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For such individual dog fighting is an activity like craps or dice and just another way of scratching out a dollar. The negative features attached to such activity by whites unaccustomed to it are not realized by the black community (Laucella, 2010). Therein, is the problem that occurs in surveys of this nature. The life circumstances of whites and non-whites vary to such significant degree that comparisons of their attitudes toward matters such as crime and punishment are invalid.
The uproar that occurred subsequent to the Vick dog fighting incident are evidence of the severe difference between the white an non-white communities. While the white community voiced outrage over the activities of Vick and his involvement in such an activity the same outrage is not evidenced on a daily basis as hundreds of black young adults are murdered on America's streets on a daily basis. This dichotomy in thinking is what concerns and raises the ire of the black community (Chiricos, 2004). White Americans expressed more concern for injured and dead dogs than they ever did for dead black teenagers.
Research studies such as the one conducted by these three University of Texas professors have their value but truly accurate results are not possible until such time as the impact of one's race, parental involvement, socio-economic background, and available opportunities can be factored into the results. The fact that there was a large dichotomy in the attitudes in the white community toward Vick's involvement in dog fighting and the non-white community's response is not surprising given our society's cultural history regarding racial attitudes.
Vick's involvement...
Differences still exist between how white and non-whites view certain forms of activities that are classified as criminal. In Vick's case, his greatest crime may have been that he was viewed as a successful black taking part in an activity that the white community viewed as reprehensible inherently but more so because of his position in society. If he were a poor black man living in the ghetto taking part in the same activity, his actions would have elicited far less attention and likely less outrage. The white community expected far more from Vick because of his popularity as a successful athlete and failed to consider his cultural upbringing in assessing the nature of his behavior. The non-white community was far more sympathetic and understanding. The Vick matter exemplifies the work that still must be done to equalize race and punishment in American society.
References
Chiricos, T.and Kelly Welch, Marc Gertz. (2004). Racial Typification of Crime and Support for Punitive Measures. Criminology, 358-390.
Laucella, P.C. (2010). Michael Vick: An Analysis of Press Coverage on Federal Dogfighting Cases. Journal of Sports Media, 35-76.
Peffley, M. (2002). The Racial Components of "Race-Neutral" Crime Policy Attitudes. Political Psychology, 59-75.
Piquero, A.and Nicole L. Piquero, Marc G. Gertz. (2011). Race, Punishment, and the Michael Vick Experience. Social Science Quarterly, 535-551.
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