Who Is the Latest Michael Vick Defender??

46. Why are those condemning Whoopi acting as though she said that he wasn't guilty at all? She didn't say anything of the sort, nor did she say that he didn't do anything wrong. She was merely pointing out another point of view, which is something that we all have to do in order to consider ourselves reasonable people, before coming to one standalone opinion.

Truth of the matter is, while people in the US pride themselves on treating their dogs like babies, in other countries, those same dogs are sustenance. We also eat beef like it's going out of style, yet in India, the Cow is a revered and sacred God. We don't have to like the notion of differences of opinions, but we do have to acknowledge them, appreciate them, and educate ourselves about them. To not do so only perpetuates the ignorance that results in this whole "I never saw it so it must not be true" mentality.

Posted at 3:11PM on Sep 4th 2007 by Give it up

47. I hate to have to agree with Whoopi on her very first day, but I've said the very same thing about cultural upbringing. Some people are raised to believe that making some home moonshine, or shooting a deer out of season if the family is hungry, or whatever, is OK to do. Don't think that it makes it acceptable, and it's all breaking the law. Yes, I KNOW that dog-fighting is illegal, and I personally find it sickening -- but lots of things are illegal, like speeding, doing some "creative number-crunching" on tax returns, etc. And how many people do you know that are guilty of those things? He did the crime, now he'll do his time, then we all need to get off his back and let him live his life.

Posted at 3:06PM on Sep 4th 2007 by it's breaking the law no matter how you slice it, but....

48. Excuse me Whoopi, but i have lived in the South my entire life and never once have i seen nor know anyone that dogfights. Your "part of southern culture" comment is way off and extremely offensive!!!

Posted at 3:11PM on Sep 4th 2007 by Lori

49. Who cares if Vick’s heinous crime was a part of his “cultural upbringing”, IT IS STILL A CRIME.

HEY WHOOPI, Good Job defending a violent criminal and promoting a cultural misconception about the Chinese eating cats, all at the same time.

HEY WHOOPI, do the Chinese also torture and drown the cats before they eat them?

What a SHAME that WHOOPI GOLDBERG turned out to be such an uneducated person!

Posted at 3:07PM on Sep 4th 2007 by jess600

50. SHAME ON HER !!! Many childern are raised in lower income communities, and everybody knows when your killing or not killing, causing suffering and pain on a human or animal. Blood on your hands or no blood on your hands. I keep hearing some black people saying that "its in their culture,its part of growing up in the hood" blahh blah blah...the oppressed will always be the oppressor. Being poor doesnt give you a free ride to become a MURDERER. Or does it? Because as long as some of those in the black community ,like Whoopi, keep saying and doing things that hold no honor,respect and commpassion for all beings, then you will always be looked upon as criminals and low lifers. And then you wonder why we cross the strret when we see a "thug" on the same sidewalk. You keep reminding us too !!!

Posted at 3:08PM on Sep 4th 2007 by Marina

51. IM NOT SO SURE SHE WAS DEFENDING HIM BUT THE FACT OF THE MATTER IS IT IS ILLEGAL AND HES NOT EXEMPT FROM IT. I HOPE HE IS SENTENCED WITH THE MAX AND WETHER ITS CUTURAL OR NOT ITS SICK AND TWISTED

Posted at 6:49PM on Sep 4th 2007 by CANDACE

52. #32 crystal

So it's excused because he is from the deep south and is black and it is what they do?

Tell you what... I am from New Hampshire which is known as one of, if not the most racist state in the country. So if I visit other states and act like a racists I should be forgiven because of where I'm from?

Posted at 3:09PM on Sep 4th 2007 by Give me a break!

53. If Michael Vick didnt think he was doing anything wrong and it was part of his so called "up bringing" , then why the hell was he trying to hide it.....??? give me a break. Quit playing the friggen race card here.

Posted at 3:18PM on Sep 4th 2007 by vmg

54. I cannot believe Whoopi defending Vick implying people from the South are ignorant to laws regarding animal abuse. Guess what Whoopi, we have dog fights EVERYWHERE including Michigan, Ohio, New York and probably every state. What a slap in the face to everyone from the south! You say it's a "cultural" thing? Come on. Whether we are raised Caucasian, African-American, Japanese, Chinese, Latino, etc. we live in the UNITED STATES where animal abuse is ILLEGAL and we all know it. Most animal abusers are also known to eventually kill people.

Posted at 3:12PM on Sep 4th 2007 by The North

55. This makes me sick, this "excuse".

Blacks in general seem to use "culture" as an excuse for things that are not tolerated well by other groups. However, when we try to group things into a "culture" thing and it's negative, we never hear the end of it. It's about like us saying "all black have big lips", it's not true and neither is this. So is she saying that its okay for him to TORTURE dogs because he's black?

Although dog fighting is illegal and vicious, I have much more of a problem with the TORTURE of the dogs. Fight them, fine....treat them with respect, feed them well, but why the heck burn them and hang them? Is it part of the black "culture" to blatantly torture animals too? Did she even address this part of it?

Reality is, some black will stick up for other blacks no matter what the crime, because they feel they have the right to do so.

Like another poster said, it was part of southern "culture" to own slaves too....maybe we should do that again too, and blame it on "how we were raised".

Posted at 3:11PM on Sep 4th 2007 by Shocked...

56. beachey, you better get out more, because the South is the headquarters for hardcore, long time dog fighting.

I'm talking about involving sherifs, cops, mayors, people in positions of authority.

It goes on because Southerners like you are clueless, or ignore it!

Posted at 3:11PM on Sep 4th 2007 by tay

57. I live in the south-approximately 50 miles from where the dog fighting/killings took place and I must say this is NOT a "cultural thing" as stated by Whoopi Goldberg. She said Michael Vick was "raised in the south" and "this is part of his cultural upbringing". What an idiot she must be!! I didn't know that hanging a dog and then when it doesn't die right away you stick it in water then electrocute it was cultural. What a racist statement to lump all those from the south into dog killers!!

Posted at 3:12PM on Sep 4th 2007 by no view from here

58. HE NEW IT WAS WRONG OR HE WOULDNT HAVE DENIED DOING IT AT FIRST........

Posted at 3:12PM on Sep 4th 2007 by justme

59. look, what vick and cronies did was horribly wrong - pure and simple. even if it were part of his upbringing, you'd think rising to the ranks of being a first-rate, starting quarterback in the NFL, making over $100 million that he'd gain some aspect of how things should and shouldn't be, and electrocuting, drowning and fighting dogs to their deaths is NOT a socially acceptable thing to do. AIM UP MICHAEL, AIM UP.

Posted at 3:14PM on Sep 4th 2007 by kat

60. First let me say whatever point she was trying to make about being in his cultural upbringing is just wrong. What he did was wrong and I beleive he is getting off easy. He actually made a list of his apologies. Who does that, I'll tell you, its a person (regardless of their upbringing or background) whom apparently does not feel any remorse for what he has done to those animals. I guarantee that if he didn't get caught he would still be doing it. I'm surprised Al Sharpton has not commented on this issue. What he did was wrong and he should pay for the crime for alot longer than 18 months.

Posted at 3:35PM on Sep 4th 2007 by VP