I have some earth shattering news for you. Members of the media can be shady as hell at times. As many of you know, Whoopi Goldberg made her debut as the regular moderator of "The View" on Tuesday. During the telecast, she and the other panelists (Elisabeth Hasselbeck, Joy Behar, and Barbara Walters) discussed the Michael Vick case. Whoopi said that she believes that Michael Vick grew up in a culture that condones dogfighting and as a result, Vick originally didn't think he did anything wrong.What has me pissed off is that some members of the media aren't giving the whole story in regards to Whoopi's comments. For example, the online video put together by the Associated Press (AP) shows less than 60 seconds of the nearly 5 minute segment. In the footage that they selected, Whoopi says, "…and the world that he comes from its not important. We have a different relationship to dogs and cats and things. It’s like the Chinese. They have a different relationship to cats. You know. And you and I would be really pissed if somebody ate Kitty." For many people who only saw that brief footage, they were understandably confused by Whoopi's comments when she said "we have a different relationship to dogs and cats and things". Some misinterpreted the "we" as meaning black people. If you watch the entire segment, it's more clear that the "we" is people not involved in the dogfighting culture.
During the segment, it sounds as if Whoopi feels that dogfighting is a Southern thing. On that point, I will disagree. I can't tell you whether or not it is more prevalent in the South. What I do know is that when I lived in Flint, Michigan there was a dogfighting story that made local headlines a few years ago. I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if it's still going on there, as well as in other parts of the country outside of the South.
Below are links to the abbreviated AP clip and the full segment. Even after watching the full segment, we all aren't going to come to the same conclusion regarding Whoopi's comments. However, certain members of the media need to do a better job of presenting the full picture of a story and then let people decide.
AP Clip
Full Segment
7 comments:
OK. First, congratulations on getting 25 of 26 on the Skittles quiz. Which one did you miss by the way? I figured you'd be one of the people who would get a ridiculous number correct : )
Also, I watched The View on Tuesday, as I have nothing better to do. I had the same reaction to the Yahoo News story I saw the next day. I was like, "That's not what she said!" I heard the entire interview, and while I thought she was a bit soft of M. Vick, she absolutely was not defending his actions. She was merely stating that he probably didn't realize how horrible the rest of the country would view his actions. She was trying to make the point that when you grow up around something, you may be desensitized to it....I could go on and on, but I won't. She probably shouldn't have even brought it up, but I think the media's coverage of her comments was taken completely out of context. The next day she was going on about how she's such an animal lover. I didn't think she should have had to defend herself at all.
I didn't see Whoopi on The View, but I agree, I'm sure it was cut or twisted somehow....I think dogfighting is a problem everywhere. They discover rings here in Chicago all the time. I don't know if it's more prevalent in the south, either, but I still can't believe he didn't know it was wrong.
Hey Y'all . . can you tell I'm from the South (smile). I do think dog-fighting and the like is probably more common amongst those with "ties" to the south and/or rural communites. But I also think it can probably be found in most inner city communites all over the United States.
Personally, I think a lot of things are at play with that whole Vick situation. He probably grew up and around dog-fighting, but at some point, he certainly knew it was both wrong and unacceptable.
I have older relatives who grew up in rurual Mississippi and who raise and hunt with bird dogs. Some of the things they do in the rearing, training and handling of those dogs would either make you weep or cause the hair on the back of your head stand straight up.
As far as the media is concerned, it seems as if these days, all they do is look for dirt . . . when the can't find it, they appear only to happy to make it up. And the beat goes on . . .
Thanks for pointing this out. I tend to be emotional and jump to conclusions too easily (have you noticed ? :)
I still think what he did was inexcusable no matter who he is or where he's from.
Whoopi knew that she would be under a microscope when she took this gig. What she says from this point on is probably going to be taking out of context. The dog fighting subculture (counterculture) view the activity as sport, much like horse racing or boxing. These people do not think they are really guilty of animal cruelty. I venture to guess that many of those complaining of Michael Vicks exploits are doing so over a steak or a burger. Who decides which animals fall under the umbrella of protection? As Michael Eric Dyson pointed out “They have no problem shooting Bambi”. The View is an opinion show and Whoopi, along with the other's on the cast are entitled to their opinions. She had nothing to apologize for. In this country we (we as in Americans) hold dogs and cats to be precious, while devouring a pig from head to toe. Their skin is used in the manufacturing of footballs and their hair to make brushes and I don't hear anyone complaining.
Mama PJ: Thanks for the props regarding the Movie Photos Quiz that Skittles posted on her blog. The one I missed was "The Graduate". Because Dustin Hoffman was running in the photo, I took a wild guess and said the movie was "Marathon Man". Oh well, I was half right.
I had forgotten about Whoopi's debut on "The View" until Tuesday afternoon when I read about it online and watched the entire Michael Vick segment posted by ABC News Video. On Wednesday, I saw the short clip assembled by the AP, a misrepresentation of the facts if there ever was one. It didn't help that most of the links to the story had the headline "Whoopi Defends Michael Vick". Something that I forgot to mention in my post was the studio audience's reaction to Whoopi's comments. If they felt that Whoopi was defending Vick, we would have voiced their disapproval. I am glad that Whoopi said what she did for a couple of reasons.
1. It gave me a chance to post about something with a little bit of meat to it.
2. The AP's coverage served as a reminder of how some members of the media can be less than honorable.
Jessica the Rock Chick: I agree with you about the dogfighting problem. Whoopi may be right about the culture in which Michael Vick grew up contributing to his view on dogfighting. However, he still had to know it was illegal.
Lori: When it comes to the depths that some members of the media will stoop in order to get a story, nothing surprises me anymore.
Barbara: You are quite welcome. As for you jumping to conclusions, I have been known to do this from time to time myself. :)
Pamella: If Whoopi wasn't aware of the microscope before, she is now. However, I hope that this doesn't prevent her and the other cast members of "The View" from being outspoken.
You raised an interesting point about the animal hierarchy (who decides what animals fall under the umbrella of protection). I think that some of the people in this country who are outraged about the dogfighting need to step back and realize that there are things that we do to animals in the U.S. which are socially acceptable here that other people in this world would find deplorable.
I've gotten so bored and frustrated with media manipulation that I no longer watch news programs on TV. I search a variety of Web sites and try to put together the real story.
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