More on R. Kelly and Michael Vick and What the Polls Are Showing

First the good news.  Who says polling is just for politics? We here at jasmynecannick.com conducted an informal poll of our visitors on what they felt was more important between two choices: Michael Vick and dogfighting and R. Kelly having sex with minors.  Well, we are pleased to announce the results so far.  Out of 139 votes 92% get it and 8 percent don't.  And spare me the opinion that they're both important.  That wasn't the question.  I wanted to know which was more important.

I have always believed that there are two kinds of people in this world, those that get it and those that don’t.

I have carefully watched the media try and turn Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick’s dogfighting woes into a racial issue by blaming hip-hop and inner-city violence.  We just can’t win in the hood.  As if there aren’t dogfights, cockfights, snake fights and more going on in trailer parks around the country that don’t involve Blacks.  And while hip-hop can be blamed for many of our social issues, I don’t think dogfighting is one of them.  People were fighting dogs long before Snoop Doggy Dog and DMX came along. 

Then there’s the strange unwavering support for Vick from Black organizations to the point that they’ve held press conferences condemning his treatment in the media and asking people not to be to quick to judge him and that we must remember Vick is innocent until proven guilty.

Normally, I wouldn’t have anything to say about their support of Vick.  I am not in the camp of people that think that dogfighting deserves this much of our attention.  Sure it’s not pretty and for the most part is horrific, but it’s not the worst thing Vick could be charged with, try on 14 counts of child pornography and having sex with an under age minor.

Enter the Black phenomenon R&B singer R. Kelly.  Set to begin his long overdue trial next month on 14 counts of possessing child pornography for allegedly videotaping himself having sex with a girl prosecutors have said could be as young as 13, you wouldn’t know it the way his albums are still flying off shelves and Black people are still bumping his music.

So what does R. Kelly have to do with Michael Vick?

While traditional Black organizations have been quick to jump to Vick’s defense, for the most part they’ve said nothing on Kelly.

Last time I checked a dog was not human, but a 13-year-old girl was.  And regardless as to whether or not she willingly engaged in the act, she was the minor and he was the adult.  That’s really the bottom line.  And most of us saw that video over the Internet or bought it on the street somewhere, so we can’t act like that wasn’t R. Kelly.  Unless you support this type of behavior you should be as shocked and appalled as I am at the silence from our organizations on it. 

But tell me this.  Would Black America still be looking the other way and steppin’ from side-to-side to Kelly’s beats and acting as if nothing had happened had he been accused of sleeping with a 13-year-old boy?  Would he still get nominations for Image Awards and sell out concerts from coast-to-coast?  I think not because while we’re willing to look the other way when it comes to young girls (as if they don’t matter at all), we get our panties in a bunch when it comes to anything gay and immediately try and distance ourselves from it. 

Well we can’t be hollering one minute that Black women are queens and are to be respected and protected and then turnaround and cast a blind eye towards R. Kelly, but want to be quick to jump to the defense of people like Michael Vick and Barry Bonds.  Well, you can’t if you expect to be taken seriously. 

As I said before, prosecuting dogfighters is not high on my list priorities.  I mean if we’re going to throw the book at Vick at the same time we need to be raiding trailer parks from coast to coast where similar fights are staged and bet on.  However, I am more interested in prosecuting grown ass men who get their rocks off on young under age girls, regardless of whether or not they are music icons.

When we don’t jump to the defense of young girls in these types of situations, we send a clear message that their lives aren’t as important as others.

I have always believed that there are two kinds of people in this world, those that get it and those that don’t.  Which one are you?

Comments

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[a visitor]

I've always believed that there are two types of people in the world, also: those who take comfort in viewing the world in oversimplified dualities, and those who don't. Which one are you?

[jc]

Your point about R. Kelly is well made. However, It's perfectely OK to be outraged by his crime (not heard much about Kelly being innocent until proven guilty) as well as Vicks alleged crimes. Outrage should not be mutually exclusive to one or the other. You do seem a bit too dismissive about the sadism which exists in dogfighting no matter where it exists. The affects on children brought up to accept the torture of animals is exceedingly damaging to the accepting communities. Ghandi said that "societies can be judged by how they treat their animals"

[inconflict]

i get it! I really get it! Our priorities as a black community are so up our butts that we cannot even feel it even more because we've been use to meaningless values for so long!

we have been so brainwashed into protecting ourselves from being victimized from other people (non-blacks) that we no longer can admit when we victimize ourselves... "A prominent black man hurting our black children? Nooo way!"

It is so true. I get it. We have our priorities all messed up. We, as a people, are concerned about the wrong things when it comes to justice sometimes. There are more issues like the racial tensions in Jena, Louisiana outside my hometown. Black and white young people are beating each other senseless, and it seems like only the black community is suffering, but in essence, everyone loses.

[douglass]

It's funny how people want to protect dogs more than humans and just recently acto ving rhames dogs killed his caretaker and I hear people saying that don't kill the dogs,but I guess if it was humans (particularly black people) they'll want them to get the death penalty. And nobody mention how a pitt bull raped and sodomized a 2 yr old boy in Buffalo, Ny and instead of putting the thing to sleep authorities were evaulating it like it was a human.

[boboso]

If noone else is going to mention it, why don't I? What the fuck is up with the mask at the Grammys? How fucking weird is this dude with the pedophilia and the oddball getups and the never-ending "Trapped In The Closet" horseshit? Go back to Planet Crackpot already! What a tool!

[xpat]

No top ranking--both are evil--and I believe the dog fighting is only the tip of the iceberg I will bet my last dollar on that.

[PatC]

Thank you Jas! It's about time somebody in our community speaks out about R. Kelly. The fact that he is idolized by people who, if it was their daughter, would otherwise have a problem is insane.I will not drink the kool aid and 'step' to any of his music, buy it or listen to it in my car. We as a community need to be clear about what is right and what is JUST PLAIN WRONG! We are quick to make issues racial and don't realize that the only thing that has kept Kelly out of jail is money. If that was any other black man, he would have been prosecuted! How's that for racial.Even white men with money have a difficult time eluding jail time for pediphilia...so black or white his ass should pay! As far as Vick is concerned, another person with money, I say you break the law, you suffer the consequences. If you commit a crime and it just so happened that legislation to further enforce the crime is about to go into effect, it was your double bad luck. Sometime after Civil Rights and crack, our people seem to have lost their minds. I blame a public who celebrates mysogyny for fear of appearing to be a 'sell out' for supporting such ridiculousness! Meanwhile, blacks who prostitute our culture continue to remain on top. Keep on speaking sister!

[Marva]

Jas, with all due respect, the dog fighting is something you should look into. You are a well educated young woman, and dog fighting and crime in low income neighborhoods go hand in hand, and then there is the total cruelty to the animals that can't be condoned in the year 2007. In this day and age there are way too many other ways for these people to find "entertainment" other than watching animals kill each other.

I just don't get why someone like Vick who had it all going on would stoop to this, something is WRONG with how these young men are bought up, something is wrong. This isn't a racial issue, it is a cruelty issue.

And wrong is wrong, pedophiles or dog killers.

[KarenK]

I don't think either are important. There's no difference between breeding dogs for fighting and raising them for food or leather. And in terms of R.Kelly-- I could give a fuck about another celebrity sex scandal.

[le vent]

I soooo get it.