Jamie Foxx Is Wrong on Michael Vick

Michael Vick's torture and killing of dogs is so reprehensible that everyone from pundits and politicians to animal rights activists and regular folks have seen fit to condemn him.

Unfortunately, Jamie Foxx doesn't quite get it. 

The almost universal disgust at Vick's sadism speaks well for our society—we're not so jaded that we won't speak out against a celebrity thug's cowardly and wicked deportment.

However, there are a few prominent black individuals—including Foxx—who have spoken out in Vick's defense.

The following is from a transcript of a Foxx interview with Access Hollywood:

"'Is he really going to jail?' Foxx asked about Vick.

'Yes, he’s going to plea bargain,' Robinson said.

Although Vick has been almost universally condemned since agreeing to plead guilty to dog fighting conspiracy, people should not be so quick to judge the NFL star, Foxx said.

'It’s a cultural thing, I think,' Foxx said. 'Most brothers didn't know that, you know. I used to see dogs fighting in the neighborhood all the time. I didn't know that was Fed time. So, Mike probably just didn't read his handbook on what not to do as a black star.'"

Foxx is obviously defending Vick simply because Vick is black—he couldn't have been following the case too closely, as he didn't know that Vick had already agreed to cop a plea. 

As I see it, the handbook that Vick "didn't read" wasn't about what not to do as a black star—it was about what not to do as a human being. To electrocute dogs because they don't perform well in a fight is something no decent person would ever do.

Mr. Foxx, it' ain't a "black thang"—it's a matter of a society (black and white) being disgusted by the cruel crimes of Michael Vick.

I don't share Mr. Foxx's cynical assessment that most "brothers" find nothing wrong with dogfighting. Most of the African Americans I know are revolted at Vick's unconscionable behavior.

Jamie Foxx should concentrate on comedy—and stop commenting on current events that he knows little about.

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