The Big Picture: Maddening

[Brotherofwill]

I'm pretty sure that these 5 something minutes made me a little bit dumber.

Wow, just wow. So, you would excuse him if he was a famous doctor and approve of him being on Medicine Weekly (or whatever) but because he's a lowly pro athlete he shouldn't be on a game for said sport?

What? What does the job have to do with it? Jesus fucking Christ.

I don't care about the NFL, Madden or Peta or whatever, and I myself find animal cruelty incredibly low and offensive, but that has nothing to do with this guy being an athlete and advertising his face. The way you talk about this person is just as sick as what he's done.

So if Vick sat down and penned a mathmatical proof of the Grand Unifying Theory and gave up his current career, it would be easier to excuse the act? It seems Bob hates the idea of a football player getting a second chance, as if that person is less human.

Exactly man.

 

[Mangod]

Convicted animal-abusing sports star on the cover of a sports game? Sure, why not. Let's put Ed Gein on the cover of the next Tomb Raider while we're at it. Not like the gaming industries rep isn't already shot to ****.

 

[alandavidson]

I agree wholeheartedly with you Bob. I believe that there should be stricter punishments for crimes in general, especially when it harms an innocent being.

 

[righthanded]

Eh, weak episode

factory farming is morally on the same plane as dogfighting. if you eat meat, you eat it because you like the taste. any nutrients can be had from other sources for less cost.

Are you seriously saying that killing an animal to eat it is the same as torturing it for amusement? Don't you care about animals?

if you don't enjoy eating animals, there are alternatives, and they're more cost effective too.
greed drives profits from death in any case. I don't know why there's the need to draw a distinction.

So that's a no. The only thing that matters is making money.

the only thing that matters is not drawing arbitrary distinctions.
if you care about animals, don't eat meat and don't fight dogs.
to say that michael vick is bad because he made money off animal cruelty and that purdue chicken makes money off of animal cruelty but isn't bad-- makes no sense.

Again, thinking only about money... Who cares if they make money? Farms feed hundreds of thousands of people, and other animals. It is a noble sacrifice for the animal and serves a greater purpose. Look at what that chicken went through so you have something to eat. Not eating the chicken is disrespectful to it.

What Vick did, and all dog fighters do, has no purpose. There is no nobility, no sacrifice, no respect. Only murder.

That's a pretty damn big distinction.

i don't know why you're so hung up on the money aspect of this. do you think an animal cares if it's being slaughtered for food or if it's being slaughtered for fun?

 

[Steve the Pocket]

Michael Vick tortured and killed animals for sport. Movie Bob owns a hunting and fishing license. There's a difference between eating meat and going out and killing animals for fun. I'm not saying hunting is the worst thing ever, I just don't get out how you can condemn dog-fighting but support hunting. They're both unsavory in my book.

There's a difference between merely killing animals and torturing them. Conscientious hunters make a serious effort to kill their prey in one shot; merely wounding an animal and letting it get away is considered one of the biggest fuck-ups you can possibly make. As for fishing... well, there are mixed opinions. There's evidence that their neurobiology is so different from that of mammals that they don't even feel pain per se; their minds just register that something bad is happening and that they should try to get away.

You can see why this is so hotly contested. More important, probably, is what Vick's willingness to do what he did says about his neurobiology, if you catch my drift. I don't know all the technical psychological terms, but in layman's terms it's generally agreed that he'd have to be pretty fucked in the head.

 

[antigodoflife]

I don't care about Madden, NFL, Sports or Sports Games in the slightest but I believe that this man is a complete scum bag and deserved his jail time, honestly could have been off lightly, BUT he should have let go of the charges after he left prison, he did his time and as long as he doesn't do it again why convict him, I have the same view on this as all charges.

I heard your side and I respect your opinion but you may have to stop and think for a second "do you like dogs, are they your favourite animal, do you think that your love of dogs make you bigoted on this subject?" and really your point is invalid the second you called Dogs soulless creatures unable to conceive conscious decision of what right and wrong is I'm sure all life forms have that in one way or another.

Anyway - don't let your hate for this guy stop him from getting his mugshot on the Madden 12, who knows, if he's lying to the cameras while having dog fights in his garage in his spare time, maybe he deserves his curse.

Would it be okay to put Michael Vick on the cover of the next Pokemon game?

That made my day

 

[Melnordan]

Let EA put this on their game. While they are at it why not put a dog fighting mini game in it as well. I mean hey they obviously love the fact that this sort of thing happens.

No wait they just love any kind of free press and that is the real reason EA even has him on the list. they don't care what people think of them they just want people talking about them and their games. The fake Protest, the mothers commercial, and now this B.S. I swear EA is doing it on purpose. they are like children that don't understand the difference between good attention and bad attention. So long as they are in the news and people are talking about them it's all good. there is no way to punish them except take there allowance away. make them hurt in the pocket book and them maybe they will smarten up. But with I.P. like "The Sims", All the sports games, SWTOR, Sim City, Ect. they are going to have all there little addicts buying games from them no matter what they put out. EA is like the Mob of the 30s. they figure they can get away with what ever they want and no one has the power to stop them.

As for Vick just strap him down to one of the "Breading/Rape" racks and let the dogs have their way with him. Now that would be justice.

 

[NickCooley]

From the Free Dictionary

mur·der (mûrdr)
n.
1. The unlawful killing of one human by another, especially with premeditated malice.

Just something that niggled at me a little bit during the video. Now that's out of the way...

Yes what the guy did was pretty bastardish but he HAS done his time, I'm not gonna be inviting him around for tea any time soon but I'm not calling for his head either. Yet another reason to be thankful most of the western world has a rational justice system instead of going on the whims of the angry mob that want him lynched. Animal Cruelty, while deplorable is pretty low down on my crimes to be riled up over list with the usual suspects being at the top (genocide, murder, rape, paedophilia etc)

Also, while I respect others right to their opinions I can only hope the kind of people that feel murdering a fellow human being over an animal never get into any position of real power, thats an unbalanced and irrational mind right there.

Look guy, I understand were your coming from and I cant really speak for other animal lovers like myself but its not about valueing animals over people, its about having humanity to begin with. If you want to get technical, then sure, murder may not be the word but such deplorable acts dont deserve any sort of defense. I believe that humans are above animals but that means we have a responsibility to act human towards them, not to kill unless necessary and to NEVER cause unessary pain. Giving someone who robbed a bank a second chance makes sense as were unsure why he did it but if he shoots someone while doing it then it doesnt matter, screw him.

Don't get me wrong I'm not trying to defend the guy, what he did was sickening yes, but he's served his punishment and I don't think the calls for his head (metaphorically speaking) are deserved. Especially when people are committing worse crimes and there's not so much as a peep from people. As for the animal/murder thing, that was more the Grammar Nazi in me more than anything else.

And while I'm here.

As someone who has played both rugby and futbol americano, I can say with certainty that football is waaaaaaaaay rougher than rugby is. Rugby tackles are like, "grab your jersey and pull you down." Football tackles are "250-lb slab of muscle slamming into your spine at full speed."

Here's a tip: Football players wear those pads because they need them, and that makes the sport rougher.



The more you know! (Twinkle)

Grab your Jeresy and pull you down? Tell that to the All Blacks. Hell, tell that to any professional Rugby players =P

 

[b4XT3r]

I went and voted for the other guy, even though I've never played a Madden game in my whole life, and don't even follow football.

 

[Dansrage]

Appreciate the explanation for us foreign dudes, Bob.
While i'm not quite as outraged by animal abuse as Bob, theres no question that it's wrong and immoral, i do have pets, and the thought that anyone could harm such animals is disturbing.
What i fully agree with is the leniancy concerning athletes and the law. OJ is one example, and many, if not most of the professional athletes in the US and UK notably, have convictions and have comitted crimes that have become very public.
Assault and battery, harassment, drunk driving, drug abuse, drug trafficking, unlicensed firearms, even rape is fairly common among famous sports stars.
The reason they often get away with very leniant punishments considering the crimes they commit, if they don't get let off outright, is because they are "famous".
Young boys in particular look up to these men as idols, and do their best to emulate their behaviour, what kind of message are we sending those children when these men can literally get away with murder just because of who they are?
Worse, the public FORGIVES these men, for no other reason than his fame.

 

[EscapingReality]

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*

As an international cohort myself, the soccer league here in my country with massive douchebags who are also involved in scamming, dogfighting, drug dealing and corruption of the sports system.

I can relate to Bob, but I'm in no hurry of defending his point of view because I'm not a sports fan myself, but I know douches when I see them and there is a massive one here.

*pets dog*

 

[Joepow]

Sigh. So much for rehabilitation. Sad, but no surprising.

 

[Da Joz]

I also wonder why people keep buying madden games. Wasn't Vick already on the cover for '04? Well if he makes it again maybe the madden curse will kick in.

 

[Zydrate]

Sorry Bob, I have to disagree.
I don't like Vick, but yes. They're just dogs. Sorry.

I'm not simply the type of christian who thinks we're above animals or what have you; I simply don't think they deserve this much respect. Until they get thumbs and start building shit, I never will.

Look, I had a cat for the first 15 years of my life. He was there when I was born and he definitely possessed some intelligence and memory. I got that. But I didn't cry when both our cats had to be put down due to sickness and then depression (Yes, our cat suffered depression after the first one died). While I can understand some of the concepts that many animals are just barely a couple steps down from us... They're still just that. Below us.

Sorry.

 

[Shycte]

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.

Are the moderators allowed to say that? Because I'm sure that if a user did, he'd get punished. Just sayin'...

I agree that it is bad taste of EA to give him the chance appear on the cover Hell, I don't think he should be allowed to play in the NFL but people here are way to harsh, it seems like the support for Death Penelty just increased more then is healthy.

 

[Hamchan]

I can completly agree with Bob.

It's anyones business if they forgive him and want him on a gamecover, but in my books running a dogfighting ring is prety much one of the lowest things you can do.

 

[PhiMed]

"not saying those guys shouldn't be denied a madden cover either."

Gah. Too many double negatives.

There's one.