Is this the National View of Hampton Roads? Gee, Thanks Michael Vick.

Google alerts for "Hampton Roads" delivered this blog post to me:

Michael Vick has no friends, except for me.

Here is the excerpt that prompted me to post a comment (see my comment below):


"Vick was raised in one of the worst ghettos in the U.S. — the Hampton Roads East End section in Virginia. Hampton Roads is a pure ghetto with subsidized housing, a lack of public protection by the police, and could be one of the worst places in the country to try to raise a family. His parents both were hard workers, and it is evident that even with all the odds against Vick, he succeeded in exiting an area where infinite welfare is the most common life of the typical resident. He went on to becoming one of the highest paid sports entertainers in the industry, with massive sponsorships, endorsements and fan support. I don’t have many heroes in my life, but I know how to pick them out after researching them. I’d rather have my future son want to be dedicated to succeeding like Vick than like Paris Hilton, that’s for sure."


My comment:
I agree that the media coverage of Mr. Vick has been obnoxious and overwhelming, to say the least. There are many more important matters going on in the world.

I can even appreciate your comments and stance on federal law. However if laws were broken (against dog-fighting, against gambling, against cruelty to animals, whatever), then Mr. Vick, and anyone who worked with him, should be punished accordingly. No more, no less than any other citizen.

I do take exception with your comment: “Hampton Roads is a pure ghetto with subsidized housing, a lack of public protection by the police, and could be one of the worst places in the country to try to raise a family.”

Perhaps certain sections of HR could be considered as such, the same as any other metropolitan area in the U.S. However, we have found that HR for the most part is made up of intelligent, hard-working people who are proud of where they live. We have a strong military presence here, and one of the most culturally diverse areas that I have ever had the pleasure to visit or live. We have so many cultural and arts events here…and many free and open to the public… that it forces us to decide among them. I have met many outstanding constituents of the African-American portion of our community, too, recently enjoying a wonderful evening at the Attucks Theatre in Norfolk and the 2007 Mid. Atlantic Black Film Festival.

Don’t give Mr. Vick credit because you think, and I quote: “he succeeded in exiting an area where infinite welfare is the most common life of the typical resident”. That is simply not true and an affront to the people (including me) who live here.

Thanks for the post and your viewpoint.


Callers into the Cathy Lewis HearSay show of August 27th supported my assertion as well.


And, then, Whoopi Goldberg had to get in on the act.


Kerry Dougherty of The Virginia-Pilot © wrote a thoughtful article dated 9/6/07 on Whoopi's "incident":

Goldberg 'view' of south shows ignorance, not cultural insight

Gotta hurry here. I'm about to head on over to another dog fight.

Y'all know what I'm talking about. Here in the South - the Deep South, that is - there's nothing we like more than watching pit bulls rip each other to shreds.

Yup, we ain't nothin' but tobacco -chewing, 'shine-swilling, dog fightin' fools in these parts.

Welcome to Whoopi Goldberg's world of sweeping stereotypes.

Perhaps you saw her embarrassing inaugural appearance on ABC's "The View" Tuesday. Most of us caught clips of Goldberg's observations when they surfaced later on cable news.

The ladies of "The View" were discussing the Michael Vick case when Whoopi leapt to the defense of the disgraced quarterback. She excused his involvement in dog fighting because, well, he grew up in Hampton Roads.

"Instead of just saying (Vick) is a beast and he's a monster, this is a kid who comes from a culture where this is not questioned," she said.

Kid? This guy is a 27-year-old millionaire. He came from "a culture where this is not questioned"?

"He's from the South," Whoopi declared. "From the Deep South."

News flash: Michael Vick is from Newport News, V a. (So was Ella Fitzgerald. Does that mean the First Lady of Song was a dog fight fan, too?)

Someone give this dreadlocked diva a map.

While there's no official gateway to the Deep South and no passport required once you get there, the term is generally reserved for states nestled deep in Dixie: Mississippi, Alabama and Louisiana come to mind.

Virginia is not the Deep South. The Old South? Yes. Deep? Never. Even I know it, and I grew up in Jersey.

As if that wasn't enough misinformation for one outing, the comedian also opined that

Southerners accept dog fighting the way Puerto Ricans accept cock fighting.

This goes way beyond geographical ignorance.

"I never heard of dog fighting around here in nearly 65 years," countered Newport News Mayor - and native - Joe Frank on Wednesday. "... To suggest it's socially acceptable or culturally acceptable is absolutely untrue."

The mayor pointed out that Vick's hometown is a city of roughly 187,000, with a splendid university and several museums.

Sure, it's great sport to make fun of those who live in the South. And frankly, if there's one stereotype that's true, it's that those on this side of the Mason-Dixon Line know how to take a joke.

But no one's laughing about dog fighting.

On the contrary, there's widespread revulsion in these parts to the ghastly accounts of dogs that were beaten and electrocuted on Vick's property in Surry County.

If dog fighting were a local underground sport, you'd expect to find strong support for Michael Vick. That isn't the case.

Mayor Frank said he was reluctant to fuel a spat with a celebrity, but he noted that Whoopi Goldberg clearly didn't know much about Vick's town.

As a - dare I say it - Southern gentleman, the mayor politely suggested that Goldberg refrain from cultural stereotyping.

"I think comedians should stick with comedy."

Nicely put.

Kerry Dougherty, (757) 446-2306,
kerry.dougherty@cox.net
More columns Kerry's blog

And, then there's PETA, of course, whose headquarters is in downtown Norfolk.


Thanks, everyone for attempting to champion Hampton Roads, and the "South".