mistake. A mistake is when you burn the toast. He knew what he was doing was wrong and against the law, yet he did it for several years.

Apple,
I have to respectfully disagree with you. You stated that ..."different cultures have different standards and practices. people in india will not eat beef because cows are sacred to them. so, if you grew up in india, you would probably not eat beef. "

No where in our culture is it ok to torture and kill animals, or fight dogs, or run illegal gambling opperations. What you used as an example is common place and acceptable to the majority of those living in India. What Vick did is not. Most people living in Newport News Virginia are good people and wouldn't break the law like he did. It goes completely opposite what is acceptable in the US.

In your example, Vick would be compared to someone who ate beef in a society where it was wrong. He went against common beliefs.

Answer 1

I lived in Virginia for a period of time, and It is really easy to find dog fights, along with "rooster" fights, man on man fights, and even other animals. No one condones it, but everyone knows it's happening. It has nothing to do with him being 'a man of color'. It has to do with him seeing an easy way to make some cash on the side that he can hide from the IRS. I knew white men who were all legal business during the day, and ringleaders by night. Is it wrong? Absolutely. Is it cultural? I don't think so. I think it's brought on by greed. There is always a small group that goes against the norm, and Michael Vick just used them to make some under the table money.

Answer 2

I don't see her as defending or condoning his actions, and she even stated this at a later date. All she was saying is that dog fighting and everything that goes with it is part of the culture in the south, and Vick unfortunately chose to keep this part of his culture.
I believe that Vick was educated enough to know that dogfighting is illegal and harmful to dogs, no matter the breed. He is clearly guilty because he willingly chose to engage in this behavior. He deserves to get whatever strict punishment he gets.

Answer 3

she wasn't defending his actions she was simply saying that it's a common practice. i believe that if he wasn't a man of color . it wouldn't be an issue at all. do i think he was wrong of course he was and did he use a complete lack of good judgement of course he did. but what interests me more is how we care so much more for animals than we do a/b human beings. don't get me wrong i have a cat but i'm sure there would be less coverage if he had beaten his wife. just my opinion. but this does happen alot in the south and even parts of the east coast. they did this alot when i was coming up in PA.

i also think people just want to create controversy b/c of how the show was last year. people get over it.

Answer 4

i'm hoping she's waiting to close up Elisabetch. i'm not even speaking approximately Elisabetch's political ideals anymore; it extremely is her demanding voice and conceited, be attentive to-it-all recommendations-set. Roll on, Whoopi

Answer 5

Pit bulls should be outlawed in all 50 states, then dog fights can't happen... betteing on an animal returns use to Roman times where animals killed humans "Planet of the Apes" another analogy it has... Micheal Vick knew what he was doin" so he should pay the price, i'd say 8 years and 100.000 hours against dog fights in america community sevice..commercials!!!
then never to be "NFL" player again, like O.J.Simpson???

Answer 6

Don't watch the show and didn't hear the comments, but if that was said I agree with you.

Right is Right and Wrong is Wrong and torturing animals and ppl is wrong, horrible and sick. Murders in prison are treated better then many children and animals around the world.

Answer 7

she didn't say what he did was ok. she said that it was cultural, and it is. that is not a defense. in all likelihood, his upbringing *did* have a lot to do with why he got into dog fighting. if you grow up in a culture where dog fighting is acceptable, then you too will find it acceptable.

this happens all the time. different cultures have different standards and practices. people in india will not eat beef because cows are sacred to them. so, if you grew up in india, you would probably not eat beef.

she said that what he did was wrong. she simply offered reasons as to why it happened. also, most of what she had to say was about the fact that he had no idea how much trouble he was in. which makes sense given his cultural upbringing.

EDIT: i hate to break it to you, but dog fighting is common in the south. to many it is ok to train their dogs to fight one another to the death, and kill them if they fail. log onto any animal rights website if you want proof. i find it hard to believe that you need proof given that we are talking about someone who did exactly that. and he didn't do it alone. he was not the only owner of dogs that were trained to fight, obviously. he was involved in dog fighting. which means others were there too. WHICH MEANS ALL THOSE PEOPLE THINK THAT IT IS OK. i have a lot of family in south carolina, and it is very easy to find a dog fight, or a hog dog match on a friday night. it is not state sanctioned, but it IS common place.

http://www.suntimes.com/news/otherviews/431143,CST-CONT-dog17.article

http://www.aspca.org/site/PageServer?pagename=cruelty_dogfighting

Answer 8

Here's my crackdown on this:

1. The view is there not for conversation but to cause controversy to boost ratings.

2. Vick was wrong with his decision on legal and moral levels.

Answer 9

I heard her comments and I heard her explanation about her comments.

I think it's her opinion and if that's the worse thing she ever says she's still better than Rosie.

For the record.....I love dogs and I don't share her opinion on this.

Answer 10

i' from the south and i'm not black. if it's a cultural thing,it must be further south than me.anyway you look at it it's awrong thing. personally and sad to say,i think it's just blacks defending the blacks as usual even tho they still kill each other more than anybody else.