Michael Vick vs. The State of Pittsburgh

Its no surprise that someone else is writing something about their opinion on the Steelers signing of Michael Vick, a convicted dog fighter, and American football player.

Theres a lot of opinions swirling about Pittsburgh and as is common with a large public issue, there seems to be two sides.

Michael Vick is a lousy human being and should not be allowed to play in the NFL.

vs.

Michael Vick served his time.

Both opinions, as opinions so often do, present many factual errors, but to the reader and the opinion giver, the other side of the coin is not going to be understood, and most certainly not taken into account.

Why, you may ask, is this so worthy of a topic to spend my time on, or any of our times on?  A millionaire NFL football player is given his unlimited chances, as someone with a unique talent always is, whether they profit immensely or not.

Myself, I originally thought, I'm going out and getting myself a Vick Steelers jersey.  And in a controversial way, I'd parade about in a jersey, waving a flag I didn't necessarily understand but one that would, without question, stir the pot.

But I figured if this talk would continue, I better at least understand what the NFL forgave him for.

Because in the end, I will tell you, its a matter of forgiveness for one very public figure who brought to light a sick sub-sect of society that the average man was not aware of.

Again, the NFL forgave him, but can society, and for that matter, does society even have the mechanism to forgive since society is the whole, and if the whole were in belief of one ideal we wouldn't be human, subject to our own opinions and our own personal thoughts and beliefs, which deeply divide us, whether on subjects that matter, or these, so very public, non-consequential issues.

I do say, non-consequential because as so many of my fellow men, I literally mean my fellow peers who care so deeply about a game that really has no bearing on their existence, other than to be the lotus flowers, the distraction from our everyday menial lives.  But, more often than not, the NFL, and other various public issues, create such a stamp on our days (well, obviously, only if we let them).

But, while this may not have any true weight on my life, after doing some research there are two very much bigger issues here. 

One surrounding the atrocities, which is very strong debatable word here being your stance on animals, or animals as pets, where light was given to a very brutal "sport".  These brutal and lawless areas exist in our society, and more often than not, without our awareness or ability to comprehend such acts.

Dogfighting, obviously being one of these very inhumane realities that us normals don't realize or, for that matter understand.

But many other factions of people that will engage in other very brutalized outpourings or our societies indiscretions and faults.

I feel you could put many different acts that occur today with the common man not understanding or being aware of: human trafficking, sex trafficking, child sex trafficking, child pornography, the breeding and selling of big game animals, drug addiction and the culture brought on by that, homelessness.

Obviously all invoke varying degrees of thought and debate, but most of us as a society would deem any of these as wrong and would like to prevent.

But to a brutalized society, to the small portions who are forgotten, some with the choice, but mostly all who have been marginalized and then made the choices or not to be a part of a sadistic, malformed,  maladjusted group of individuals who see what the common man sees as wrong as right and acceptable.

In my heart, I know they need love.  They need God.

And that is most certainly true, but these subsects exist, but in most cases, and in most times, and by most people, are swept under the rug until something like what happened in 2007 occur. 

A hundred million dollar NFL quarterback, a very public figure, is caught at the helm of, what most deemed to may have not even existed or, at least, thought, not in my society, dog fighting rings.

Dogfighting, where animals were electrocuted, drowned and beaten, and with first admittance, not by Michael Vick, but after a lie detector and more interviews, were killed by him in several of the hundreds of cases.  Reading through the inditement, as all seem to be, myself being a Penn Stater who attempted to read the Jerry Sandusky inditement and investigation, was a very messy and brutal story painted of a man who allowed, and participated in a very bloody and inhumane sport.

But a "sport" that was much more common in those parts of society.

Legalizing Marijuana and Addiction

Ive been watching a lot of documentaries lately.  Mainly mini Youtube documentaries by the Vice channel but also on occasion, others on Netflix.

Documentaries are one of those easy learning experiences; you dont have to research, you dont have to put work in, just like a sitcom, you sit back and turn your mind off.  Well, at least in the case of a documentary, there is a chance to have some after thought. Or the hope of the afterthought, as just as people point their finger at some famous modern day documentarians, ie Michael Moore, that only a biased opinion is brought forth via the video screen.  So, I would hope anyone making a documentary to show the their views, as unbiased as they may first setout to be, is to create the ultimate goal as we as human beings on this planet educate ourselves to see all viewpoints and create our own thoughts based on that continuing education and thoughtful knowledge.

So, back to me, amd away from that philosophical bs.

The documentaries I have stumbled upon, which Youtube and Netflix essentially chose for me, and for all, and i so sheepishly followed, focused around two issues which don't seem to intertwine in commonplace society, but i see as very intertwining, Addiction and Legalizing Marijuana.

I find it funny, and already pointed by one of my herders, that legalizing personal use of marijuana is being trojan horsed through medical marijuana where people actually have shown great benefit from, most common known, being cancer patients on chemo.  I can't say where i stand on that issue as i have not done thorough education on the enhancing effects, but the limited number of documentaries on the subject i have seen have certainly been convincing of the positives,  but that, again, is their ploy.

Its hard to see and understand if this is actually the root cause for the change in society or if the truth is that it is only a guise for increasing the availability for recreational use.  But a look at any of these short movies reveals a 'hippy' culture so to think of the advocates' true intentions as being 'medically' necessary makes it hard to believe, especially from the uber judgemental state we all live in.

But that is where the cross roads of addiction come into play.  Most addiction documentaries being about the obvious, with a mix of new drugs, being spice, which so ironically bases itself, at least in the New York Times article, in Syracuse, and the Vice documentary, in Manchester, which are both key locations for the large financial company I am employed with, a fact that I still find ironic, but one that is for anothet day and another blog to discuss, understand, and hopefully research, because that is the truer answer outside of my rambling and randomness.

A side note, I just found out my brother has been using so probly this push to understand the addict has pushed me to these viewings but a more general sense of where our society is, that it rests between a point of continual unrest as evidenced by this subsect in society.

But why does legalizing marijuana have anything to do with addiction?

Ive always felt akin to those with drug problems, and really all marginalized persons, as I've always kept my own personal addiction to this debated substance, which I stand on the opposite end of legalizing, in a very hypocritical way.

Society, this world, this life, these people see marijuana as solely a recreational positive, and maybe not a positive, but no so much a negative, and most certainly not an addicting substance, which with any mind altering substance, even, and especially cigarettes, is addictive to the right person.

Its sad to see such a push for it, even with the conservative systems fighting it, without the talk of addiction.  To have two seperate conversations is counter intuitive as the issue should be intertwined but to those who would have that conversation, they see it as a positive lifestyle, an addiction to marijuana.  When such a glossing over of what is really occuring happens, again, in a guise of recreation or happiness or self medicating.

Where we are headed as a society is new territory, as is encouraged in humanity as we 'evolve', to not put too much emphasis on that word, but it is a path where mjch continuing discussion must take place.  One where issues cannot be hidden but must be brought to the foreground for all, even those with everything neat and together, to discuss.  Or lest we divolve.