Doggin It

Leave it to NPR to try to investigate this issue.

Sports shows on radio, almost nowhere ten years ago, have blossomed, giving patient rush hour drivers something to listen to when they trudge along, wondering if turtles can move faster than they.

And the topic of the day? Feds are likely to go after Michael Vick for dogfighting. Dogs are set to attack one another, presumably, like gladiators of yore, until one remains victorious, and the other remains, well, dead.

As one sports pundit after another claims disgust, they show why they are merely pundits, filled with opinion, and not journalists.

People do many things that can be considered disgusting, and others pass judgment, figuring no amount of reasoning could ever justify this disgust. This is, in effect, demonizing, making demons of others, and closing ears to any sensible argument.

Has anyone ever asked themselves why would Michael Vick, or his friends at the very least, like dogfighting? What thrills them about it? Has anyone ever investigated it? Do they fear, once they attend, they will be consumed with the excitement of dogs fighting to the death, much like fans of boxing can enjoy two guys pummeling each other?

Even those who purport to make news, like ESPN, avoid the topic. How many sent reporters to find out what's going on? To do a modest amount of digging?

But it's the kind of thing NPR will do, to find out who are these people. It wasn't so long ago that people wondered what the thrill of auto racing was. Or who had once thought of gambling as evil, but find themselves engaged in Texas Hold'Em poker, once respectable people were doing it too.

I don't claim to understand why dogfighting is popular among some niche of public, but it's worth finding out why people enjoy it so much, before condemning Michael Vick. Otherwise, we pass judgment with little information, assuming our quick assessment, our "blink" moment is sufficient to decide what is right, and what is wrong.