The Big Picture: Maddening

[ANImaniac89]

I fully agree with you Bob (both about Vick and Madden in general)
A few years ago I lived in a bad neighborhood. My family at the time owned 3 dogs (I forgot the breeds, but 2 males and a female). One morning someone stole the female out of our yard when we let them out to go to the bathroom. 6 mouths went by and we finally found out what happed.
She was made to fight other bigger dogs and when she lost she was left for dead, Someone found her half dead wandering the streets and took her to the Humane Society where some kind hearted stranger paid for all of her medical expenses and she was able to survive, and had her face rebuilt.
The stranger adopted her, and we gave them our blessing us not wanting to bring her back into the neighborhood that we shortly moved out of.

So I understand how horrible dog fighting is.

 

[Frozen Donkey Wheel2]

Bob, I usually disagree about your views on movies and games, but when we agree, we REALLY agree. This is one of those times. (The other was when you discussed your beliefs about the existence of a God)

 

[drisky]

I'm I they only one that smiled a bit at the thought of Bob getting a justified beating, I felt bad about feeling good about that afterwards, but still.

As for Vick winning, its the internet, I feel they are deliberately voting the choice that will make the game have a bad public image for the sake of laughs. Its not because they support him, they just find it funny that someone with a lot of hate gets rewarded and they get to watch people get angry over it. So yeah EA shouldn't have put him in the the running in the first place, but the internets going to do what it always does. The internet voted that a bridge in hungry be named after Stephen Colbert, a british special forces group use the Team Gurren symbol, and that Justin Beiber be sent to North Korea, all for laughs.

 

[manythings]

How many people can readily remember the name of any Madden game Cover star? It's not Micheal Vick football it's Madden, the cover is literally irrelavant 10 minutes after the release of the game. That is why it will never matter that he was on it. That's right WAS on it because it's already irrelevant.

 

[steeple]

wow... cant say I saw this one coming...

oh, and to the guy who explained his approval of this because "its just a dog"...
please cease from ever talking about subjects...

 

[Random Name 4]

You mad?

Seriously, I don't give a shit about animal rights or the NFL, but surely it is obvious that this is just trolling?

You are rising to the bait of some trolls, they have been successful

 

[Nimcha]

Hmm. I really don't care about either American football or dogfighting... guess this episode wasn't for me.

And it seems a pretty small issue for a column called 'The Big Picture'. But hmm, there's also been a lot of episodes about comics, so maybe that point is kinda moot.

 

[boeingguy787]

Seriously, guys? NOBODY believes in second chances? I thought that the justice system was designed to rehabilitate people, and Vick seems to be rehabilitated (unlike countless others who have not changed their ways).

 

[JoJo]

Sorry Bob, but I don't agree with a lot of this, there are much worse crimes this man could have done; murder, rape, child abuse etc than simply making dogs fight each other. Sure, it's cruel alright and I wouldn't do it personally, but just as bad things go on in nature every day. Also I didn't like in your video how you dismissed a lot of the oppositions potential arguments without even explaining why you did so. I happen to believe that morals don't apply in the same way to animals as they do to humans, I don't see an issue here.

Perhaps it's time to forgive and forget, he's done his time and if he says he's sorry, then I'll accept that. Anyway, just being on the front of what quite frankly is an unimportant video game cover for just one year is hardly worth being worked up about.

 

[Orekoya]

Maddening

MovieBob wonders why people keep buying Madden, and why anyone would want Michael Vick on the cover.

Watch Video

I'm with you on this, but I do want to throw in an alternate reasoning:

It's okay to ask us to forgive Vick. It's okay to ask that we believe in redemption, and to open ourselves up to the possibility that we are also capable of all evil things if the world were to just catch us on a bad day. It's okay to point out the fact that he's "done his time" and is trying to get his act together. All of that is okay, and I agree.

However.

Forgiving someone, or believing they have redeemed themselves, does not mean forestalling the logical consequences of those actions. It is not wrong, unforgiving, or uncharitable to vehemently want to deny Vick this spot. He paid his legal debt to society, and that's fine. It means he cannot be punished again, but refusing to honor something is not the same as punishment.

If someone robs me and gunpoint, goes to jail, gets out, and then comes to see me for forgiveness, I might choose to use that opportunity to forgive them. I'd let them know that I didn't like what they did, and I'd stop wishing horrible things to happen to them. I'd let them know I really do hope they go on to make better choices. But forgiving them doesn't mean I have to like them, be "buddies," or ever even speak to them ever again. I certainly don't have to make them best man at my wedding, or keep a picture of them on my desk.

<3 u

 

[Susan Arendt]

Seriously, guys? NOBODY believes in second chances? I thought that the justice system was designed to rehabilitate people, and Vick seems to be rehabilitated (unlike countless others who have not changed their ways).

He got his second chance - he's still playing professional football and getting paid obscene amounts of money for it. He's been given the opportunity to make a living off his athletic prowess. Anything other than that? He was a millionaire who got his jollies torturing and killing innocent animals. He can die in a damn fire.

 

[Rkiver]

I had no idea who this Vick guy was (Yay international audience member).

I think Bob hit the nail on the head with regards to this one though. That sums it up. Nothing more or less.

*Goes and hugs and brushes the two kittens he rescued*

 

[Uszi]

Forgiving someone, or believing they have redeemed themselves, does not mean forestalling the logical consequences of those actions.

Bravo.

Well said indeed.

 

[Ashoten]

Not much to say about this one except yeah I agree. Since God is the only one I can think of that is capable of sorting out who is really repentant and who is just putting on an act its hard to let things like this go. For us mere mortals we need to see positive action equal to or greater then the crimes committed before we are willing to forget something like animal cruelty.

What about the message this kind of thing could send to young people. It doesn't really matter what you do as long as your talented you can be a monster. If we want to be evolved humans and not just upright walking hairless apes we can't tolerate this kind of behavior.

 

[A Curious Fellow]

Mr. Chipman, I'd like to solicit your opinion directly, if I may: What if Rapistburger was in the running? Would you have done this episode on him?

 

[therockdemon]

well done bob, it is about time people stop giveing sports players "special" treatment just because they are good at a sport and start making them more accountable to there actions not just a slap on the wrist then send them back to there million dollar jobs.

 

[MB202]

"Stick Yoshi in it"

Congrats, Bob, now you can't deny that you're a hypocrite.

Although I can't complain. I'd buy a Mario football game, if only because it has Mario characters in it. Hell, it's what got me into Mario Tennis and Mario Golf (somewhat).

 

[EchetusXe]

FIFA keeps putting Wayne Rooney on the cover. Cheating on your wife with prostitutes isn't great, but yeah, least he hasn't killed any dogs.

Would be pretty embarrassing for EA Sports to put Michael Vick on the cover of Madden. I mean this guy is supposed to represent your national sport?

 

[crotalidian]

I know EA tried to explain it away but they Fetched Tiger Woods off the cover of a game that has his name on it for cheating on his wife....Putting Vick on the cover will basically tell the world that EA beleives animal cruelty is a molehill compared to the mountain that is infidelity.

I kno that Tiger was wrong and that infidelity hurts the wronged party a hell of a lot, but he did not commit a federal offense and go to jail.

Way to get your moral compass in a twist EA although after 'sin to win' and 'your mother will hate this' I dont expect much better from these guys at this stage

please guys. Surprise me for once

 

[gphjr14]

Seriously, guys? NOBODY believes in second chances? I thought that the justice system was designed to rehabilitate people, and Vick seems to be rehabilitated (unlike countless others who have not changed their ways).

Nah not in America. I recall all the rage over a Marine throwing a puppy off a cliff in the middle east, despite the previous years of kids and other innocents getting blown to smithereens by the US. We have schools here in the US south named after Confederate soldiers my favorite being those named after Nathan Bedford Forrest (founding member of the KKK) and everyone is OK with it. The US has fucked up values. Yes Vick fucked up and is a horrible person for killing dogs and making them fight for sport. Laura Bush (George Bush's wife) and Ted Kennedy are both responsible for vehicular deaths but no one talks about that. Its in the past let it go if Vick is at the top of his game then he's earned his place on the cover. If he was responsible for a child sex ring or something that'd be one thing but seriously people get over it already. Its fucked up by in the long in the "Big Picture" they were dogs not just dogs, but dogs and considering he served his time for it all you whiner and complainers need to cry a river build a bridge and get over it.