Reverse Racism

Say what you want about animals and their place in society in regards to the allegations on Michael Vick's involvement in dog-fighting and dog murder, my issue today is reverse racism. Reverse Racism has reared its ugly head as many African American people have come to Vick's defense solely on the basis of his race. They contend that his actions are a product of his culture, or contend that Vick is being treated unfairly because he's black.

Bull.

And I'm tired of it - I fully recognize that human nature and our American culture today struggles with the issue of difference. A white person and a black person may look at each other differently because of the obvious, and pre-judge. I live in Dallas and I get judged if I walk into a high-end mall by the rich-class of where I live. But, recognizing an issue and working towards a resolution are very different than just yelling "racism" at anyone around. The accusation, in fact, of racism, is quite a thing to throw at someone and should only be lobbed with proof. To call anyone racist because we are disgusted at Vick's actions is a slap in the face of humanity and logic. Michael Vick had a dog-fighting operation on his property since 2001. The facility was hidden back in the woods with darkened windows and he's about to plead guilty as part of a plea-deal in the face of enormous amount of evidence that he knew about the facility, funded it's operation and participated in events there - for SIX YEARS. Yes, this is not a one-time isolated,"oops i got drunk" incident, but a long term "project" personally funded and setup on his own property. And, I refuse to say that I find this despicable because he's black and would treat a white athlete differently. What if this was Tom Brady? I'd still be disgusted.

Saying it's racism with no evidence actually perpetuates our differences, rather than finding commonalities and working on erasing racism. Telling me I'm racist because I hold Vick to a standard drives a wedge between us, when we should work together to end racism and end cruelty to animals. Pulling out the race card just because the defendent is black is a crime - it's a crime against society that is working towards a better future, taking our eye off the real issues at hand. Racism exists, but you won't further the cause by yelling the word - you further the cause by working with your human brethren regardless of their color.

Blog by Matthew Tait Lifto