I should be writing about Wamu. The enormous changes they are putting in place. The jobs that are being lost. The impact on future buyers. But there is another story on the front page that I can't stop thinking about. Michael Vick going to jail for killing dogs....AND for being dishonest about it.
When you are in the eye of the public, whether you are writing, or playing for the NFL, you are held to a higher standard. People are watching. People are reading.
In this case, here is a celebrity athlete/millionaire who, just for a hobby, kills dogs. Let me rephrase that: he thinks it is fun to take the life of a defenseless animal.
Oh, but it gets worse. Because he lies. You see, I have always thought that a person can make mistakes. A person can go down the wrong path. But the real test of a person's character is how they handle things when they do something wrong.
When things go wrong, as they inevitably will, you have options. You can:
- Lie
- Blame others
- Admit you were wrong and apologize
I
f Vick would have expressed remorse, accompanied by an honest apology, this would have gone longer, and further, than any touchdown pass he ever threw. Most people will judge far less harshly. Bad things happen. People make mistakes. People do stupid things.
And we only need to look around to see how the combination of celebrity and money can impair judgement. Still, we love it when our celebrities are wrong, and they become even bigger celebrities (altering their judgement even further). We are caught in a never-ending love/hate loop....
Most of us want to forgive. It helps us ease the pain. We feel as if someone learned a lesson. And while absorbing blame is always difficult for any ego, it seems even harder for the celebrity ego.
Do celebrities understand the impression they make on our younger generation when they choose to go down the path of lying? The character of a young person is not fully formed. It is still being molded and shaped.
The media and the internet allows young minds no place to hide from celebrity misconduct.
Vick had denied for months that he was personally involved, and only admitted his involvement during a polygraph test. He got numerous letters on his behalf from other athletes...what did they say? Can it ever be okay to kill dogs for sport and to lie to cover your tracks?
In a world where justice to animals often is overlooked, and wealthy celebrities are worshiped, I can't help but applaud the judge's decision to place this man behind bars.
P.S. Thank you to BAD RAP (Bay Area Dog Lovers Responsible About Pitbulls) for caring enough to help adopt out 10 of the dogs involved in the dogfighting case.
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