I was going to argue my own point but you summed it up for me.Trolldor said:He is to be judged on his personal life as all people are. As you are. As the beggar and the politician are.
The outcry is far from political.
You don't have perspective, you have bias.
The man is scum. It is precisely because he is a man that he ought to be brought to task all the more.
You say it's "just a dog" because it lacks the cognitive skills your average healthy human does, which makes exploitation of the animals by this swirling torrent of mediocre all the more reprehensible.
I am tired of celebrity worship. If the guy ran a hospital he would be ought of a job. If the guy ran a charity he would be out of a job. If the guy cured cancer, he would be out of a job.
But because he runs across a field and throws a round thing for a living he's suddenly "worthy of redemption".
My ass.
The guy deserves nothing. If he wants a second chance then he's going to have to earn it. You do not hand it to him because you have a compulsion to treat these utterly ineffectual, over-rated, lumbering, testosterone fuelled pustules as somehow having contributed something of value to society.
I would also like to add that imprisonment is not meant as "serving your time" like everyone acts. Its a way of keeping the undesirable parts of society out of everyone else's lives. The reason we don't keep them there forever is because society cannot afford it, and there isn't enough space for it either. If we had unlimited funds and space then you can guarantee that every person caught doing what he did would never see the light of day again.
This is also perfectly true.Preston_r said:Average person commits a felony, goes to jail, gets out - Has a hard time getting a job again due to said felony. Can barely work at McDonalds, probably will never become a manager or be trusted with any amount of authority again.
Celebrity (actor, musician, sports athlete) commits felony, goes to jail, gets out - Gets millions of dollars for acting / playing music / throwing a ball. Lives rest of life in relative luxury.
Saying "You don't get to be on the cover of a video game" or on the Wheaties box, or whatever isn't going to ruin his life. He will still have his paycheck from his football career. It just means he doesn't get the HONOR of being recognized as someone we want to hold up as being GREAT.
Being a felon hasn't ruined his life in the same way it would the average person. So, no. Sorry. Bob is right, you are wrong. Torturing and killing animals for sport is morally reprehensible. As bad as rape or murder? No, of course not. But it is still sick, repugnant, and vile and debased. The man shouldn't be honored by us. He has his honor from us - We still allow him to throw a ball around and make millions of dollars for our entertainment.