Causecast

by KAREN MURPHY, Contributing Writer

Q: When is it time to get new friends?

A: When you just got out of jail for having done horrible, inhuman, awful and stupid things with your old friends (and getting caught).

Bonus answer: When you’re Michael Vick.

I’m going to put my cards on the table and come right out and say I’m not a football fan.  Not only am I not a fan, but my life would not be impacted whatsoever if football no longer existed as of this second. Poof!

[Waiting. Oh. It didn’t happen. I’m pretty sure football still exists. Oh well.  Carry on.]

But not only does former Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick need new friends, he needs a new life.  How about one without violence at all?  But wait — that would mean no football.

I’m not in any way condoning Vick’s actions, but when a person is surrounded by violence of all sorts, their perspective about the sanctity of life tend to change.  We see it in war conditions; why not football?  Can we really say it’s a non-violent sport?  Give football players a bunch of pikes and longstaffs instead of a skin-covered ball and they could easily recreate the Battle of Agincourt, with tens of thousands of towel-wielding fans looking on and millions more in their living rooms.

Move from there into a high stakes underworld that most of us don’t know exists: dogfighting. The Humane Society estimates that somewhere between 20,000-40,000 people in this country take part in this multibillion-dollar industry. My neighbors, maybe. Your neighbors.

Shudder.

Michael Vick did the world a favor. He got caught doing something that’s a felony in most states but that tens of thousands of people do anyway. His high-profile case can bring attention to something so awful that we’d rather not acknowledge it even happens.

Vick is connecting with the Humane Society, and if he’s smart he’ll do a bunch of public service announcements and volunteer hours and hours in an animal rescue facility. It may not be enough for him to undo what he grew up learning, but it’s a start.

I’m sure PETA would be after more punitive measures, but the guy’s career, even though it’s in a field I think is socially damaging, has taken a huge hit. When are we going to stop punishing one another for stupidity and start addressing the problems where they start?

This is what should happen, if the stars align and my kumbayah world is real:

• Vick gets reinstated with the NFL.
• He gets a contract. Sure, it won’t be the same, but what else can he do?
• Vick makes a bunch of PSAs with the Humane Society.
• He volunteers to help mistreated animals. Pretty much indefinitely.
• Vick speaks at schools across the country. Elementary and middle schools.
• No pets. Duh.

So what can we do to help? There are still animals out there being horribly mistreated.

The ASPCA has been around forever, educating people about puppy mills, pet safety, and finding homes for animals that need them. Donate and/or sign an anti-cruelty pledge.

Read about acts that are cruel to animals that you might not even know about. Sometimes education is the best way to eradicate something. (Seriously, ‘crush videos’? WTF?)

The Humane Society made this great list of 10 things teens can do to stop animal cruelty.

PETA has an extreme reputation but you have to admit it’s effective. Join, give, share information. Read PETA’s official statement on Michael Vick.

Image by Keith Allison, flickr