How NOT To Make A Correlation: Vick > Rape
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
It really blows my mind how Sports Reporters come up with some of the things they say. Some people really must have a disconnect in their brain that just allow them to blurt out whatever they're thinking at the time.
Case in point, one KDKA-CBS and Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reporter Paul Zeise. Zeise is a contributor to a weekly television show called "Sports Showdown", and when the subject of Mike Vick came up he had this to say....
“It's really a sad day in this country when somehow ... Michael Vick would have been better off raping a woman if you look at the outcry of what happened. Had he done that, he probably would have been suspended for four games and he'd be back on the field. But because this has become a political issue, all of a sudden the commissioner has lost his stomach for it.”Umm what!?!? First of all...when do you ever joke about rape? Second...Would that really even be the case? Wouldn't he get locked up right away and for probably a longer period of time??? Just an aside here....if you're a guy....just never compare ANYTHING to rape. In fact let's all stop trying to compare Dog Fighting to Murder, Battery, Rape, Armed Robbery, etc. All of those are heinous and deserved to be punished to the fullest extent of the law.
KDKA has told Zeise and the Post-Gazette that he won't be invited back. Good for them.....let's keep asses like this off the airwaves please.
Apologies issued for PG reporter's remarks (Post-Gazette)
9 Comments:
It's coming later today Mook....it'll be back to its regularly scheduled (noon) time tomorrow.
Sorry...this redesign has taken up all of my time.
SNR's Dave Smith did something similar a few weeks ago, comparing dog fighting to pedophilia. The only difference there, I guess, is that if someone beat or killed my dog, I'd be angry and upset - maybe even kick a little ass. But if somebody ever touches my kid...well, call my lawyer and get my jail cell ready ahead of time, because I'd be using both.
Seriously, I can understand the need to be "edgy" and fill hours a day with interesting talk that drives ratings. But comparisons like this should be dismissed immediately.
This reminds me of Glen Beck's recent comments comparing Al Gore's push for climate reform to that of Hitler's actions.
Huh!?
Why do these idiots have to "compare" one heinous act to another, especially when they are in two totally different classes?
In the words of George Carlin, you can joke about anything, in the proper context.
"You say rape isn't funny? How about Porky Pig raping Elmer Fudd?"
Bad form on the columnist's part -- if he wanted to make the point that way, he could have gone with the domestic violence cases involving pro athletes, to explain a point about being more concerned about animals than humans.
There actually was a point there -- he just chose the wrong comparison.
Would it have been okay if he said said Vick would have been better off "pulling a Kobe"?
it is believable that PETA can garner more public outcry for their cause than any womens group could have attained for sexual misconduct, similar to Kobes situation. to my knowledge, pre trial, Kobe didn't have his jersey pulled, lose as many sponsor opportunities, etc. i agree with the guy that its pretty odd that sometimes in this country animals can have more of a public backing than women, just totally disagree with the "would have been better off part". without the strength of the special interest group in this situation there is not as much fallout from the NFL. let the guy explain himself, may have sounded douchey but his reasoning seems legitimate.
Its worth pointing out that he is not saying that what Vick did is worse then rape, what he IS saying is that the outcry would have been alot less if he had done that instead and that he feels that is ridiculous. The reality is he is getting in trouble for belittling rape when he is actually making the point that there should be more public outcry for rape then dog fighting.
Dummy. Stupid remarks. AA, when are we doing the caption thing again?